Is she hungry, or using me? (EAESY)

[Rutilia]

My LO (5 months) changed her schedule out of the blue.  I figured she was going thru a growth spurt and/or my supply had decreased.  She went from eating on one side every 3 hours, to taking both sides every 2!! Also, she will not nap unless I feed her first (again!). Since this has been going on for a few weeks, how can I know if she's really hungry or just comfort nursing? I really HATE to hear her cry so much so I figure she must be hungry.  I started introducing solids thinking that might help. She'll take carrots and bananas but not cereal.  I was wondering if this is a good idea and when should I feed her.  Do I feed her immediately after nursing? Wait an hour?  Does anyone follow an EAESY routine? Any suggestions?

[Peek-a-boo]

I feel bad replying to this because I don't want to say things that will undermine the BW concept . . . as that is what this site is dedicated to.

I say that you should always feed a hungry baby.  Does she seem to take a full feed each time that she nurses?  Is she still taking both sides?

Here's the FAQ about increasing your supply:

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=65905.0

Here's one about growth spurts: 

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=66001.0

My LO bf twice during each waking period--once right after he wakes and again about 45 minutes before his nap--he's much older than your LO (11 months).  I'm very careful to make sure that he NEVER falls asleep at the breast and that there is ALWAYS some kind of activity between bf and sleep.  I started BW late and prior to that fed on demand and either he or I could never adjust to the greater space between feeding. 

If you do continue to do this, it is SO important that you keep bf away from sleep.  Personally, I doubt feeding solids will help as the solids they eat at this age are almost all carbs and so digest very quickly.  The prevailing scientific opinion is also that it is best to wait until after 6 months when the lining of the intestines has fully matured.  If you do decide to feed solids, most people wait an hour after bf to offer solids. 


I hope things improve for you  . . . and hope that some wiser more BW-ish folks will come along with some even better advice for you.   

Bethany

[JennŠ]

Mine was bottle fed, but EAESY is not unusual.  Mine did it for months d/t reflux.  Bethany is right, keep the E and A separated a bit. 

[Rutilia]

So far today this is what's happened. She woke up, nursed a little and about an hour later drank 4oz of formula. I was battling with her to take a nap and figured she must still be hungry since she usually doesn't fight too much and drank about 1.5ozs and went straight to sleep.... for about 30 minutes. I figured I would put her to sleep a little earlier since she napped so little. She nursed both sides, about an hour and a half later drank 2.5 ozs and 15 minutes later went to nap fuzzing less than a minute.
Ok, so what should I change and/or modify?

[RachelC]

I am going to pop this over to EASY, as it sounds like more of a routine/nap issue.

Rutilla, please post your whole day's routine.  Thanks

[Rutilia]

I am going to pop this over to EASY, as it sounds like more of a routine/nap issue.

Rutilla, please post your whole day's routine.  Thanks

This is what I had previously posted as our routine.
E-5am, then back to bed (BF)
E-9am (BF)
A
S-11am
E- 12pm (sometimes earlier)BF
A
S-2pm
E-3pm
A
S- 4:30
E-5:30pm (BF)
A
S-7:30
E-9pm (BF)
A-bedtime routine
E-bottle before bed
S-11pm

We have been struggling with her naps a lot.  I think she got used to being fed or nursed to sleep, since this is the only way I had managed to do so for the past 2 weeks.  But even then, she rarely sleeps for an hour.  Just now she had a major spit up I assume because she ate too much.  I am so confused.  I don't want her to be hungry nor be  used to eating herself to sleep. We started using her swing again and she does sleep for hours there.  Is it possible that she's taking both sides because I am offering them both? Previously I never did this, but now I don't know.

[RachelC]

I am thinking that at 5 months, 2 hours of A time is a lot.  Mine didn't make it to 2 hours until after 6 months.  Try pulling that back to 1:30 or 1:45.

[Rutilia]

I can definitely try that... or anything at this point.   

[Rutilia]

Made me wonder... I know she can stay on A for 2 hours (like 4-hour EASY suggests) but maybe she's Overstimulated at that point and makes it more difficult for her to wind down for her naps.  Does this make sense? What she does seem to have difficulty is spending more than 2 hours between feeds, but maybe that's because of accidental parenting and I should stick with the method? 

[RachelC]

Made me wonder... I know she can stay on A for 2 hours (like 4-hour EASY suggests) but maybe she's Overstimulated at that point and makes it more difficult for her to wind down for her naps. 

This was us with dd2.... she could (still can) stay awake forever.  I ended up following the clock instead of trying to watch her cues, b/c she didn't give any.  I would try to begin the wind down at 1.5 hours after she's been awake and see how that goes.  But yes, you do need to be consistant about it. 

I found with dd2 that a 45 minute nap meant overtired....

[Rutilia]

She does give me clear signals: yawning, rubbing her eyes, crankiness. 
My biggest concern is her being hungry.  I do know she falls asleep a lot quicker and usually with minimal effort on our part when she's not hungry, other wise she can scream what seems like forever.  And of course, this makes sense.
In a way this is the one thing I don't like about breastfeeding: not being sure of how much she eats 
So my next question, should I assume she ate what she could to get full and try to not feed her until the next E? Or should I do EAESY?
Thanks, and sorry for the many questions and confusion 

[RachelC]

I would at least try to get her back to a 3 hour EASY.  Some babies never get futher than that.  I would also go with shorter A time... which may increase the nap time.

Don't be sorry for all the questions... we've all been there done that 

[Rutilia]

Ok, so this is what's being going on the past few days:
I was told that 11pm was WAY TOO LATE for a 5month old to be going to bed so we have started making her bedtime earlier but she's waking up like crazy!
S 8:30pm
E 10:30pm (dream feed)
E 2am
E 5:30am
E 8:00am
A
S 9:30am
E 10:15am
A
S 12 pm
E 12:45pm
A
S 2:30pm
E 3:10pm
A
S 4:15pm
E 5:00pm
A
S 7:00pm
E 7:30pm
A
S 830-9pm

I am trying to figure out if 1 1/2 or 2 hours is best for her "A" time, but she still won't sleep more than 45 minutes.  In total we get about 4 o5 5 naps.  The dream feed never seemed to work for me, and I still have doubts that it does in my case.  She does go back to sleep every time she wakes after her bedtime but am wondering if it is necessary to feed her all these times.  I am pretty tired and would like more continuous hours of sleep (if possible).  Any suggestions?