What should the routine be after the 11:00 pm dreamfeed?

[mykonos]

Hi there,
I am expecting my second child any day now and have a few questions about the EASY routine AFTER the 11:00 dreamfeed. Tracy's routine begins again in the book at 7:00 am, but what are you supposed to do in the interim. Do you let the newborn wake on her own and feed her, do you keep the spacing of feeds at 3 hours and pat/shush until it is exactly three hours. My first child's routine was a nightmare, and I want to be prepared in advance for my new baby. If the baby wakes at 5 I read that you are supposed to do pat/shush until the 7:00 am mark, but what if 5 happens to fall at a three hour feed cycle? HELP
Lori

[Deb_in_oz]

hi.  after the DF (which can be anytime you choose between 10 and 11pm) you don't wake the baby for feeds.  when he/she wakes and is hungry ytou feed in dim setting with no eye contact or play - just feed, burp and straight back to bed (only change nappy if leaking or pooped).  in the beginning most babies will wake for a night feed between 1-2am and / or 3-4am or so... but EVERY baby is different.

when Tracy mentions a baby waking at 5 am and being pat/shh back to sleep i think that is referring to a baby who wakes early but is not awake for food - just early waking.  if your baby wakes at 5am hungry (let's say fed at 1:30 and woke next for feed at 5) you just feed as described above and resettle to sleep.  all feeds before 6am (some would say 7am but you have to think about your baby too) get done as a NIGHT feed (no playtime).

[mykonos]

Thanks for your response.
One more quick question. Let's say she wakes at 5 am for a feed, do I then wake and feed her at 7am to keep the schedule going?

[webfoot]

Well I haven't read the new book. But on the 3 hour feed thing.

A newborn will mostl likely need to feed more often than 3 hrs, esp if bf (during the day at least). So if baby is crying and hungry before 3 hours by all means feed it!  The 3 hour thing is something you strive for and will probably achieve around 8 weeks.  You have to be careful to listen to baby's cues and feed when needed, otherwise you can compromise your supply and also baby's weight gain.

[Deb_in_oz]

it is up to you when you start your day.  tracy only starts the day at 7 as a guide (most people STRIVE to start beween 7-8am but a lot of babies like to start their day between 6-7am)  you just aim for 3 hr feeds from the first one... but like Tanya said it is not exact and you need to learn your baby's cues for hunger (and sleep signs) and work from there.

if your lo wakes for a feed around 4-5am i woudl wake her (if she does not wake up on her own) by 7:30-8am to ensure you get enough feed sin the daytime hours...  there is a theory that if you wake the baby at the same time every day they will set their internal clock to that time. this worked for me for a while with Olivia but now i can honestly say that stopped a long time ago anbd she wakes anywhere from 6:20-7am now (was waking 6:45 - 7:15) so it is ever changing depending on how much sleep and food they want.


since you have not begun EASY yet i will tell you that it is not intended as a schedule - it is a guide so that your lo learns to sleep independently and that you learn their cues.  you aim to feed them (E), let them have some awake time (A) which will lengthen as they get older and then you put them down for a nap (S) so they are getting regular rest.  in the beginning especially the times will vary - just try to get to know your lo and enjoy her/him  and it will fall into place over time

[Gigismom]

don't stress about the times, especially for the first few weeks (ok, months).  just be sure to enjoy the baby.  just use tracy's SUGGESTIONS as a guide, not as firm rules.  the times are something you strive for, but you won't always get it right.  don't worry!!  i spent the first 3-4 months totally worried about doing things "by the book" and felt like a failure when i did things at the "wrong" times.  this added a lot of unnecessary stress for me.
about the night feeding, we fed usually around 1 am, 4 am, and sometimes she would then wake at 5 am.  i always fed her so she would go back to sleep til 7am or so.  she was never hungry at this feeding, but it would put her back to sleep so to me it was worth it to break the rules a little.  and it never negatively impacted her sleeping.  she was sleeping through the night at 3 months or so.

[purplekishi]

I've been following EASY for about four or five weeks now. My LO is 12 weeks old. If he hasn't woken up on his own I've generally been waking him from his nap during the day to feed when the EAS has reached the three hour mark (occasionally I'll let him go longer if he has not napped well earlier). Should I be doing this or should I just wait to see when he wakes up on his own (provided it doesn't go excessively long)? Thanks for your advice.

Purplekishi

[Gigismom]

purplekishi-i usually let my dd sleep as long as her nap wasn't excessively long.  the longest i ever let her nap during one nap was 2.5 hours.  i would just let them sleep...more time for you!!