Help with a few things??

[Redjelly]

DD2 is 3.1 months. She is a textbook baby (apart from the sleeping through the night!!) from 4 days old she has done teh following evening routine

between 5 - 7pm cluster feed, bath & the bed
10:30 - 11pm dreamfeed
somewhere between 2am - 5am wake for feed
wake approx 7-7:30 to start the day

She has only woken more than the once between DF & 7ish about four times in her whole life. I guess I thought when it started so good that she would be sleeping through by 3 months no worries.. hahahaha. No. I know that a lot of babies don't sleep through until 6 months, but it is so incosistent.

Some more info:
* She is fully breastfed
* The dreamfeed is an EBM bottle (I express just before & freeze some for a *stash*) at the moment she takes approx 150ml (I think 5oz) at this feed
* She does have a dummy (a paci?), but I don't see it as a prop (but am happy to be corrected) as she often does not need it & rarely does it stay in after the initial settle. Also I hear her stir at night & she re-settles ok. I only use it at night if something other than herself has woken her.
* She self settles (sometimes with the dummy, sometimes without)

Now to routine/feeds during the day (which I think maybe where my problem is). I feed anywhere from 2 - 3 hourly. She is awake 1 - 1.5 hours at a time (sometimes longer if we are out & about). Cause she is so easy going, if we are out she can go to 2 hours without stressing. I also try & do 1.5  - 2 hours at night (5-7ish).

She only feeds for about 5 minutes at a time during the day. Yes she may be snacking, but I do have a lot of milk & the letdown is very fast. DD1 only feed for short times too (and slept through from 8 weeks old).

DD2's naps during the day, some are 2 hours, some are 1.5 with an occasional 45 minute thrown in. I don't often try & resettle as DD1 is 20 months old & has a tanty everytime I try.

So any advice? Should I push her feeds father apart (but not sure how to do if only up for 1 hour & then down for 1). I have to mention that the times I have tried to push the feeds apart she has only *snacked* and then gone to sleep.

I guess I feel like she is taking most of her milk overnight, which may be lovely for her, but not for me!

Thanks in advance.

[Noelle]

Hello! 

Everything sounds really good to me. 

A couple of things that I would say is that since she is waking between 2-5 and she's still pretty little, that it is probably hunger.  Have you tried using the pacifier to forgo this feed?  Or pat/ssh?

Also, when you try to stretch the feed out you had mentioned she falls asleep.  Is there anyway to keep her awake until she gets a full feed?  If so, I would do that and then do a small diaper change or other activity so that she is going to sleep awake.  This is tweaking EASY and all is ok.

Hope this helps some 

[Redjelly]

Thanks for your reply.

It's not that she falls asleep on the boob, just that she eats for 2 -3 minutes & absolutely refuses to go back on & wants bed!!

Mind you we just had a 12:30 feed (good feed 7 minutes - that is long here) & then 1.5 up time & a 1.45 nap. So we go to have the next feed (3.25 hours later) 3 minutes & that is it... she will not go back on. The only time she screams at me is when I try & make her go back on after she is done.

Maybe I just have to accept she eats quickly & that is that.

I have tried a little to resettle with & without the dummy. For example last night at 2:30am I knew there was no way she would, but I tried for about 5minutes anyway. DD1 sleeps next door & is only 20 months so I am concious of waking her. At 5am though I knew she would go straight back to sleep so just popped the dummy in & walked out (the garbo had woken her).

[Noelle]

Hi again! 

I agree it does sound like she's a quick eater - lucky you!