Author Topic: Starting EASY again at 6m  (Read 2256 times)

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Offline A

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Starting EASY again at 6m
« on: November 27, 2006, 01:09:53 am »
Oh help...we started off generally well with EASY our little guy sleep through the nigh from the time we got home....but at 4 m I had a really hard time breastfeeding (he has always had bot bottle and breast) and we started some bad habits and got off the easy plan - problems are soother and boob and lying with mom dependant on sleeping...so how do i transition back to easy and fix sleeping problems - he is up HUNGRY 3 times in the night...I have been giving him bottles the last few nights because i am soooo tired! As you may tell from this disconjointed post! Thx

Offline litomi

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #1 on: November 27, 2006, 09:58:44 am »
I know... 6mo. is CRAZY :o My LO is 7.5mo. now.... 6-7mo was like a nightmare. LO started solid around 6mo. and caused a lot of indigestions + rolling back to front, front to back, etc.
Would you like to post your whole routine. Have you started solid?

Offline rebecaq

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #2 on: November 27, 2006, 13:56:04 pm »
Hi there!!

If you try to tackle everything at the same time it will be a really rough couple of days for you. I recommend that you tackle the food problem first because in turn it will also help the sleep problem. Especially if he's waking 3 times a  night for food! at 6 months he should be on 4 hour EASY, tomorrow start the day at 7 and do your best to stick to the routine without the accidental parenting.  I know it's hard, and especially a this age that they understand so much but are still so young. But just think of it this way, if you don't want to nurse an 18 month old to sleep, then the habit needs to be broken now. And everytime you cave in you're telling your baby "You need to cry for xxx amount of time before I give you what you're used to".  And for the most part when you stop accidental parenting when your baby cries it's not because he's mad at you (even though you will think it is, but trust me it's not) it's because he's not used to the new way of doing things.

At nighttime I think it would be best to have dh help you since he doesn't have the boobs!!  ;) And ds needs to stay in his crib, if he goes to your bed he will smell your milk and things will spiral out of control.

I would also like to see what your day looks like to see if there are any other specific problems that need to be tackled.

Just remember to be patient and stick to your guns, it will take days before things start to smoothe out, fixing problems isn't an overnight thing with babies....though making problems IS! How unfair  :P

Hope to hear from you soon.

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Offline A

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #3 on: November 27, 2006, 14:19:24 pm »
litomi - i sent a reply with the routine - or lack there of- and it didn't post - if you got it could you post it for me typing with a baby on your lap is hard!

Offline A

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #4 on: November 27, 2006, 17:28:09 pm »
here is a general routine......
this morning - up at 530am Brfeed - play- nap at 7am till 815 nurse and play cereal at 10am with a little nurse after nap at 11 till 1145 (without soother! - went smoothly) nurse - now playing. 
yesterday he had a nap around 3 for about 45 min
nurse and cereal after around 5pm play untill story etc bed at 7ish ( nursed abit to sleep lying with me after crying laying with me reading and whispering to him) - up at 830  bottle 6 oz
dreamfeed at around 1030pm with dad ( i HAD to sleep) up at 1ish untill 230 - nursed (lying down works best at all times of day with him) he fell asleep quickly so I put him down up 15 min later screaming nursed him and put him down and patted him untill he started moaning with soother -
I guess that is usual as of lately - but he has had a cold (day 14 and just coughing and starting to feel better - but gasps sometimes in the night after coughing)
should I be waiting until he is feeling better to start all of these changes for him?
oh my.....he did have a better night last night with the dreamfeed he usually (the last 3 weeks ) had been up at 2,3 untill 4 or 5 am......
thx

Offline A

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #5 on: November 27, 2006, 18:35:23 pm »
Well LO just went down again...I thought he was hungry and BrF at 1pm and he started to sleep I went to put him down and woke up  - swithed sides and fed him more when he started to fall asleep again I put him down at 1:10pm it is 1:40 and still sleeping...not a peep and no soother!
what would a 4 hour easy look like?

Offline A

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #6 on: November 27, 2006, 19:59:31 pm »
ok LO woke at 1:40 and we nursed and went for a walk it is now 3pm He is playing quietly and starting to yawn soon it will be nap time again...

