4hr EASY affecting night time sleep

[Shellha]

Hi everyone

I moved my 15 wk DS to 4 hr EASY over the last week or so - he can be awake 1.75 to 2 hours and doesn't have any problem going 4 hr between feeds - usually. The reason I moved him to 4hr EASY was to try and fix his 45 min napping. He usually has 3 naps a day of 45 mins each, however after moving to 4hr feeding, he has managed 2 days in a row of with a 2 hr sleep in the middle of the day - amazing!!!!

I was obviously really happy about that, however it seems that his night time has been affected by the change to his routine.

I was getting him to go from his DF at 10.30 to 4am (sometimes soothing him back to sleep till after 5am) when on 3.5 hr EASY, however last night he woke at 2am, 5am and then 6.30am! It nearly killed me. I fed at 2am, soothed him for 45mins till he fell asleep at the 5am wake up and then fed again at 6.30am.

He has just fed again after 3.5hr as he appeared hungry.

I am wondering if others have found that a change to 4hr EASY has messed with night time wakings and if it did, was it a temporary thing while your LO adjusted? I am wondering if he is now getting all the calories he needs as he has gone from 7 to 6 feeds a day.

My 4hr routine went something like this:

7am: wake and feed (exclusively breastfed)
7.20-9.20: activity
9.20-10: sleep
10.10-11 activity
11am: eat
11.20-12.15: activity
12.15-2.15 sleep
2.15 - 3: activity
3: eat
3.20-4.20: activity
4.20-5.05: sleep
5.10 - 6.45: activity
6.45: eat
7pm: bath
7.15: bed

DF at 10.30ish
Feed once during the night - usually around 3-4am

Any help greatly appreciated

[Shellha]

Does anyone have any advice? Think my postkmight have been lost as I posted while most of you were asleep  (I am in Australia!)

Thanks in advance

[litomi]

Have you increased the amount of feeding? Extend your feeding time?
When I moved from 3.5hr to 4hr, I added 1 oz to my LO's feeding. You need to make sure that your LO is eating enough during the day.

[Shellha]

He does seem to be feeding for a longer period than he was but as I am breastfeeding it is really a bit difficult to tell if he is getting more than he was.

I have always let him eat until he appears 'full' eg pulling off the breast or becoming disinterested and this is still the same....

Thanks for the advice

Just wondered if anyone else had had this experience - more nightwakings after changing to 4hr EASY

[TJ & Stephy's Mommy]

I don't think I'm going to be much help.  I can't remember when I transitioned my LO to the 4hr EASY if it affected his night time sleep but I do remember that I had to increase his bottles by an extra ounce.  When DS was at 15 weeks, I still had one night time feed and then eventually that night time feed was dropped by my LO.

[litomi]

Because moving from 3.5hr EASY to 4hr EASY means you're dropping one feed. It seems that your LO's tummy can't hold that much milk. Do you want to cluster feed, and see if it works?

[Nee]

I know it has been a while since you posted however this same thing happend to me Lo and now has been a month and still wakes between 2Am and 4:30 Am for a feed.  She only feeds once a night however use to wake between 4 and 5Am when on a 2.5 easy.  she continues to have a df at 10:00PM and I can't cluster feed cause she won't eat at df.  I was wondering if this have changed with you thus far?

[Shellha]

Hi Nee

My LO has been really out of sorts the last month or so, although that could be to do with a trip to Australia (from UK) and a lower respiratory infection! Anyway, now we are back home he is still waking around 4ish and then waking up around 6-7am. Seems he thinks a night time feed is his God given right - if only he could give me a break!

Hope it gets better for the both of us soon ;-)

[Nee]

Thanks for your replay,  I guess we are on the right track cause our LO are doing the same things!.  Ya would be nice to have a good nights sleep though   Nee

[Shellha]

Nee - I have to admit it is nice to see someone else in the same boat as me. I was out with 6 friends yesterday for lunch who have babies born within a week of mine, and they are all sleeping better than Charlie - one girl said 'I don;t know how you do it (getting up during the night that is) as my DD has slept 13 hours a night since 3 weeks' - I could have killed her!

Anyway, we can be sleepless together and keep each other sane - can't we!

[Karin3]

Hey Shellha,

Mimi is still getting up once a night.  I've started using pu/pd if she gets up before 0230.  If she eats before 0230, she'll wake up twice to eat and then won't eat anything in the morning.  It's worked so far, I only feed her between 0230-0330.  I've started trying to decrease the number of minutes I feed her for at the one night feed also.  So, maybe eventually she'll be able to go all night.  She did less night waking though when I switched her to a 4-hr easy.  Before, she got up 2-3 times per night.  I can handle once per night.

I know what you mean about being out with other mothers and them seeming to have babies who sleep through.  Especially if they say it like "Oh, no, my baby is a GOOD baby. They sleep through every night."     I always want to say "Oh, and are you implying that my baby is a BAD baby?"  Like there's any such thing as a BAD baby.  I, personally, think some of them have to be full of it though...  I read in the 'No Cry Sleep Solution' that it is very very common for babies under 9 mo to still need to wake up once per night for a feed. 

Enough ranting from me!  lol    I'm sure it will get better....  until then we will just persevere.

Karin

[Shellha]

Hi Karin

Maybe we should start a 'sleepless' group on here for all of us still suffering broken nights! I too get sick of hearing 'my baby slept thru at 8 weeks' and the best one came from my dentist and his assistant WHILE I WAS IN THE CHAIR telling me I should switch to formula and it would 'fix' my son - arrgghhhh! I have to admit that I always thought that I would be getting up during the night so I don't resent it as such, but I do often 'wonder' why some babies sleep thru straight away and others (eg ours) don't?

I guess my bigger problem at the moment is that I am having a terrible time actually getting him to sleep - I have spent 4 months doing all the techniques and it just doesn't seem to be working. Here's hoping things start to turn around soon!?

Till then, I will think of you when I am up at 3.30am!

[litomi]

How much does your LO eat between 3-4? Full feed?
Do you want to try to cluster feed (DF#1) around 8, and DF#2 around 10:30ish?
It's working for my LO coz she is teething and not eating much.

[Nee]

Shellha,

I try not to stress over it.  It could be allot worse, your LO could be waking more then once a night   If you don't worry about it, it's easier to handle night wakings.  I tried to not feed her at night cause she is not very demanding at night it she is hungry,  I gave her her souther and she would fall back asleep, however she would be up every 2 to 3 hours.  I did that for 2 nights then gave up cause it wasn't worth it!!  I don't feed her before 2Am.  Last night she woke at 1:30 and fussed till 2Am were I fed her and didn't fall asleep until 3:30.      I to think that people lie about there kids sleeping through the night!!  Most of my friends don't have kids so they have no idea what they are talking about and yet they still ask that annoying question!  I way if your Lo is taking full feeds at night and again in the morning, then that means they need it. 

have faith it will get better!
Nee

[Shellha]

Hi Nee

Trying not to let it get to me - was just out with a friend with an Angel baby (sleeps 13 hrs a night straight!) and I said that this is just the way it is and I need to accept it. Although after last night (bed at 7, wake at 9am -dummy and pat/shh, wake at 1am - screamed till 2 when I fed him, wake at 5 (fed), slept till 7) I am wondering if I can manage to accept this as our norm as I know he can do better than that.

Oh well, not alot we can do - not like they take an exchange or refund at the hospital