HELP - New to EASY and Ready to Give Up after Day 1!!

[fitgrl]

Hi Ladies,
My daughter is 8 weeks old (11.5lbs) and I just re-read the BW thinking that I needed to get us on more of a schedule..  I have already formed so many bad habits..here they are and I appreciate any advice on where to start!!!!

1) She didn't easily nap in her crib so we bounce her on the ball or I carry her in the bjorn to get her to nap..  I would always put her in the bjorn if I went out since she would fuss in the stroller..
2) I 'feed her off to sleep' since it is the only way that she will sleep without fussing
3) This little one eats A LOT during the day...Unless she has a nap to space her out to 3hrs she definitely wants the boob every 2hrs (sometimes less) and wants it to put herself to sleep too..  She gets in a rage if I try to hold a pacifier in her mouth, I wish that I could make her take it!
4) She sleeps fine at night in her crib as long as she is 'fed to sleep' either getting a few 3 hr stretches or a 4-7 hr followed by a 3 hr.

I have just recently been trying to feed on one side per feed so am not sure if she is still trying to bring more milk in so that both boobs are more full??  She has been nursing MUCH longer than when I was switching and is squirming on the first boob after time and still hungry so I have been switching her anyway..

Am I trying to do too much at once??  I swear I wasn't stressed about anything before yesterday when I started trying to make this work!!  I *tried* to put her down many times in the crib after I saw her first yawn and she was fussy..  I am not sure how many times to try the PU/PD and Shh/Pat before going crazy so of course I end up sticking her on the boob    I really miss our walks on the beach since I have been trying to avoid having her in the bjorn since she goes to sleep..

Help Help Help!!!!

[*Mona*]

hi

I think you need to concentrate on one thing at a time.
so first- I guess it would be feeding. and then sleeping.

you need to brake the connection between feeding and falling asleep. and what does 'we bounce her on the ball' means exactly can't relly imagine that, sorry...

waht time is her wake up? how long are the feeds? how long can she stay up?
have you checked breastfeeding board?

Monika

[fitgrl]

Hi Monika,

Thanks for your reply since I think that no one else knew where to start    Kennedy is usually up by 6am or 7am at the latest..  She is usually yawning after she gets up though so I have a hard time knowing whether I should be putting her back down or keeping her up  I just got up with her, fed her and she is yawning already so I put her down and did a few minutes of tummy time, saw another yawn so now I am trying to get her back to sleep and it has only been about 45 mins since I fed her.  Typically during the day she only has a good hour in her after a feed before I catch the yawn and try to get her to sleep...she really fights sleep!!  We have a big exercise ball that I bounce her on and it puts her off to sleep..  It usually takes me anywhere from 30-45 mins to feed her depending on how tired she is (can take a bit longer).

She feeds & sleeps so well during the night, now it is just the day that we have to work on..  When I do get her down for a nap if the nap doesn't take her the 2hrs that t should to the next feed (to have her spaced 3 hrs apart) then she wants to eat    SO then she snacks all day and then by nightime when I am trying to put her down for her first stretch of sleep I feel like my milk (and I ) are drained..  I should add that I think that a big part of the problem is that Kennedy is a sucker and won't take a pacifier so I know that she does pacify on me..  She has found her hands in the last couple of days and has been sucking them like crazy so hopefully that will help?  If trying for a 3hr EASY does the timing start from the begining or end of a feed???

I appreciate your help Monika and will try to find the breast feeding board as well.

[*Mona*]

hi

well, at 8 weeks if she gets up at 6 or 7 am that means you should start your 3hrs routine from there, AND it starts from the moment she wakes, not when she's finished feeding.
so [starting from 6]:
6am wake up=start of Activity!
feeding
7:15~7:30 naptime [preferably 1,5 hrs but anything over 1 hour would be great enough  ]
9am feed
etc.

bouncing her to sleep is not helping her learn how to fall asleep on her own...
if you still want to use movement to help her go down, pat/shush while walking around the room with your baby is a good way to calm her too. have you tried it?

as for comfort sucking- yes, if she's found her fingers, that should help. if she doesn't take paci, have you tried different types? it took us some 5 or 6 attempts to find a right one for our girl.

good luck and keep us posted
monika

[fitgrl]

Thanks Monica, I really appreciate your advice!!  The 3hr starting from waking makes A LOT more sense to me!!  So if she wakes at different times (today it is 7:12 am and she is still sleeping) then I just start the day from when she wakes if it is after 6am?

Sleep is a big problem during the day since even if I 'walk' her to sleep as soon as I lay her down she will be awake in minutes which is why I have resorted to the bjorn or swing as she actually gets a decent sleep and is a lot happier..  This babe seems to need to be on the go during the day, maybe because I always was when pregnant???

There was a pacifier that she would take and then she stopped taking it and gets fussy if I try to hold it in, perhaps I should try a few more kinds??  I have tried two kinds without success..

[*Mona*]

hi sorry for getting back to you so late- I was out of town.

ok,

The 3hr starting from waking makes A LOT more sense to me!!  So if she wakes at different times (today it is 7:12 am and she is still sleeping) then I just start the day from when she wakes if it is after 6am?

exactly so.

Sleep is a big problem during the day since even if I 'walk' her to sleep as soon as I lay her down she will be awake in minutes which is why I have resorted to the bjorn or swing as she actually gets a decent sleep and is a lot happier..  This babe seems to need to be on the go during the day, maybe because I always was when pregnant???

well, I was 'on the go' all the time too and Maja wasn't really in need of being carried around all the time SO I personally think it's AP you're doing and she's loving it as she can feel and smell you most of the time.
I would definitely try putting her down for naps, at least once a day for the beginning- you don't want to carry a 8 or 10 kg baby when she's 10 months or older to make her nap, do you?
IMHO pat/shush or something similar is sth you need to give a try, and soon. she's getting older and soon you'll have to do PU/PD insted if she doesn't start falling asleep on her own.

There was a pacifier that she would take and then she stopped taking it and gets fussy if I try to hold it in, perhaps I should try a few more kinds??  I have tried two kinds without success..

I'd try some more and if it doesn't help. ahe'll probably learn to suck her tumb.
HTH

Monika
[/quote]