Offline * Paula *

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #7 on: November 27, 2006, 20:48:10 pm »
From the looks of your posts your lo is relying on you to sleep.  He needs you to nurse him so that he can fall asleep. 

I agree with Beca, that the first thing that you would need to tackle is the feeding, and from there, you can start with the sleep.

I would try the 4 hour EASY and see how your lo gets on.

A 4 hour EASY would look something like this.  Feeding every 4 hours will ensure that your lo is not snacking and is taking enough calories to get himself through to the next feed, and will also ensure that they are taking enough calories during the day.

E - 7:00 - Wake up and feed
A - 7:30
S - 9:00
E - 11:00
A - 11:30
S - 1:00 

E - 3:00
A - 3:30
S - 5:00 or 6:00 Cat nap if your lo has one

E - 7:00
A - Bath
Bed

Hope the above helps.

Paula


Thomas Michael - 12 July 2005
Abigail Louise - 23 October 2007

Offline A

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #8 on: November 27, 2006, 21:46:16 pm »
after today - i don't think i have enough milk to get him through to the next feeding.  I'm on perscriptions and herbs to make more milk....but he seems genuinely hungry before the nap....in the evenings I try to use formula hoping it will fill him up longer and i can get sleep. 
At four o'clock today he seemed so tired - I put him down (how long should I let him cry before I go in and reassure him) he cried I tried to reassure him left again and he cried....i reassured again...he cried so I took him out of bed...and nursed him for 40 min(longest in a long time) and I think he was pacifying he would close his eyes  and I would head for the crib and he would open his eyes and wail rooting with mouth wide open for the whole 40 min... what am i doing wrong? Now he is up and happy and playing....I know I have a long way to go but I already feel like a failure....but I guess 2 naps put down with out the soother and no boobs is a start.  What do I do if I need to be somewhere when he is supposed to be sleeping?  does the stroller count?
hummm :'( ???

Offline * Paula *

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2006, 20:30:50 pm »
{{{{{{{HUGS}}}}}}}

Firstly, you are not a failue - you are doing really well, sometimes it takes a little longer to get your lo into a routine  :-*

How old is your DS?

Have you tried doing a yield to see how much milk you can acutually pump?

If you need to go out during the day while it is nap time, yes a nap in the stroller definitely counts.

I am going to ask one of the BF Mods to pop over here to have a look at your posts as well.

Paula

 :-* :-*
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Abigail Louise - 23 October 2007

Offline Samuel's mum

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #10 on: November 29, 2006, 21:24:29 pm »
Can I ask a bit more about your breastfeeding history?
You're mentioning prescriptions and supplements: do you mind me asking what you are taking (domperidone?) and what led to you starting to take them i.e what gave you concerns about your supply?
It might be that it is taking a bit of time for those supplements to take effect - domperidone for example can take a full 2 weeks to really kick-in.
It's also worth using pumping after a feed to try and work on your supply (and if you do use formula in the evenings I'd be tempted to try and pump if you can even if it's only for a little time as you want to ensure your breasts continue to receive the milk-making signals. Mums with supply worries who then supplement may find things decreasing further)

I personally wouldn't put too much emphasis on a yield as everyone responds differently to a pump and if you are feeling at all anxious about supply your letdown may be a bit unreliable when you are pumping. Instead think about your baby to judge your supply - are you happy with weight gain? Is he getting around 6 wet nappies in 24 hours (poo means nothing at this age as a healthy bf baby can go several days between dirty nappies)? When he's feeding can you see distinctive swallowing or hear swallowing sounds? Does he end feeds himself usually or when feeds end does he seem 'content' and satisfied?

I would say that you shouldn't put too much pressure on yourself until he is completely recovered from his cold. For all you know he has a sore throat and is gaining comfort from feeding. Or is especially dehydrated because he is fighting off the virus.

