Hi Elisas mum
First of all can I ask why did you changed from a 3hr EASY to 3.5 EASY?
I am under the impression from the way we work it out in the UK that your DD is 10 weeks old, however adjusted she is only 6 weeks old. An should be treated as such, until the age of 18minths (I am sure that what Tracey said in one if her programs). My friends baby was 6 weeks early and she her weeks were adjusted.
Also, prems by definition are more fragile. Even more than low-weight babies, they tend to fall asleep on the job, so you need to be extra vigilant at waking them up for feeds. TBW- SAYP p27
Now she doesn't seem hungry when I wake to feed her, instead of eating 80-90mls a feed she eats 40 maybe 50 and then falls asleep on bottle and has hardly any awake time, then she wakes later and is hungry again and then only eats 20mls. – You can’t really expect much awake time at this age, usually a change of nappy, clothes, etc. Have you tried changing her nappy or rubbing her hand to wake her up when she falls asleep, that is what is usually recommended; otherwise you may start to lay the foundations for a snacker.
I am not sure if I should just let her wake when she is hungry, and start demand feeding, yet if I do that she would not have a consistent bath, night time bedtime routine. – Stick with the routine, it will work out, however I really think that 3.5 or 4hr EASY is too much at this stage, but all babies are different. It also means at night times she knows what’s coming next and that she expected to go to sleep.
Or if I go to four hour easy do I wake her in the morning to start her day or so she has more of a consistent time in or about 1/2 an hour. Right now after her dream feed at 10:30pm she will sleep till 5:00am with one or two wakes in the night for her dummy. - It would be advisable to have a set time to start her day for 3, 3.5 or 4hr EASY, I start at 7am every morning. I did not change to 4hr EASY until DD was just over 3months old, he now does more like a 4.5/5hr EASY with solids. The fact she is sleeping so well this early on is excellent – well done. Is she up for the day at 5am or do you treat the 5am feed as a night feed?
So then I feed her and pretty much she yawns right after eating and then I put her to bed then @ 9 I wake her for a next feed and she usually takes a full feed then for the rest of the day (12:30pm, 4:00pm, 7:30pm) she will only take 40-50mls and then does not have a good sleep usually fussy after 45min and wants to eat. – I think you should possibly return to 3hr EASY, set a wake up time and stick to it as much as possible. Concentrate at first on feeding every 3hrs, if she falls asleep, change her nappy or rub her hands to wake her up. You are now getting 45min naps creeping in because she is hungry, so concentrate on getting the feeding sorted out then hopefully naps will sort themselves out, i.e. if she isn’t hungry she won’t wake after 45mins
The info in the TBW SAYP – page 29 for EASY for a baby of 6.5 – 8pounds is; –
Eat – 25 – 401 mins
Activity – 20-45mins, inc. nappy, dressing and bath or wash.
Sleep – 1.5 – 2hrs
This cycle should be repeated every 2.5 – 3hrs (for babies on the lower end of average) 4 to 5 hours stretches at night in the first 6 weeks, by which time you should be working at cutting out the 1 or 2am feed.
I would like to keep her bath/ bedtime routine @ 7:30 or 8;00. Should I wake her for her first feed, and if I do how will I know she is ready to sleep through the night longer. – Yes, wake her at a set time every morning, you will now when she can sleep longer because she will cut out the 5am feed or stretch it to nearer her wake up time.
HTH’s
