Does this mean I should go from 3 to 4 hrs? Very confused!

[Bellasmommy]

My LO started sleeping throught the night right at 12 weeks. I was still dreamfeeding her, but she did no like it and would rarely take more than 2 oz of EBM (I BF exclusively) so at 13 weeks we stopped the df and she would sleep the entire night (12hours.) Then everything got messed up! Right at 14 weeks she started waking up again, so I thought maybe she was going through a growth spurt so I started feeding her every 2.5 hours like th e book says. She seemed pretty hungry at first, so I thought the spurt was to blame. Well, it has been 10 days (she is over 15 weeks now) and she is still waking up at night. Also, over the weekend she learned to roll over from back to belly, so now she keeps rolling over in her crib and getting stuck at weird positions. Since she learned to roll over she has also been much harder to put back to sleep at night. Do you think this means it is time for the 4 hour routine? Her naps have been short (I have beem lucky when I get 45 min the past 10 days) so maybe 3+ a cat nap is just too many? Any ideas? My instinct says she is ready, but if she is not getting enough food going to 4 hours is so counter intuitive... Last night she got up at 1AM, did not go back to sleep until 2:30 and was up again at 5 (oh yeah, ealry morning awakenings started around the same time she stopped sleeping through the night. )

Please help! I m losing my mind!

Ana

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

My first instint is that your lo is probably not ready for the 4hrs EASY just yet. If you post your routine and I can see if I can help further.

[Bellasmommy]

Well, I did try switching to 4 hours, and she did beautifully during the day. She was actually hungry after 4 hours so she ate much better. So yesterday the schedule was 7 11 3 7, df at 11 and then another feed at 4:30. Up until two weeks ago she was on the 7 10 1...with  clustering at the end of the day and no df. She had 3 45 min naps and the catnap, and was sleeping 7:30 to 7 withuot waking up. She started waking up again, so I though it was a growth spurt and started feeding her more often, so the past 10 days there hasn't been much of a schedule. Her napsgot shorter (only 30 min or so) and then this week she started getting up 2x. She started rolling over last weekend, so she rolls over, fall asleep on her belly then wakes up upset, but as soon as I put her back on her back she tries to roll over again.

This is how yesterday went:
7 get her out of the crib (had been awake since 6:15)
change her
7:15 bfeed
A
8:50 first nap, wakes up at 9:30, I kept her in the crib, which she was fine ( just playing) at 10ish she felt back asleep, woke up at 10:45 and plaued a little more
11 got her up
11:15 bfeed
a
12:50 second nap
1:30 wakes up. At which point I lost my patience and brought her tp bed with me so I could also take a nap. She felt back asleep bt 1:45, slept until 3
3:15 bfeed
a
5:10 catnap
5:45 woke her up
a
7 started night ritual, bfeed at 7:10, in bed around 7:30, asleep by 7:45
11 dh fed her a bottle of ebm, she took 6 oz.
1:15 wakes up on her belly, wants to play. I put her down on her back. She eventually falls back asleep around 2:30, on her side.
4:40 wakes up again on her belly, bfed her, which she took only one breast (chuged it for about 5-10 min) then went back to sleep on her side by 5ish
6:00 wakes up on her belly. I put her on her back. She imediately rolls over and seems to fall asleep. She was on and off until I got her out of her crib at 7. She was not hungry this morning.


I am thinking abou trying a sleep positioner to keep her from rolling.Any ideas? She will be 16 weeks this weekend, weights over 15lbs. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thank you!

Ana

[Gage and Sophie's Mom]

Hi. Looking at your routine has given me so thoughts. I think her night wakeings and long first A time made her tired for the rest of the day. It seems things are a little wonky. If it were me, I would scale back the time and gradually extend the first A time about 10-15 min every couple of days and then go to the next when your lo caps at 2hrs.This needs to be gradual or your lo is bound to fall apart. Your lo is still young yet, so there is plenty of time to get on a 4 hr EASY.

Also, your lo can be on a 4hr EASY and still eat every say 3.5 hrs. You will have to be more creative of coarse, but just be flexible. EASY is meant to be a baseline. Babies are all different so just find what works best for you and your lo.

I used a positioner for Gage since birth as I was afraid he would roll over in the swaddle. Well it was a good run, but if I could do it all over again I wouldnt use it. I JUST got rid of it and it is like he broke out of prison. He is ALL over the place.  I wonder if he would be so active if he were unleashed all along. I am hoping newness will wear off and he will calm down. You have to deal with thhe movement sometime, I guess thhe sooner the better. Your lo willl learn to move around in the crib, it just takes some time. Just my opinion though.

Oh, it helps to give your lo time in the crib to practice outside of nap time.

HTH
Alice

[Bellasmommy]

Hey,

I did the 4 hours again yesterday and naps were just awful, 20-35 min, no more. I did tank her up at night, I fed her at 5:30 then 7 (and df at 11.) I noticed yesterday that she was not ad hungry as she has been. Maybe it was a spurt and its over? Anyway, she went down really easily last night, and took 4 oz at 11 (she has been taking 5-6) without waking up. She woke up at 2 am with her head buried in the mattress, I fixed her and she went right back to sleep. Then again at 3am, same thing, right back to sleep. Then she did not wake up again until this morning around 7 when I got her. Much better night. So I do think she should be moving toward a 4 hour easy, but I agree with you she can not stay up so much. So I am going back and trying Tracy's plan and doing a 3:15 EASY for now and see what happens.  I put her down earlier for her nap this morning (wind down around 8:30, she was asleep without a fight by 8:40) and she slept peacefully for 40 min, then 20 min of sleeping/crying (she woke up face down again and could not get comfy), and she just woke up now (and keeps on rolling!) So definitely better than yesterday. I am going to keep her in the crib until 10:15 when she is due for her next feed. She just plays in there as long as I pop in every few minutes.  Thanks for the help. I can't wait until she goes back to the way she was up until 2 weeks ago. Slept 12 hours without a peep! I guess all this mobility is getting her too excited.

Oh, I did try the positioner for a nap yesterday. No luck, she wormed herself out of it and kicked it to the corner. I guess we both have to get used to her new freedom. She rolls back to belly so well, but has only rolled belly to back a few times, I wish she was proficient in both!

Thanks again!
Ana