In a couple more days when you feel he is recovered I would make as your first priority (and keep goals simple and small) not letting him fall asleep with boob in his mouth (so in other words moving back towards EASY). You might want to look at this FAQ:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=52857.0
Then once you feel that's achieved or mostly achieved so he has relearnt the basic technique of falling asleep at night you may find he transitions better between sleep cycles himself and wakes less. Or if not focus on resettling using other methods. I would suggest you then give yourself a rule that at night you do not 'allow' yourself to feed if less than X hours have gone since the last feed. Now you have to decide what X hours is - but gradually increase the interval. If he wakes before then you can use any other tool in your arsenal (including dh as suggested) but avoid the 'easy' option of feeding. It might seem easy now but in truth if boob becomes a prop it's not easy in the long-term. Don't say 'all night wakings will end tonight' - it's not uncommon for a 6 month old to have a night feed (see the FAQ on the BF FAQ board about sleeping through) - but force yourself to not offer boob if he has woken after a relatively short time.

As for the day - work on the pumping - offer both sides to stimulate supply if you aren't at the moment and also consider 'switch nursing' (going back and forth more than once in a feed to simulate supply). Keep a careful log if you aren't already - include day and night feeding and sleeping patterns and see what you notice.
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Offline A

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #11 on: November 30, 2006, 19:33:52 pm »
well at 4 m he started to reject me - crying at the breast etc...thinking it was not enought milk I went to the LC and she helped me with  a Dom Script, Fenugreek and Blessed thistle...I also was drinking Malt and everyother wivestale to make more...it took over a month to get him back on the boobs and still we have times that he just won't eat....he is 6m this weekend...he has cereal now and that sseems to take the edge off but by the afternoon feed (4ish pm) it doesn't seem to be enough - I has been pumping for months with a medical grade pump - mostly in the evening lately as i found i couldn't replenish fast enough when i pumped in the day - when we had to most trouble I was doing skin to skin all day and letting him latch whenever he would.
the LC told me to let him fall asleep on the boob to stimulate production - hence the sleep problems now i asume!
We are back to easy all day except the last feed before bed and during the night for the most part - he is still sick so I am letting it go and trying my best....LO is awake now...so I must go I hope that helps
all the support has been a blessing.....A

Offline * Paula *

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #12 on: November 30, 2006, 20:03:48 pm »
I am wondering, do you think your lo could be teething?  When my DS was teething he tended to refuse feeds.  I am just thinking out loud here.

Sounds like you are doing well.  If your lo is still sick, I would not worry too much as they need more comfort and loving they are not well.

Let us know how your night goes.

Paula x
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Offline rebecaq

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #13 on: November 30, 2006, 20:18:10 pm »
My general rule is that when ds is sick he gets spoiled rotten.  When he was bf I would let him nurse as much as he wanted, I was just careful he wouldn't fall asleep at the boob.  But for the most part he'd be nursing several times during A time.

I also thought the same as Paula that he might be teething.

The best thing to do for your supply is relax...easier said than done I know but it really does work wonders.

Hope to hear from you soon

- Beca
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Offline A

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Re: Starting EASY again at 6m
« Reply #14 on: December 03, 2006, 22:17:35 pm »
well we are  back from the Thurs-Saturday at my sisters...and no hydro during a storm and a new place for him to sleep etc...Lots of fun - so with no hydro it was so cold I had him sleeping with me!  his poor hands and ears were like icicles!

Anyway so he was up just because he was in a playpen and not his crib  - I don't know?

But last night (home) he had a hard time settling down initially put down awake and finally when to sleep but woke up several times betwen 8pm and 11pm (bottle at 7pm) (i brought him to bed at 10 to nurse we both fell asleep dad put him in the crib at 1am) - and slept through till 530am i nursed him and back to sleep until 7am
Easy is going well until that 4ish nap - I try putting him down awake but It didn't work today but Grandma and Grandpa delayed it I think a bit to long and he was over tired - he is still asleep now (5.15pm)

A quick question about solids - when they say feed he 2-4 tablespoons of cereal is that prepared or dry? (He has been on cereal since 4 1/2m because of the BF issues) I started out at 1 tsp dry and am working my way to a larger portion and my sister thought that it was too much food (2 TBs dry)  but he eats it all and opens his mouth for it?????? :-\

Thank you for all your help!
A