4 month Sleep training

Just when you feel you have fallen into a groove with baby, the schedule makes sense and is allowing baby to thrive, something changes! After all, babies are supposed to keep us on our toes right??

Hunter started waking in the middle of the night again! Ah!!! There's nothing more nerve-racking then a baby who was sleeping through the night suddenly waking in the middle of it!

Was he sick? Wet? Hungry? Scared? Wide awake? Did something wake him? Who knows!!

So I took that as a cue to change some things around.

First, the dream feed. I figured it was time to drop it. He was always dead asleep when I went in to get him for his dream feed. It was a struggle to get him to stay awake long enough to get some type of "full" feeding out of him. At four months and age the dream feed was not necessary as far as extra calories go.  It was done more to keep my milk supply up instead of going 9 to 10 hours without breast-feeding.

So we stopped cold turkey. I figured the worst thing that could happen is he would wake up hungry in the middle of the night. But he was doing it anyway! So away the dream feed went! And guess what? He slept through the night, and so did I!! Wool!!

The next night...2:30am...he was up and crying. After waiting a bit to see if he would go back to sleep, I ended up having to feed him. He ate like he hadn't had a meal in years.

Time to reevaluate again!

At this age, Babywise suggests having five full feedings throughout the day rather than the six I was giving Hunter. This seems counterproductive right? Why would I drop a feeding and a dream feed if he was waking up hungry?

Two reasons:

1)  He was eating every two and half to three hours during the day. I would just automatically feed him if it was that three hour mark and he hadn't shown signs of hunger yet. But when I thought about it that didn't make much sense! What would end up happening is he would not take a full feeding. Full feedings are so crucial to the babies sleep! Why do I forget that?

2) Having six feedings a day meant he was having about five today! Sounds great right? No. He was having five "catnaps" a day. That's exhausting for baby and mom! Not to mention he was not getting his restorative sleep that's necessary for his growth! Moving to this new schedule would mean that he would have three solid nap today.

So yesterday we tried it!  It went really well except for the fact that he would only sleep for 30 to 40 minutes for his three naps.. So today I really tried to focus on getting a FULL feeding first thing in the morning, and at each feeding throughout the day. He fed really well this morning, and ended up sleeping 1 hour 20 minutes for his nap. WOO WHO!!!!! It had been weeks since he's done that. What another reminder of how important the feedings are to the little one's day!

Oh and you may be wondering how last night went after he switched to his new schedule? He made it through the night! Woo! 

Now...I am no fool, I know this could be a fluke but parenting is all about trial and error especially for a first-time mom.

I'll keep you posted! Xoxo-B

Pumped up Pony

This is one of my favorite summer hairstyles. Well, it's good for anytime! Especially now since my little boy he is grabbing fistful's of hair!

Start by separating your hair into different sections. AND TEASE!

Gather the top layer of your hair in a twisting motion and Bobby pin that up. The twist helps it stay up and it looks cute too.

Gather the remaining hair with a hair tie and hide it under the top layer.

AND BAM! You're ready to go!

Xoxo-B

What I learned from my lactation consultation!

With my milk supply issues I decided it would be best to meet with a lactation consultant. Luckily, my pediatricians office has a lactation expert who is a medical doctor within the practice. This was such a blessing because that doctor sat down with Hunters primary care pediatrician so that he could give the lactation specialist Hunter's medical history (reflux, feeding issues etc).

I spent a lot of time researching breastfeeding and on how to boost milk supply. Most of the tips I came across I already had heard before: Be sure you are drinking enough water, getting plenty of rest, nursing frequently, making sure the baby is emptying the breast completely before switching, etc. 

But here are a few things that I was taught when I visited the lactation doctor:

1) A proper latch is crucial to a successful feed. Listen for baby swallows to ensure he is getting milk (this may take a minute or so for your milk to let down).

2) 3-5 months is a common time for moms milk supply to decrease because baby is starting to sleep longer or possibly sleeping through the night.

3) Hand expressing is much more effective at getting milk than using a pump (baby is best).. This is difficult for me but you may have better luck! 

4) The timing of pumping or hand expressing is important. If after baby finishes eating you pump and get some milk out, then that time frame should work for you. But if you are like me and are practically empty after baby eats, wait an hour before pumping or hand expressing. Do this only for 5-10 minutes, that way there can be a fuller supply when baby is ready to eat again at 2.5-3.5 hours. 

5) Progestogen only pill (POP) for birth control CAN affect milk supply. 

6) Fenugreek, mothers milk tea, mothers love all can help in increasing milk supply

7) Breast implants CAN affect milk supply, regardless of positioning. Although, if the surgery insertion was done around the nipple this can cause a bigger negative impact. 

8) Ovulation starting again can affect supply. 

This things are very eye-opening to me, so I made the necessary adjustments and I hope it works to increase my supply.

Please share any other tips you've learned on your breast feeding journey! Xoxo-B