Need Easy help for 8-wk old!

[2004beachbride]

We seem to have an EASA routine, and our longest stretch of sleep at night is three hours. Here's a typical day:

E   7:15am   (Last feeding was 4:30am and LO woke up at 6:30am, so we had 45 min of A time before this feeding. Fell asleep after 15-min wind down with no fuss.)
A   7:15-8am   
S   8am-10:15am   (Slept while being held on the Boppy. Had to be woken up for the next feeding)
E   10:15am ®   
A   10:15-11:15am   (Bath and massage. Fell asleep after 15-min wind down with a short fuss.)
S   11:15am-12:00pm   (Really fussy due to gas and couldn't shush-pat back to sleep)
A   12:00pm-12:45pm   
E   12:45pm   
A   12:45-2:00pm   
S   2:00-2:30pm   (Couldn't shush-pat back to sleep)
A   2:30-3:30pm   
E   3:30pm   
A   3:30-4:30pm   
S   4:30-5:30pm   
A   5:30-6:15pm   (Entertained herself in the crib)
E   6:15pm   (A little fussy)
A   6:15-7:45pm   
E   7:45pm   (A little fussy)
S   8:30pm-12:00am   
E   12:00pm    (No burping or diaper change)
S   12:15am   
E   2:30am   (Woke with really painful gas)
A   2:30-4:00am   (Long feeding and wind down needed)
S   4:00am-6:45am   

Any suggestions?

[vadensmommy]

First thing I see are some pretty long A time stretches, and I think that might be contributing to some overtiredness.  It looks like (and I hope I'm reading your day right) your lo had a 14 hour day - from 6:30am-8:30pm, and BW usually recommends a 12 hour day and 12 hour night.  Some babies can do a 13 hour day, but it's easiest to me to start with the 12/12 and get on a good routine in order to actually see what your lo functions best on.  Also looks like there was a 3hr A time right before bed from 5:30-8:30.  I'm also seeing a few 2 hour A times during the day followed by at least one short (30min) nap.  30min naps are usually attributed to being overtired.  At this age my dd was doing about an hour to an hour 15min of A time before needing a nap.  If you breast feed your lo may be hungrier earlier, but of course a 3hr EASY would be what your lo would probably function best on.  Because it looks like overtiredness is probably a big issue for you right now, I would start with 1hr of A time, and as he/she gets less overtired start increasing the A time slowly.  At this age here is what our routine looked like:

E 7 (or whatever time your lo wakes or whatever time you wake him/her)
A 7-8 (or 8:15 or whenever you see tired signs)
S 8-10

E 10
A 10-11 (again or 11:15 or whenever you see tired signs)
S 11-1

E 1
A 1-2
S 2-4

E 4
A 4-5
S 5-5:45 just a short catnap to make it till bedtime

E 5:45 sort of a cluster feed to tank up the tummy before bedtime
A 5:45-7 bedtime routine here
S 7 for the night

Dream feed around 10 (if you aren't familiar with this post back and I'll give more details) and then cross your fingers till morning.  If your lo wakes in the night hungry, then feed and put right back down with as little interaction as possible.  Also I see you say there are a lot of gas problems.  You may want to check out the breast feeding boards if you bf to see what you could do to help that, or if you bottle feed you may want to check out the colic, gas and reflux boards for suggestions there.  I hope all this makes sense and at least helps to figure out what direction you want to go next!!!  Good luck and keep me posted on how things are going!!

[2004beachbride]

Thanks!

The long A time stretches are usually because she doesn't fall sleep after our normal wind down or has a short nap. Any suggestions? In those cases, should I just hold and rock her in her darkened nursery for the duration of naptime so she's at least resting, if not sleeping? And if it takes her a long time to fall asleep, do I still wake her in time for her next 3-hr feeding or let her sleep for up to two hours so she's not overtired?

I'll definitely work on the 12 hour day and 12 hour night. The hour to an hour 15min of A time includes wind down, correct?

I do breastfeed, so I'll check out that board re: the gas issues.

Thanks again ... and I promise to keep you posted

[vadensmommy]

Yes that A time includes the wind down, so maybe start the wind down once she has been awake for an hour.  So she'll only have really about 30 min or so of "active" A time between feeding and then starting the wind down.  What does she do when you put her down after your wind down - does she cry?  If she isn't crying I'd leave her alone in her crib.  If she is crying BW recommends using pat/shh for a lo your age to get your lo to go to sleep, or to try and extend a nap.  We never really used it, but here is a link:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=26672.0
Are you sure that she is fussing because of gas, and not just overtired?  Just a thought, but check out the other boards too.  At 8 weeks, I would wake up dd when she was sleeping and it was time to eat.  She's got to eat, and I'd rather get those calories in during the day in the hopes that the night sleep would be less interrupted from hunger.  If you do wake up to feed, and you know she is still really sleep, you can wake, feed, go straight to the wind down and put her back down for a nap earlier the next cycle and try to make up for the shorter nap before.  I hope some of this helps!!  Keep me posted! 

[2004beachbride]

When I put her in her crib after wind down, she usually tries to soothe herself to sleep (mantra cries, tossing and turning) for ten minutes before she really cries. That's when I try pat-shush in her crib. If that doesn't work, I pick her up, do another wind down until she's sleepy, and put her back in the crib. This second time, I'll stand by her with no eye contact but my hand on her chest for comfort until she falls asleep. If that still doesn't work and she starts to really cry again, I do a final wind down and hold her for the rest of her nap so she's not overtired. Any suggestions here?

When she wakes up early and crying from naps or during nighttime sleep and immediately passes wind or has a bowel movement, I assume her sleep is being interrupted by gas but it could very well be that she is just overtired. I'm going to work on her 12-hour day and sleep first

[vadensmommy]

I do something similar with dd for the wind down, and when she starts to cry as well when trying to put down for naps I'll do the wind down again if needed and put her back down and that usually does the trick.  She rarely cries after I put her down if I have gotten the timing right.  Keep those A times short, and leave enough room for your wind down so that she would be in the bed for a few minutes before it is actually time for her to be asleep and maybe that will help as well.  Good luck and keep up the good work, and you'll get there!!