Calling all BABY WHISPERERS, I have a question...

[SydneyB]

Have been doing EASY with my 10 week old DD for the last couple of weeks and it really has saved me from non-stop BF as before I was unable to distinguish between hungry and tired. I still can't really tell what her cries mean to be honest but at least I can usually work it out. My question is, what do I do when I put DD down for her sleep and she wakes an hour before her next feed is due? I'm not on a fixed routine but she tends to feed every 3 hours or so, a bit more frequently as the day wear on and into the evening. She can't really stay awake for more than 1.5 hours before getting tired but what happens if she wakes after 30 mins and its only 2 hours since the last feed - do I feed her or try and make her sleep more?

[climbingrosie]

Does she want a feed and latch on as soon as you offer it? I'd do whatever your dd wants to be honest, that is what I did...but then I never could implement the EASY as my ds always fell asleep at the boob and I fed on demand rather than by the clock so feel free to ignore me!

I think if she is waking early just follow the routine that you would have followed had she woken an hour later, rather than thinking 'she's woken an hour too early for her next feed'. She might be going through a growth spurt and be hungrier than before.

[SydneyB]

Thanks Climbing Rosie, I think you're right. I don't want to be following a strict routine but I just can't tell when she's hungry or not if I don't do EASY. I was feeding on demand but the problem is that she will latch on EVERY time and ALL the time and a lot of the time I am sure its for comfort. Not that there's anything wrong with that of course but my boobs were practically falling off and I was exhausted! Can you tell from your DS's cries whether he is hungry/tired/bored etc?

[JazzyGsMummy]

call me igorant but whats EASY? all I know I bf'd on demand with dd. sometimes all she seemed to do was feed. sometimes it would take her 3/4 hr to feed and then within an hour she was hungry again. usually it wasn't this bad 1/2 feed 2-3 hrs between feeds was probably the average. I was worried about overfeeding and spoke to my health visito said that at the end of the day you can't overfeed a baby they will just sick up what they don't want(dd was hardly ever sick. it was hard work on "demanding" days but I would do the same again with my next child. regarding teling the difference between hugry & tired I would always offer a feed and if she fell asleep within a few minutes then that was my answer. I'm a big believer in follow what your baby wants.

[blueshoes]

Hi, SydneyB, after 2 children, I still cannot tell the difference between a hungry or tired cry. If baby is crying, I basically offer the breast to settle, and if baby is still restless or does not want a feed, I would assume tiredness, esp if it has been more than an hour since she woke. Babies can cry out of boredom as well - I know mine both liked to be carried around and looking at things.

EASY did not work for my dd and ds. They were too individualistic!

[twinsetandpearls]

Eat
Activity
Sleep
You

[rarrie]

SB,
The whole point of the BW is that it is not a time based routine but rather it is an order based one. So if your baby wakes earlier and is hungry, then feed earlier but then do the rest of the routine earlier. If she wakes and is not hungry, then let her play whatever until she is hungry. The whole point of the EASY routine is to seperate out the eating and the sleeping, so as long as you are doing that I shouldn't be too worried!
HTH

[climbingrosie]

In answer to your question I can't really remember as DS is now 4! But TBH DS didn't cry much, he was a silent baby, he was very premature and it is quite normal for prem babies not to cry. I would just always give him attention, pick him up or offer boob if he started crying, if one thing didn't work I'd move on tothe next thing, but no I don't think I could really distinguish his cries when he was very young, when he got older it got easier though, as their cries change.

You're right too, they do latch on for comfort a lot of the time and that doesn't always work for you! See if she can be entertained in other ways (but not overstimulated!)

[SydneyB]

Thanks for all your messages. DD lost too much weight in her first week as she was jaundiced and sleepy and wouldn't feed so once we were back on track again I used to offer her the boob whenever she meeped. Thing is that she was awake for hours frantically feeding or so I thought - sometimes she'd be awake for 5 hours without a nap which was far too long so I'm using EASY as a way of separating the sleep and eating out and she's much happier now as she's getting her sleep as well as her food. Its so hard though isn't it, trying to find the right balance? I'm fundamentally in favour of 'on demand' but want to make sure I give her what she's demanding rather than the boob at every cry. Aslo, this way I find she feeds properly and I swear the wind is better too. We shall see! Great to get help and support from MN

[Kif]

easy worked well for me.

re to feed or not to feed - try a few minutes of living room boogie and see if the little eyes start to droop. If not, feed.

Re cries:

• my dsalways does a few barking cough things before hungry cry.
  
• Order of things is a clue - if she's jusy eaten likely tired and visce versa
  
  main thing: take up to a week to study your baby. Concentrate on spotting the first asnd second yawn, and on logging things acurately. it'll help you interprert her - and it is a nice way to bond

[PrettyCandles]

EASY works really well, and is worth persevering with. I did it with my firt two before I'd ever heard of the BW. I'm trying with no3, but things have gone a bit haywire with him recently. I really notice the difference when we've not been EASYing, as it's much harder to work out what he wants/needs.

I find that, if he's hungry, he wakes roaring. If he's not, he wakes cheerful, or at least peaceful. If you put her to the breast and find that she's feedign properly, then go ahead and feed. If all she does is nibble or play at the boob, or suck without swallowing, then she probaly wants comforting. I'd be inclined in that case to take her off the boob and comfort/cuddle/entertain in some other way. If she tries to feed but keeps pulling herself off the boob then she's probably got wind or maybe is brewing a poo, and although she's trying to feed it's not a good idea to let her as will increase her discomfort. Once the burp's come up, or the wind or poo's come out, she may feed or want to go back to sleep. In ancy case, you'll find your way back into the routine afterwards.

HTH

[SydneyB]

Thanks for the tips! Great thing about EASY is that it takes account of growth spurts - DD is feeding 2 hourly today and what I don't understand about say 'other routines' is what happens when your baby is having a growth spurt? Heigh ho.

[notsolilKel]

Hiya just another BW devotee here. As another mum said, EASY is about order of things rather than timetables. So if your LO is going through an EASY cycle every 2 hours instead of every 3, that's fine. Growth spurt likely, as you say!

Just remember to keep an eye on signs like yawns, rubbing eyes, etc. so that when your baby is ready to extend the cycle again you're ready for it, and not putting them down to sleep too soon. Activity time will slowly get longer.

Sometimes I'd forget that things will change .