if i have to feed at 5:30 - what do i do next!!! confused and tired!

[erinsmum36]

hi. My 4.5 month old LO is now sleeping thru from 7pm - 5:45 onwards. Anything before 6:30 I treat as a night feed, but the last 2 days of waking at 5:45 have left me shattered so I have to admit to being naughty and putting her straight back in the cot after the feed (lasts 15 mins - down to hindmilk) and going back to bed until 8am! Her normal get up time was 7am ish (from when she was waking for a night feed at 4am ish and then she would sleep till 7). So at 8am I would then follow a 4 hour easy plan, although in the am she can only handly 1.5hr A so gets more naps. Sometimes if she seems hungry earlier the last 2 feeds of the day are more like 3 hrs apart, which I am ok with as I dont DF (never have). Bedtime is around 7pm

Q1. When she wakes from 5:30 onwards, (its usually around 6:15 bar the last 2 days) she is always hungry, and Im lucky if I can do a nappy change without crying as she cant wait to eat! Do i give a full feed or as little as I can get away with and then put back down until 7? I dont want to accept 6am as start of day, and definately not any earlier!
Q2. If I give a full feed at 5:30 onwards she doesnt want much at 7. Should I move wake up time to 7:30 or 8 and then accept the 5:30 + feed as a night feed that will stay until she is a lot older?

on a 7am start schedule looked like this:
E 7
A
S 8:30 (If i keep her up the 2 hours she only has an hour nap, but if i make A 1.5 hrs she sleeps for 2(sometimes wakes in the middle)
A 10:30 (unless she has a longer nap)
E 11:00
A
S 1:00
A
E 2:00
S 4 for about 1 hour (sometimes out so might not be a proper nap,, but some sleep in the car)
A kick around.. usually try to use up last bout of energy and work up an appetite. Bath at 6:15
E 6:30 or 6:45
S 7 or 7:15

on the 8am starts
add a 5:50 E
S 6:10
E 8:00
A
S9:30 - 12:00
E 12:00 etc - similar pattern to 7am , but still to bed around 7.

I have only done the 8am start the last 2 days cos I am so tired, and just dont know what to do when she wakes before 6:30 as she is hungry, so my gut feeling is that there is no way pick up/pd or pat/ssh would work!
Should I try WTS, although the wake ups span from 5:45 - 6:30?
Am just not sure wether I am making the problem worse, whether she is getting too much sleep morning or afternoon - could use some analysis please!!

[corrina01]

Q1. When she wakes from 5:30 onwards, (its usually around 6:15 bar the last 2 days) she is always hungry, and Im lucky if I can do a nappy change without crying as she cant wait to eat! Do i give a full feed or as little as I can get away with and then put back down until 7? I dont want to accept 6am as start of day, and definately not any earlier!

I would treat it as a night feed.  If you start your day at 7am treat anything before then as a night feed.  She is probably going through a growth spurt.

Q2. If I give a full feed at 5:30 onwards she doesnt want much at 7. Should I move wake up time to 7:30 or 8 and then accept the 5:30 + feed as a night feed that will stay until she is a lot older

 If it is around 5.30/5.45am give her a full feed, then put her back down. Then start your day at 7am.  I wouldn't change her nappy before the feed, do it straight after. Then top her up at 7am and carry on with the rest of your routine.

Should I try WTS, although the wake ups span from 5:45 - 6:30?

This only works if your DD is continually waking up at 5.30am on the dot and isn't hungry.