Hi Mommies! I was hoping to get some advice from you all since I am a first time mom who is preparing to go back to work in 3 weeks! My husband and I have been blessed with a beautiful baby boy who is 3 1/2 months old. We have been following a mixture of the Babywise/Baby Whisperer methods. For those of you who aren't familiar, it is basically a flexible schedule in which a baby eats, then has awake time, then sleeps (in that order). We have been very successful with this, and our son is now an amazing eater and sleeper! He wakes up between 7 and 8, breastfeeds, and then is awake for about an hour. He then takes a 2 hour nap. Then his cycle starts again. He is breastfeeding every 3-3 1/2 hours. He takes another nap (about 1 1/2 hours) in the early afternoon. He takes a third nap (around 1 to 1 1/2 hours) in the late afternoon. He usually catnaps for about 1/2 an hour in the evening. We put him to bed between 8 and 9. He usually wakes up for a feed between 11 and midnight and goes right back to bed. Normally he will again wake up between 4 or 5 to eat, and then he wakes up for the day between 7 and 8. This is great, as he is progressively sleeping longer and I am hoping he will eventually cut out his 4am/5am feed. HOWEVER, the past couple of days, he is waking up at around 2 am. I tried to put him back to sleep, and he wouldn't take a binky and would find his way out of his swaddle. When I breastfed him to see if he was hungry, he ate like he was starving to death and takes a full feed!! He again wakes up between 4 and 5 like normal, and again eats like he didn't just eat 2 or 3 hours before! One thought could be that he is going through a growth spurt.... If it's not though, I don't want to backtrack since I am going back to work soon. Our baby is still in his bassinett in our room, we don't co-sleep, and we don't do the cry-it-out method. He is a great sleeper, and with a swaddle and a binky, he goes right to sleep on his own. I know this issue definitely could be worse, but he was very consistent, and now it seems as though he is backtracking! I was hoping to get him into his crib before I go back to work, but I wanted him to be sleeping through the night before I did this. Any thoughts or suggestions would be appreciated!
GROWTH SPURT!!! Also remember that you are on THEIR schedule...relax...just as soon as you think you have a routine...they change it on you. Roll with it...being a new parent is about sleepless nights, exhaustion, uncertainty, etc. Enjoy it...time goes so fast and each new "problem" you overcome...you gain more and more confidence as a mom.
Hi E.,
First off, I commend you for doing "Baby Wise"!. It really is a great tool/guide to have especially as a "New Mom". I did the Christian version of Baby Wise which is called "Prep for Parenting" ("Along the Infant Way" is what it is called now). I do not know what I would of done without it. Especially with you going back to work and all.
In regards to your question: I think it is a "Growth Spurt" too. However, my advise is don't sway from trying different theroies or from what you know works!! Especially as a new mom it can get pretty confusing and cause you to "doubt" yourself. You know Baby Wise works (and so do millions of others!) so stick to that. But what I wanted to offer you is that you probably were not aware of is that there are resources connected with that book that could help you confirm or work through this "Growth Spurt". They even have seasoned moms who answer e-mails all day regarding "Baby Wise" questions in fact more than the Christian version of the same book. Baby Wise is just more well known. In fact, they even have Toddler and beyond (up to their teens) Parenting Resources. We have been using them for the last 10 yrs. and absolutely love them!!!
This is the person to e-mail or call your question to and she can put you in contact with some support for "Baby Wise" Parenting and other "Great" Parenting Resources. Her name is Lori Moore ###-###-#### ____@____.com.
I hope you choose to do this because I know you will get support and be happy! It is great to feel validated and get support from other mommies.
God Bless your Parenting!
A. Merrick
If he seems like he's really hungry he probably is having a growth spurt. Continue to keep his schedule the same during the day and normally babies get back on track once the growth spurt is over with. It usually lasts about a week. Just make sure you put him back to bed as soon as your finished feeding so he doesn't get his days and nights mixed up. Congrats on the new baby.
First of all kudos to you for breastfeeding your baby. It's a wonderful natural way to nourish your child and I like to pat women on the back that make that choice for their baby.
