PLEASE Help Me - trying but failing !

[Pumajay]

Hi

i'm sorry for the negative tone of this message, i found Tracy's book far too late, my dd is 8 weeks old today and i have done it all wrong so far. 

I started off exclusively breastfeeding for 2.5 weeks then i gave her a ff as her last feed to try and fill her up more so i could get some sleep and now she is pretty much formula fed with the odd bf thrown in more for comfort than anything.  Anyway we seem to have developed a terrible routine and i need help with my EASY routine ( i have read the book) at the moment her routine is

7 am  - awake fed for 15 mins approx 3oz ff, play for approx 45 mins then sleeps for 30-45  mins.  thats all good but the the problems start.

Basically she is awake from then ( 9 am) till at least 12 - 1pm and she has little bits of feeds evry 30 mins or so she won't take a full 6oz in one go.  i eventually get her to sleep by swaddling and ssshh patting but it talkes ages, then somedays she stays asleep for 4 - 6 hours and others she wakes up within 30 mins and wants more food.

at night she goes to sleep at about 11pm and wakes me up again at about 3am, she stays awake and is quite fussy for at least 90 mins and then sleeps in little bursts through till 7 am

I have been trying to introduce the Easy routine but she really is fighting me, it's lmost as though she already has her own routine and doesn't want to change it no matter what i do, did anyone else introduce the plan later on and have similar problems if so how did u get past them

i'd really appreciate the help i am starting to get a bit crazy now and would love to get a consecutive sleep of more than 3 hours

[GG]

First of all, it's never too late to start on EASY.  I read Tracy's book when DS was 3 months old.  Other people even later than that.

From what you've said, your DD is not getting nearly enough sleep.  At her age, she should be awake 1.5 hours at a time (depending on the baby, 2 hours maximum!).  All this fussing may stop once she is sleeping more hours (15-18 hours of sleep per day for her age).

Here are my suggestions:

First, read the Sleep Interview by Tracy.  It's a must!  You need to put together a plan of how to change your daughter's current routine.  This will really help.

Next, check out Tracy's suggested EASY routine so that you have an idea of what your DD's day should look like.

If your DD is still taking 45 min naps, the Naps forum may help, including this thread: How Tracy helped josie and her family get past 45-min naps

Look these over and, if you have any questions, come back and let us know how we could help you.

:-)

[hannah hynes]

You poor thing, it will get better honest. I agree with Georgia, look at all of the above because they will help.
My dd at 11 weeks slept okish at night but was awful during the day . Would not sleep at all i used to have to carry her around all day.
Then one day i decided that this was going to change. I started pu/pd and ten days later i could put her down easily for naps, not every day is perfect but it is 90% better. The key is consistency and not giving in. It is very hard but you have to beleive it will work and be strong. It's not that your baby doesn't want to change it's just that they're confused coz your trying to change something they're used to. If your are as consistant with changing it as you have been till now you'll be able todo it.
Good luck. :lol:

[Pumajay]

Thank you both, i am going to read the articles you mention as soon as i gt dd off to sleep !!  I really appreciate the help jay xx

[tylersmommy]

You've gotten some great advice so far...don't worry too much, you definitely didn't find BW too late! We found it when Tyler was about the same age as your LO, and although it took some work, it was soooo worth it!

One thing that caught my eye...in addition to being pretty overtired, it sounds like she may be having some trouble knowing the difference between night and day.

somedays she stays asleep for 4 - 6 hours and others she wakes up within 30 mins and wants more food

After you've taken a look at the EASY routines to see what her day should look like, make sure you stick to it. Make sure she isn't sleeping though feeds during the day. That's one of the keys to getting the routine to work, and the goal is to transfer that nice long stretch of sleep to nighttime.

Good luck!