Doesn't wake from naps

[balani]

I have an 8-week old ds and have been trying to do a 3-hour routine since about 4 weeks. For the most part it has worked well, except that I almost always have to wake him for feeds (except during the night, when he wakes once around 2/3 am, and in the morning around 6/7 am).

A feed takes 30 - 45 min, and I usually have to wake him a couple of times to get him to eat enough (breastfeeding) and burp him intermitently. Then he is up for about 30 minutes. I watch for his yawns or fussiness. Then I swaddle him and sit with him for 5 minutes (he fusses on my shoulder) and then do sh/pat in his crib until he is asleep. I just started doing this today, actually. Since 4 weeks we have been jiggiling him to sleep, and it worked well for us until this week. I would get him to sleep about 1 1/2 hours before the next feed, and I would let him sleep for 2 hours and then wake him by unswaddling him and massaging his hands. This week it started taking much longer to get him to sleep with lots of crying, sometimes all the way through to the next feed. If I did get him to sleep in a reasonable amount of time, he would wake after 30 - 45 minutes.

Today I started the "Four S" wind-down, and it has worked with some crying as I sh/pat him in the crib, and he has gone back to his old pattern where I have to wake him when it is 3.5 hours after his last feed (has been sleeping for 2 hours). Thus he ends up being on a 3.5 hour EASY. Once he is awake he is obviously hungry. Is this a problem? I am unsure about when I should actually wake him. I am even more unsure about doing cluster feeding because to get any reasonable about of sleep during the catnaps, I would have to put him down before he acts tired, and then I would have to wake him to eat. If I let him stay up for the full two hours between cluster feeds, it is difficult to get him to sleep. Any advice is welcome.

Thanks
Brooke

[HeatherC]

I was always under the impression that it is important to wake a baby for feeds (or within 30 minutes) so that their cycles of feed/wake/sleep are regulated.  Also, since you are bfing, be careful that you get enough feedings in to maintain your supply.  With an 8 week old, some may even eat 2.5 hours.  Of course, it's blissful for him to nap so well.  The 30-45 minute wakings may creep back up on you, so be prepared with Tracy's material relating to how to teach them to transition through the sleep cycle.  There are many wonderful posts on the nap board concerning this if you should ever need them.  It's great that you are helping him to fall asleep in his crib.  It's better at this age than trying to do it several months down the road.  That might actually prevent him from having the 30-45 minute problem later, but I don't know that for certain.  Best of luck to you.  Just remember that there is so much awesome material on this site, and you are sure to find answers.
Oh, and I'm not sure about the cluster feeding and catnaps because I never did that personally.

[balani]

Thank you! Sometimes I just need someone to tell me that I'm not doing anything wrong or that I will regret later. I've been reading a lot on the sleep boards. There is a lot of great information and advice.