I successfully breastfeed three babies, the youngest of which is now 3 years. I agree with what the other women are saying completely. The recent waking for an extra feeding probably is a growth spurt. Also, every child is different and kids (especially babies) are not predictable. These methods that have been created are great ways to try and get your kids in a routine but you have to realize that there will always be things that upset or change your routine. When kids get sick, you can expect things to be disrupted. I hate to say it but when you start back to work, things will probably be disrupted as well.
Please don't try to feel like you have to have the baby at point "ABC" before a certain time. Don't feel like you are doing something wrong if things don't work out the way you are hoping. Just enjoy every moment of that sweet baby without putting pressure on yourself. They grow way too quickly and I can promise that even in a year, you probably won't even remember the issues you are facing right now. Is sounds like you are doing a great job so keep up the good work!
This is not an uncommon age for a child to have a growth spurt. Growth spurts make the baby genuinely hungry more often. Think about how quickly a pregnant woman can get...it's kind of like that.
My best advice is to feed him at this time because he is clearly hungry and needs it. Continue to keep the room quiet and dark and don't talk to him or provide anything to stimulate him to be fully awake. Send him the message that this is sleeping time. He will probably go back to sleeping full nights before long.
Well, first of all, I'm so jealous at how much your baby is sleeping!! But, it's not about me so I'll tell you of a web site I looked at. Sleepsense.net
You fill in your situation and she gives you some tips. It's okay and I gleened a few good ideas, but then she trys really hard to sell you her book. I decided I didn't need it, but perhaps I should've bought it. Anyway, you'll probably get at least one good idea for free from her web site.
Otherwise, I'm wondering about the short catnap in the evening. Perhaps that should start being bedtime rather than going to bed between 8 & 9? It actually helped my boy sleep a longer spell when I put him down by or before 8. I would've never figured that, but it helped.
Good luck,
B
Could be a growth spurt or that his schedule is changing as he has hit the 3 month marker, which is a turning point to some degree. I have an almost 4 month old and she now only sleeps 1-2 hours in the a.m. nap and then again for 2-3 hours in the p.m. and then all night with a nursing period around 3 a.m. Perhaps he is just getting too much sleep during the day right now during this transition phase, although I know you are following some method, or like you said just a growth spurt. Hopefully, no matter what it is you will all figure out each other's needs/wants and get back to a schedule again (just know it might be a different schedule than you are used to with the changing demands/needs/wants of the baby). That is my own experience anyways with both my 3 yr old as a baby and now my 3.5 month old.
Good luck,
J.
Hi E.,
You use the word "backtracking" a few times. I hate to say...get ready for a lot of this throughout parenting. We have a model set in our minds by our culture...of constant progress (marching forward always) as the desired pattern. Real learning and child development is a lot more complex. Sometimes kids "regress"...or I'd say "revisit" an area of comfort before moving on. I (and many others) say this is normal. Sometimes kids make leaps and jumps that don't fit what we expect. If you are more flexible in your expectations...it will leave you less stressed.
But the fact that your little one eats really well at all feeds...I'd say a growth spurt. I would not be denying my kid food to stay on a schedule. Breastfeeding for comfort looks quite different...I well know. (I enjoy being a pacifier...not all moms do) The babe usually falls asleep again really fast.
Good luck!
Hi E.,
I'm a Babywise Mama, and love every wonderful thing it gave me! Congratulations.
I agree with your already awesome advice. Is it too early to start a few solids?
Also, remember, let him self-comfort a little. If he's waking up at almost the same time every night, he may think he's supposed to, especially if he's getting a feeding out of it.
Again, maybe a little rice cereal would help?
t
Be flexible. As soon as you figure out their schedule, they change it. No two babies are alike. My older one ate every 2 hours round the clock. My younger one would sleep for 5-7 hours and we couldn't even wake her to feed her(not even with cold wash cloths or taking off her clothes. They eat when they're hungry. Go with the flow.
