Need Advice on Keeping Baby Awake!

My daughter almost never nursed for more than 10 minutes at a time...I was concerned and discussed it w/ her doctor and he said not to worry, that some babies/breasts are just very efficient at nursing. The early weight loss is normal, so as long as he's gaining now and the ped isn't worried, I wouldn't worry. Also, what you should concentrate on is a good feeding on one breast, the 2nd doesn't need to be emptied every time. Make sure he's getting a good feeding on the first so that he gets the hindmilk and don't get so worried if he only plays or falls asleep on the second, just make sure that with the next feeding you start with that 2nd breast so it gets emptied then. In short, don't be so worried about the 2nd one that you don't allow him enough time with the first.

Also...consider a change if your ped told you to supplement. Weight loss is expected the 1st week and should not come w/ pressure to supplement.

Above all, relax. Stress/lack of sleep are big factors in milk production. The reality is, he doesn't need much yet and probably whatever you are producing is just fine. I think that if you cut out the extra bottles that would help tremendously. Also, have hubby bring home the book On becoming babywise. It's not a tough read and you could probably thumb through it while you're spending all that time bf. One of the things the book will tell you is to wake your baby up for meal times so he begins to acquire a routine to when his awake/feeding times are. If you start out w/ every 1.5 hours now, you will gradually be able to extend to longer and it's easy enough to add in an extra feeding during times when he's growth spurting. Anyway, BF is great for both of you, but only if it's working. Don't let it be such a burden/stress that you can't enjoy your new son. If you decide to supplement/go to bottles you're no less a great mom than you are if he only gets breastmilk. You might try breast flow by the first years bottles if you continue w/ a bottle (whether bm or formula) I've used those w/ both my children and they have been great for avoiding nipple confusion and have made things really easy for transitioning between breast and bottle.

Best of luck, congratulations on your new son.

It is so hard to nurse. My 1st child was born early and I had to nurse her every 45 minutes at first. I nursed my second and it went much easier. Sometimes they are what I refer to as a lazy baby. If you can't get the baby to stay awake then make sure to pump milk for about 15 minutes. It is time consuming at first but you can always bottle feed the baby what you have pumped or store it for when you are out. My best advice is to pump every time for a couple months until the baby stops sleeping so much as is taking in more milk. As your baby's need for more occurs , your milk supply will increases as well. I drove myself crazy trying to nurse my daughter but I was determined and finally we didn't have any issues. Just do what you are doing and try not to stress because that can effect your milk. I know it is difficult with your two year old but kids are so flexible and they will learn to work around the new baby's schedule as will you!

Hope this helps,
C.

First off, babies lose weight after birth. Sometimes for the first two weeks. Normal, normal, normal (isn't that a nice word when you're feeling freaked out with a new baby?!)

It's early enough, you can probably drop the bottle and get your supply up by nursing round the clock for a day or two. The constant nursing thing is also quite normal :)

You've gotten great advice from the ladies on here (and the cold washcloth for feet or scalp worked well with both of my babies!), and I completely agree with seeking help. One great FREE resource is Le Leche League International (llli.org has the contact info for local leaders, plus meeting times, as well as great tips and articles).

Another good trick to getting supply up (and on training your body to pump, if you'll be needing to pump for work) is to pump on the opposite side when you're nursing the baby. Your baby helps activate the let-down, and the pump helps remove more milk, which makes you produce more.

YOU CAN DO THIS!!!!

Learning to breastfeed can be hard work, but what part of parenting isn't, ya know :) the good news is that it DOES get easier!

With my daughter, I struggled with latch problems and a sleepy baby and bad advice and everything that could go wrong, pretty much. Then, one evening at supper, she began to fuss, so I put her in my lap where she latched on easily, and I kept conversing with my husband. I didn't even really register that I was feeding the baby, because it seemed so normal and easy.

The triumph of that moment stayed for a long, long time. She was just 7 weeks old. 7 weeks sounds like a long time when they're only a week or two, but it's the blink of an eye when it's over.

Remember that you AND the baby are learning how to do this and be patient with yourself. Try to find someone who can help you for a day or two to keep up with your bigger boy, so you can focus on nursing the babe. If you have to, wait until your husband is off. Make a plan for your "Breastfeeding Day." Have a bunch of bottles of water ready for you to drink, get a new magazine or book, rent a couple movies you've been wanting to see and have the remote ready. Put pillows near where you're going to nurse, and then curl up in your nest and go to it! Rocking recliners are great for this (or the couch), because then, when the baby goes to sleep, you can kick back and nap with him.

