Author Topic: Need help..we're on a 2-hour EASY!  (Read 1244 times)

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Offline momoftwogirls

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Need help..we're on a 2-hour EASY!
« on: April 27, 2006, 19:44:11 pm »
Hi,
I have an 11-week-old typical baby. We've been doing EASY since week 2 but I'm stuck BF every 2 to 2.5 hours. Until last week she was sleeping 6-8 hour stretches at night even though she had 45-min naps during the day, but this week she's been waking frequently at night. I could use some help in extending feedings to 3 hours...I suspect I need to extend naps? Anyway, here's my schedule:

Wake: 8 a.m.
E: 8
A
S: 9:15 to 10

E:10 or 10:30 if I hold her off
A
Sleep: 11:45 to 12:30

It goes like this, almost all day, until bedtime at 7:30 and then she awakens at 8:15 before being done for the night.

She didn't used to cry at bedtime but the past 3 nights she has. At 9 weeks she was sleeping 6-8 hours at night but lately she has gone down to 4 or 5. Last night she awoke at 4 hours, then awoke two more times, crying for about 5 minutes each time before returning to sleep. We did not go to her on the two other awakenings; the crying was over very quickly.

I'd appreciate some advice. This 2-hour schedule is predictable but exhausting. In total , my daughter nurses between 8-9 times a day. I can extend activity time a little but I'm suspecting the problem is the 45-min nap.

Deanna

Offline LŠuren

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Re: Need help..we're on a 2-hour EASY!
« Reply #1 on: April 28, 2006, 17:00:19 pm »
Sorry for the delay in replying to you...

Do you think it is a milk flow problem you have or just that your LO is really hungry and having a growth spurt? How long has she been feeding every 2 - 2.5hrs? Could it be she is a snacker?

The first thing we usually advise to start EASY is too feed every 3 or 4hrs (depending on age of LO), in your case you are struggling to get past the 2.5hr EASY. I also see you have the 45min nap monster with you at the moment  ;) Is there a possibility your LO can be overtired when you put her down for her naps  ???  If she is crying so soon after her bedtime, this is another indicator that she is overtired.

The other thought I had was that she isn't sleeping long because she is waking up hungry and not able to transition to the next sleep cycle....

Have you done the quiz to figure out what temperament your DD is? https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=52283.0
Knowing this may help you identify who to put her down for naps the way she prefers.

Let me know and if you think there is breastfeeding issues here as well, I can get a breastfeeding moderator to help out as well.

HTH's
Lauren

« Last Edit: April 28, 2006, 17:04:31 pm by Calums_Mum »
Lauren x


Offline momoftwogirls

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Re: Need help..we're on a 2-hour EASY!
« Reply #2 on: April 28, 2006, 18:06:13 pm »
Thanks!

I don't think there's a BF problem because she only seems like she wants to eat after napping because "that's what's been done." She was in the 90th percentile for height and weight a week ago, so I know she's getting enough. My guess is that it's more of a nap problem. I can delay the feeding with activity, but I don't want her going to sleep right after BF.

She goes to sleep by herself in her crib. The only time we have fussiness is at night. Last night was much better -- just a few minutes, so better. I suspect she's overtired b/c of the 45 minute nap...when she wakes up she expects to be fed because of the routine.

She's somewhere between a typical and an angel baby, but she does fuss when taken off her routine. That's why I can't figure out how to get out of this cycle.

Deanna

Offline LŠuren

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Re: Need help..we're on a 2-hour EASY!
« Reply #3 on: April 28, 2006, 18:36:15 pm »
Is there anyway then that you can hold her off for 15mins at each feed, then increase to 30mins the following day, etc to you are back to a 3hr EASY, then extend if necessary from there to 4hr when the time comes.
Lauren x


Offline momoftwogirls

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Re: Need help..we're on a 2-hour EASY!
« Reply #4 on: April 29, 2006, 22:40:11 pm »
Yes, I think so. But I'm really hoping to change the 45-min nap, too, b/c I think that would help. We just got stuck on a 2 to 2.5-hour EASY because that's where I started, and it hasn't stopped (except at night).

Do you actually put a LO on a time schedule now? I mean, it would be nice to know that I feed her around 9, 12, 3, etc. but right now her timing is kind of erratic. I know my older daughter was put on a 3-hour schedule because I had to go back to work, and she had to be fed at 9 (and then I went to her daycare at noon) and at 3.

Also, I tried wake-to-sleep for one nap and it didn't work. Guess I need to review how it works. At 40 minutes I went in to touch her cheek, and it just woke her up ... no falling back to sleep!

Deanna