BF and Sleep Routines

Toni79

I've got a few questions about BFing and sleep routines (nightime routine and naps).  Sorry this is long.  But I didn't want to post each question in a separate posting.

FYI - DD is 3 months.

1.  Where does BF fall in your nightime routine?

Currently BF is the last part of our routine,  Our rough routine is:

• 5:30/6:00 ish - Nurse 
• 7:00 ish - Table Time (i.e. dinner with daddy).
• Bath
• Lotion (dim lights)
• PJ's (dim lights)
• 8:00 ish - Nurse to sleep (dim lights)

 

DH gets home around 7:00, so I try to squeeze everyting in between 7-8.  However sometimes, she is sooooo tired, that when I nurse her at 8:00, she falls asleep almost immediatly.  I'll sit there for a few mins.  Lay her down in her bassinette at 8:30.  Which is fine but then she wakes 30-60 mins later wanting to eat.  So I'll feed her again at 9 or 9:30.  So I end up nursing her on and off from 8-10.

2.  She's sleeping less at night?

She goes 3 hours between feeding during the day.  As it gets closer to bedtime, she'll go 2 hours (mini cluster feed).  After her last feeding she would go 6 hours, and then do another 3-4 hour stretch. But for the last month, she's back to waking every 3-4 hours at night.  At first I thought it was a growth spurt, but its been going on now for 4 weeks.  Every once in a while she'll go a little longer.  But she's consitantly waking every 3-4 hours.  I'm not picking her up right away either,  I'll lay there for a bit, go to the bathroom and if she's still stirring or crying then I'll pick her up and nurse.

Last night I feed her at 8:00 pm.  She woke and fed at 9:30 pm, 1:30 am, and 5:30.  She woke up smiling at 8:00.  We snuggled and she fed at 8:30.  

I can't figure what I'm doing wrong?  Is this normal to regress?

3.  Do you have a nap routine?

Currently DD naps when ever she wants to.  It really varries from day to day.  Sometime she'll nap after nursing or in her swing.  But recently she's been too distracted to nap.  For the past several days she'll be acting soooo tired (rubbing her eyes, yawning, etc).  So I'll do what I've done in the past to put her to sleep during the day.  I'll try the swing, but she'll refuse to fall asleep (after almost 30 mins) which is crazy 'cause she'd always fall asleep the sec you put her in there.  I'll lay her in her bassenette with her paci, same thing!  I'll nurse, thinking that will make her fall asleep.  Nope!  Again, I thought maybe she was hungry, but if she's not hungry she won;t nurse.  So I know its not a growth spurt.  I feel like the past few days all I've done between feedings is try to get her to take a nap.  When I finally get her to sleep, she'll sleep for 30 mins and be done.  Yesterday she had 3 30 min naps between 7 am - 8 pm.  I could tell she was tired but I think she's too stimulated to nap.  She's really starting to discover so much around her.  Background noise used to help her sleep, now I think its keeping her from napping!

I'm wondering if a naptime routine would help with this?  Or is she too young to have a naptime routine?  We're still figuring out our nightime routine!

4.  Can you recommend any resources (books, websites, etc) to help me with her sleep routine?  Maybe something that compairs/contrats the differant methods.

I know there are a ton of books with differant sleep traning methods.  But I'd want something that really supports BFing.  Also, I'm not sure how I feel about the whole "let them cry it out".  I only let her cry for a few minutes (2-3) before picking her up.  I try not to let her get to the whaling stage. 

Sorry so long!

TIA!