I posted the other day to explain that I only started EASY on Monday - inter alia, I was looking for a way to get my lo to sleep through the night - I was unsure whether I should be on the 3 hour or the 4 hour as although my lo was only 3 months old on 21st April - he was born at 42 weeks and was very big at over 10 pounds. I have still found that my days have been all over the place and today has really confused and somewhat disillusioned me.
Where bw methods have worked - I have mastered the shush/pat method to get him to sleep - I do not need to resort to pu/pd as shush/pat is enough so I can now get him to nap during the day in his cot. I have also been able to shush/pat him back to sleep during the night without feeding him - whereas before he would wake up twice and I would feed him to get him back to sleep - accidental parenting or what! I have also implemented the cycle of E.A.S.Y whereas before sometimes he would sleep after eat.
Where it does not seem to be working is that before EASY, whilst my routine was less structured my lo would have 2 or 3 naps each day, sometimes as long as 2 hours in his pram or car seat whilst we were out and about. Since Easy I have been housebound. His naps have also been for some short durations or I have had to help him over a sleep cycle and hence I am disillusioned as to how this is better?
Also since starting Easy it has become more difficult to get him down at night. Before Easy I would bath, feed and put him to bed between 7-8 and he would stay asleep until 2 or 3am but now he wakes up before. He is also still waking during the night!
Sorry this is so long but I need to be descriptive to get the right help! Below is what happened yesterday and today
Yesterday:
7.15 - Woke him up ( he had put himself to sleep at 6.40 after having been awake since 6)
E & A until 8.35 - picked up on sleepy cues so put to bed.
8.45 sleep until 9.30 so did shush/pat back to sleep after 30 mins @ 10 until 10.50
E & A until 12.30 - he put himself to sleep at 12.40
He woke at 1.25 so did shush/pat until 1.50 when he then slept until 2.40
E & A until 4.20 - napped for 45 mins
Bath and E - in bed by 7.20. Woke up at 8, 8.30 and 10.50 just as we were going in with dream feed! Gave dream feed and then he woke at 1.30, 3.30, 5.00 and 6.00 with lots of shush/patting in between.
The above seemed all over the place but you will note that my lo had 5 feeds plus dream feed but does not seem to be taking much food. he is never on the breast for long any way as he can down 6 oz in under 10 mins! No exaggeration! There is no problem with feeding as he is over 17 lbs at 15 weeks old! He is simply a guzler.
I therefore thought that perhaps he should be on the 4 hour easy afterall but today didnt work either. He is too sleepy to stay up for the 2 hours but he does not seem interested in 3 hourly feeds either. This is what happened today:
He was awake before 7 but I did not feed him until 7,.
A until 8.30 as he was clearly sleepy. Put to bed at 8.30 he asleep by himself at 8.40. Helped him through his wake cycle and he slept until 10.15.
I tried to put off his feed until 11 but only succeeded until 10.30. A until 11.50 and when he put himself to sleep until 12.55 - he was rooting for food and I got confused about the time so fed him but he then became disinterested and began grinning at me but whilst yawning so I put him straight back to bed and when he slept for one hour until 2.20.
E at 3.00 and again he became sleepy at 3.45 so put him in his cot but no sleep until 4.45 and then he woke at 5.30.
E at 5.40 bath and in bed and asleep by 7.10
You will note that today he has only had 4 main feeds and one snack when he caught me out - I will be giving him his dream feed but am now worried whether he has had enough food and if he wakes in the night is it because of hunger or not?
I feel like I just cant get it right and as I said at the beginning am now becoming very disillusioned. I still just dont know whether I should be working on a 3 hour or 4 hour cycle and so if anyone can tell from the last two days - which have been very different! please HELP
