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Hi Emily,
I’m so sorry for the delayed response! For some reason, your post just showed up today.
First off, I just have to say, you’ve been amazing over the last 9 weeks! I can only imagine how stressful and overwhelming it must have been trying to figure out the gassiness and all the breastfeeding challenges. And to do it all while getting little sleep is impressive!
It’s also great that you’ve already identified the milk protein intolerance and made the necessary adjustments to your diet. I’m curious—when did you make this change?
You mentioned that feeding is still taking some time. Could you share how long it’s currently taking to feed your little one? Additionally, how is his weight tracking? Is he gaining at the expected rate and following his growth curve?
In regards to suggestions to help him settle to sleep for naps, I just have a few questions:- You mentioned he is currently falling asleep for naps while feeding. I was wondering if he can fall asleep in your arms without a feed at all. So are you able to hold him in your arms and rock him to sleep or does it always have to be with a feed?
- You mentioned you’re following the nap and bedtime routine I outline in the course but he will only fall asleep while feeding. Can you describe what his nap routine is and where the feed fits in?
- You mentioned you have been trying the pyramid to help him to learn to self soothe but within 5 minutes he is screaming again. Does that mean you can get him to fall asleep in the crib using the settling pyramid and he wakes 5 minutes later or does he not fall asleep at all?
- When swaddling, are his arms positioned down by his sides or up by his face?
- You mentioned his bedtime is around 9-9:30 pm. Could you describe his bedtime routine and how you settle him to sleep at bedtime?
- Can you tell me how he’s sleeping overnight? Specifically, what’s the timing of his overnight feeds?
- During the night, is he sleeping in his crib, or is he on you?
- Does he have a consistent wake-up time? If so, when does he usually wake up?
- How long is he staying awake between naps before needing to sleep again?
- When he falls asleep for a nap, do you hold him the entire time, or do you place him in the crib?
- How long is he going between feeds during the day?
- Does your little one have breastmilk from the bottle at all? If he does how long does this feed take?
- Can you let me know how many naps he is having during the day and the general length of these naps?
Another thing to keep in mind is that at 9 weeks, he’s likely hitting the peak of the Period of PURPLE Crying. This could help explain why he had such a tough time settling in your arms the other day for over 40 minutes. During this phase, which often peaks in the late afternoon and evening, babies can become incredibly difficult to soothe.
I also wanted to check in—other than the afternoon fussiness, is he generally happy when he’s awake? Or do you find that he’s often unsettled, even when he’s sleeping, like squirming or showing signs of discomfort?
Sorry for all the questions! Once I have this information, I’ll be able to offer more specific advice on how we can help him start falling asleep in the crib instead of while feeding—so you can get some much-needed rest too!
Emma