help 5 month routines?

[robynfuller]

Hello all you breastfeeding moms!

I have been having a bit of a hard time with my DD of late, schedule totally out the window, had a few rough days, long hours, night wakings and a few erratic feedings. If some of you EBF mums would be kind enough to post your routines or something resemebling a outine I would be very gratefull.

We were on a routine just about a week ago which I had been implementing for about 2 months but everything has changed and just wondered if any mums of 5 month olds were experiencing the same thing (milestones, developemental issues, teething etc.)

Therefore would like to see some other routines maybe help me use them as a guideline to get back on track. I am aware of the 6 month growth spurt just ahead too. Cant wait for that one 

Any replies/comments would be much appreciated.
Thank you
Robyn

[nial]

hello,
I can't really be assistance only to say that at 5 months, everything seems to change! naps end at 35 or 45 mins, lunchtime naps are harder to keep asleep in and the 3 1/2  routine cannot be moved to the 4 hour as she seems much hungrier, and suddenly wakes twice a night for food! Yikes! In desp :-\eration I reintroduced the dream feed at 10.30pm, started offering her topups las week pre-every nap to make sure hunger wasn't an issue and watched her closely(SLOW). So far, she has had 4 nights sleeping from dream feed to 3.30 or 4am (better!); I have also been expressing a little after the morning feeds and increasing my supply....the naps I will be working one according to the EASY regime of waking her before she wakes and see how it goes. I also use the gentle removal technique for the dummy and now she only needs it to suck for a few seconds/mins at  bedtime.
Hope this has helped a bit...

[Gippie]

HI there.   I have to be quick now and will write more later.   I have a 5mo3wk old and DD has 3 teeth in and another cutting through.  Her rolling and flipping in the crib is definitly a twist in her normal restfulness.   I am a working mom and I DO notice some "new" things.   For one, when I get home from work - she will almost force herself to cry  - it is actually funny - DH and I laugh cause she wants to nurse - regardless of when she ate last - so we do and it starts a new night schedule.   She also used to have ner night bottle (the only one of formula we do) and go to bed but now she needs to nurse afterwards and then she goes to bed.  These are all small little things, but they have taken some detective work to see the pattern and adjust.

I work and here is our "ideal" schedule.   We are on a 4 hour EASY - with A times being stretched to 2:25-2:30.  We adjust the schedule based on her wake time.    I wake her forst thing in the am but her nap length dictates what happens after that.  This schedule looks really detailed and it is that way cause I typed it up all nicey-nice for my MIL who watches DD 2x a week.   I pump 2x per day, do a DF and you will see we do what looks like a cluster feed at night and I dont mess with it, cause it WORKS and DD sleeps from 8pm-5:30am (with a 10pm DF).

An ideal Day

5:45 Wake and EAT (nursed)
5:45-6:45 Get dressed and Play with Mommy
6:45 – 7 Wind down
7-7:45 Early Nap (sometimes it is longer)
7:45 – Wake up and Play
9:30 – EAT (EBM)
10-10:15 Wind down
10:15-12 First Nap
12  - WAKE
12-2:30 Play
1:45 EAT (EBM)
2:30 Wind down
2:30-3:30-4 Second Nap
4 (mommy home)
4 WAKE and Nurse - this starts the new "night schedule" - we break from the 4 hour feed "rule"
5:00 Dinner  - solids
5:30 (sometimes) Catnap for 30 mins
7 – Formula/BF and start nighttime routine
8 in bed and asleep
10 DF (nursed)

I have also gone to the EASY forum and copied all of the schedules from Wendy~Katelyn’s Mom as her's seemed close to what I was doing and give me something to base my own on as I get to each new stage.  I would say we are NOT on a rigid schedule although this looks like I watch the clock - which is the farthest thing from the truth.  We feed 4 hours apart, we have 2+ hour activity times and we have 2 naps and a catnap each day (I dont really count that Early Nap as it makes up for the early wake up.  I DO count it if it is significat - like today - it was 2 hours long and with that she only took one more 2 hour nap and that was IT all day - and she was fine.   SO we DO vary - and we are flexible.    So much so that DH runs the show when I am at work and if you ask him...he says it is EASY (hhehe).  

Good luck.  Hope I can help.    

[daisymelan]

You may want to check here for sample 5 month routines.

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=10385.0

There is also a Getting Back on Track forum where the mods can help out.  They are familiar with these types of things.

Good luck.

[robynfuller]

Thank you ladies, very much appreciated.

I must say today was a bit better. Despite the 3:15 and 4:15am wake ups where she was reletively easy to settle again. In fact she took 2 x 1 1/2 hours naps and 1 hr and 10 min naps. Without me having to extend them. I think this was due to me increasing her awake time 1 hr and 45 mintues to 2 hours later in the day - I just watched her cues and did try to not overstimulate her but rather keep her up 15 minutes longer each time, and doing lots of tummy and rolling time, hopefully get the practice in.  Over the past 3 days I have all of a sudden introduced a dreamfeed, which she took to better than I thought she would  about about 10:30pm

so keeping my thumbs crossed I hope tomorrow goes the same 
Thanks for your input, will keep you updated, and thanks for the link will check it out tonight.
Robyn