Good luck and congrats on the new boy!!!

Definitely get some help. My baby did the same thing and I found a lot of help from a lactation consultant at the hospital. He is 3 months now and nurses like a champ but I could not have done it without her.

At this point, your milk supply is already starting to subside like mine did. It takes work to get it back up. If you are not already on Fenugreek (an herb supplement found at health food stores), get some.

One thing I learned from her about supplementing: Give the baby the bottle (1 to 2 ounces) right after coming off the breast. If possible, have someone else do it and you pump while they feed the baby (10 minutes on each side). By doing this, I was able to slowly nurse him more and give him less of the bottle. My supply increased and within two weeks, he was only nursing.

Don't give up! Just get some help.

Hi Jennifer!
Good for you and your commitment to BF your baby. You have received some great advice already. A cool washcloth and changing baby's diaper between sides is what always worked for us. Sometimes I had to call in reinforcements (daddy!) and have him play with our son to get him wide awake. I agree with slowly stretching the time between FULL feedings. Babies will snack if they are permitted, but you can totally guide him to eat more at once and go longer between feedings with some effort. Best wishes! Let us know what works for you!

S.

I nursed all 7 of my babies and this is the advice I would give you. Keep at it!! YOu are doing a good job and he is still so little. It takes time to get them to wake up. I had the hardest time with #7. She was really jondus(sp?)Once you finally get it down it is so worth it. But none the less you will still be nursing probably every 1 1/2 hours. Some people can get their babies to go longer but I never was. I have what I would call skim milk. My sister has cream and her babies go a little bit longer between feedings but not much. Its just the sacrafice you make to nurse. If its worth it to you then keep it up. Their is support for you in your desires!! OH the other thing I almost forgot. DO NOT SUPPLEMENT!!!! If you want your baby to nurse and nurse well stay completely clear of any bottle or any formula. THey can get confused very easily. Good Luck!!!

Once again, I have to say Liev is right on target. I just want to add my support. I breastfed three babies, only got to stay home with one (the oldest) and he ate "round the clock" like your baby is doing. It was the longest first six months of my life! It is worth it. Hang in there, God will bless you for giving your baby the perfect food!

I had a similar problem with my baby born this past December. I know that they told you to supplement, but if your baby is filling up on formula, he is likely to not want to take the time to nurse...lots harder too! Mine didn't seem to be latching on right (even though we did fine in the hospital) so I bought a Medela silicone nipple guard and used it for a couple of days until he really clamped down! Try for a couple of days not providing supplement and only letting him nurse...mine went through a spell at about 2-4 weeks where he wanted to nurse for nearly an hour every evening..I cried he cried and my husband got frustrated...needless to say we all survived and by 7 weeks, he was sleeping through the night...yep breastfed only!! Also, you might want to forget about pumping until the 2 of you get this licked....I had to do that too! Started up again at about 4 weeks or so, after the morning meal, sometimes mid-day, and right before I went to bed, after his last meal.. By the time I went back to work (9 weeks) I had enough milk in the freezer that he could probably go a month or more on my milk alone. Good luck to you.. hope this helped.. my boy is VERY laid back too!!

Hello Jennifer, I'm a pediatric craniosacral practioner and work with folks alot on breastfeeding issues. One, I would suggest if you have one in your area seeing a craniosacral therapist if there are any latch issues. Second, it's not uncommon for a newborn to nurse every 1 1/2 hrs. If you check with a LLL mom they can give you statistics, but it's really fairly normal, and still exhausting. At 2 1/2 weeks they will often only nurse on one side, next waking it's the other and you just have to keep track. It is RARE for an infant to nurse both sides at that age. Good good luck to you. I nursed my first till 3yrs and am still nursing my second who is just over 3yrs. They have fantastic teeth spacing. :-) Kidding but serious, nursing past the 2nd yr of life does amazing things to lowering the average orthodontics fees.

R, W. P.

I went through this w/ my daughter. It was very hard, ended up co-sleeping w/ her for a long time so she could just wake up and nurse, instead of my getting out of bed to get her and putting myself back to sleep.