It sounds like a growth spurt. Just when I think I'll go mad, they go back to sleeping normal again, if not better! Also, when they are going through big change like getting ready crawl, etc... I also love the book the no cry sleep solution by E. pantly. Here are some resources that might help.
http://www.pantley.com/E./books/0071381392.php
http://www.askdrsears.com/html/7/T070100.asp
http://www.gentlechristianmothers.com/articles/cuefeeding...
http://www.kathydettwyler.org/detsleepthrough.html
http://www.ezzo.info/babywise.htm
I will keep this fairly short. With babies and kids, as soon as you think you have something down, it changes! First, he is still SO YOUNG. If he acts like he needs to eat, he does. Rarely does a (breastfed) baby that young sleep more than a few hours. And if they do, it'll change before long! It sounds to me like he's growing and needs nourishment.
If you want to encourage healthy sleep patterns now and as he grows, read The No Cry Sleep Solution by E. Pantley. I'm not sure how soon you have to return to work, but this book can help you give your family a realistic goal and work toward it. And remember, your days of a full night of solid sleep are pretty much over. Your definition of good sleep changes post baby! But it does get better, I promise.
I think he is probably going through a growth spurt - if not a physical one then a developmental one. I am also a first time mom - my son is now 13 months old - and we've cetainly had our share of similar experiences. I found the book, "The Wonder Weeks" to really insightful and helpful, and highly recommend it. Chances are your son will settle back into his routine shortly - but don't get too comfortable because the next growth spurt is not that far away! :0)
Good luck making the transition back to work!
Sounds to me like a growth spurt. Kids will always keep you guessing, they never stick to a plan that you have.
Congrats on breastfeeding! I agree with the growth spurt...there are other things you can do to help this as well. Increasing supplements and an organic protein mix will enrich your milk and make your son last longer between feedings. I did this with my children and it made such a huge difference. If your interested, drop me a line and I'd be more than happy to help you!
Take care,
D.
My daughter is 5 months old and she went through the same thing. It is a growth spurt. It lasted about a week. Another thing it could be is the 4 month old sleep regression. Around this time they start becoming easily distracted while eating, so they may not be eating as much during the day as they used to. That is why they wake up in the middle of the night so hungry!
My daughter is EBF. When she wakes up in the middle of the night (like the other moms said, they go through phases), I try to comfort her without feeding her. I rock her, rub her, etc. Within a few minutes, I can tell if she is hungry or just awake for another reason. If she's hungry I feed her.
Hey E.,
I think it's only fair to say right off the bat that I think Babywise is not a great choice for most babies. If it has worked for you thus far, I think you have been fortunate, and I won't dissuade you from doing what you think best for your baby-he's yours, after all. That being said, I think you should feed your baby when he is hungry, period. It saddens me to see people tell you to stick to any one "method" of baby raising, because all babies are different, and their needs are different based on any number of things; temperament, growth patterns, etc. If your child sleeps through the night before you go to work, you'll be one lucky lady. If he doesn't, you'll join the majority of mothers who experience night wakings up until their children are 2 or 3 years of age. This is normal. I encourage you to check out E. Pantley's book The No-Cry Sleep Solution. Babywise has no basis in any medical or scientific research. And, I would also encourage you to trust your intuition, not ignore it in favor of an "expert's" opinion. Don't get too caught up in what YOU planned to happen. Your baby's needs are paramount at this point, and you should be following his lead most of the time. If he is hungry, feed him, no matter what time of the day or night it is. His schedule is natural, yours is designed. Act with compassion and love in the best interest of your child and you and your son will be just fine. Also, I would like to add, that feeding your baby solids right now is ill-advised, especially if you are doing it to prolong his sleeping schedule at night. 6 months is the best time to introduce solids, according to most pediatricians, and some babies can be exclusively breastfed until the age of one year.
A.
Growth Spurt!!! Both of mine went through one at that age. When it happened with the second, I remembered it from the first. You have a very "easy" baby over all so you can be quite thankful for that. Some of them come with many more issues. My first child was more like you describe than my second :).
