Started EASY, now I need help please.

[jchrssell]

Hi ladies,

I started the EASY program this week with my 3 month old and it's going fairly well. He settles himself within 5 minutes when I put him down for naps and he's on a 3 hr EASY routine. I need help though. For some reason he won't settle for bedtime and I end up having to rock and hold him to sleep. He also used to sleep through the night from about 9:30-6 am before EASY. Now he wakes 3 times a night and is up at 5:30 for about an hour.

So I guess my question is, how do I get him to settle for bedtime like he does for naps and how come he is waking up 3 times a night.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Julie

[rebecaq]

Hi Julie 

What time are you putting him to bed? You said 9:30 before which I think is way too late for a 3 month old. What does his day look like?

- Beca

[jchrssell]

i try to put him to bed b/w 7-7:30 now. His day looks something like this.

wake 6:30
eat
activity 6:45-7:30
s 7:45-9:00

wake 9:00
eat 9:30
activity 9:45-11:00
s 11:15-1200

wake
eat 12:30
activity 12:45-1:30
sleep 1:15-3:00

wake
eat 3:30
sleep 4:15-5:00

wake
eat 5:15
bedtime routine b/w 6:-6:30
bedtime 7:00
** takes me until 7:30 to get him down

DF 10:00

wake 1:30
wake 5:00

that about sums up the day give or take.

I'm at a lose as to what to do about him waking up during the night, the fact that it's hard to settle him at bedtime and the fact that he wakes up so Early everyday. He's a big boy for 3 months - 16 pds and 25 1/2 inches long. Maybe BF isn't holding him enough. He won't take a bottle, hates the taste of formula. Should I start to try cereal? He will be 4 months September 17th.

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Julie
 

[rebecaq]

Julie,

6:30 isn't too early for him to get up    How about trying to cluster feed? Once at 5ish and again at 7ish to see if that helps to extended his sleep and drop the 1am wake up call. 

Are you feeding him at 5 when he gets up?

Have you done a yield to see how your supply is doing? Is he nursing on one side or two?

- Beca

[jchrssell]

Beca,

I do luster feed him before bed - is that what you mean or cluster feed in the morning. Do I still DF him then @ 10ish in hopes that he doesn't wake up around 1ish. I am feeding him around 5:00 when he wakes up in the am because he roots all around, and I assume he's hungary. As far as yielding - i'm not sure what that is. He gains weight every month - usually 3 or more pounds and gains in length - so I assume I have enough milk. He usually only nurses on one side each feed. Sometimes both sides when I cluster feed him.

What do you think?

Julie

[rebecaq]

A yield is when you pump your milk and see how many ounces you're producing.  It may be that you need to feed him from both sides.

I asked about the cluster feed because from your routine it didn't say Eat at 7.  Cluster feeds are for the nights not mornings.

I definitely think you should keep the cluster feed at 10 pm, but let's see if you can get him back to sleep at 1 without feeding. Try shh/pat until he falls asleep again. And I think maybe if you could start to push that 5 am feeding back little by little and have it slowly merge with the 7 am feeding. Move it by increments of 15 mins every few days.

It may be a good idea to start this weekend and have dh give you a helping hand with the 1 am waking

Let me know how it goes

- Beca