One of the things that finally worked for her, was that when she seemed to be winding down (fairly quick after latching most of the time) I pulled my breast from her, so she couldn't suckle. That woke her often, and she would reattach. This was more concertedly during the day, and eventually she figured she wouldn't be getting it if she didn't suckle. I would also wait for as long as I could between feedings. If she was just starting to get hungry, I'd situate my son first, set up food for myself and or drink depending what was going on. Sometimes waiting as much as a half hour after she was expecting to eat. She tended to stay awake longer actively suckling.

The midwife suggested the latter. It was a lot of work to get her to drain both breasts, but eventually it happened. Keep your head up, it will work out. He will need time and some encouragement. I know if you should chose to wait for a while longer between feedings, the crying will pull at the heart strings, but if you stick w/ it, he'll get the point and be very hungry. ((huggs)) you'll be great mama ((huggs))

C.

My daughter was 4 weeks early & slightly jaundiced and I had the same problems with her. I'll just say that as long as your son is having plenty of wet/poopy diapers, try not to worry. I know it's hard. I would stress so much about my daughter getting enough to eat because she was always falling asleep. She gained just fine though with my milk alone. If you are concerned about your supply, pump when he's finished eating on that breast. Just empty the one & then when he wakes feed him from the other until he's satisfied, then empty it with the pump. I know it's a lot of work but pretty soon, he'll be emptying them himself. The pumping will keep your milk supply going.

Good luck to you & enjoy that sweet baby!

Rub his head and even do fake diaper changes!

Nursing every hour and a half might just be normal for another week or two, but it will even out. This IS really important.

Stop supplementing. Your breasts are never truly empty. He will get *something*. And it will only take a day or two to ramp up your supply to meet his demand. Supplementing with formula only makes it worse, spirals your supply downward, unless you pump to make up for it. Best, though, is to follow his natural needs.

Good luck!

If you have any other bf questions, contact your local La Leche League leaders and they or another volunteer can come straight to your home. In fact, if it were me, I'd do that, anyway. Just call them tomorrow morning and have them show up and help out wiht general questions, too.

L.

My LC said to either scratch the bottom or DD's foot (a little harder than a tickle, but not hard enough to hurt)... or to swiftly rub a cold wash cloth on her belly, back, side, or face... just enough to "whhooo that's cold" to wake her up. Congrats and Good luck with continued nursing!!!

Your milk supplements could be one of the culprits - I learned that the hard way - and may not be working anyway. Check your diet for any other complications; caffeine, MSG, low magnesium/vitamin D levels, etc. Try ramping up on fresh fruits and veg - not cooked. The more natural (not supplemental) nutrients you take in means the more energy he will have - and you too. Dont ever listen to a doctor that says formula feeding is better.
And its only been 2 1/2 weeks, so give him a little more time to get adjusted, especially if he was born early. I hope this helps. :]

I have to agree with the cool wash cloth.I breastfeed my 2 sons for 6 months each.My first kept falling asleep while nursing when I was in the hospital.I really wanted nursing to work for me so everytime I nursed I rang the call button and asked for help:).We first started with the rubbing his back and head..he was still asleep so we tickled his feet..still asleep..took of his clothes..might latch on suckle and then back to sleep..they finally had to get the wet wash cloth on him and he woke up:)

I had a similar problem with my son when he was little. He was a preemie, and had been fed with a stomach tube and didn't want to nurse. We had to keep trying to wake him up to eat. Finally we started following a suggestion by one of his nurses. It may sound mean, but it worked. She said just before feeding time we needed to change his diaper with a COLD washcloth. It didn't hurt him but it sure brought him to attention! He would then wake up enough to eat. Now he's 16 years old and I can't get him to stop eating, lol, we go through groceries like you wouldn't believe! Enjoy this time with your baby, they grow up too fast. :o)

SInce he is only 2.5 weeks old, he is probably a little jaundiced yet and sleepy. Your breasts and his mouth have not caught up to each other yet, his being small and yours larger. This is the hardest time to get through, but if you tough it out it will get lots easier, when he wakes up some and your breasts are not as engorged. It is very normal to eat every 1.5 hours at first, and as he can hold more and gets more hind milk, this well get longer. You are providing such a wonderful form of nourishment that will keep him from getting sick in his younger years and through out his life. As you know if you supplement with bottles, your supply in your breast will diminish by that much and he will begin to like the bottle better cause it is easier to extract the milk. I would not supplement, but use a lactaid which is a device that hangs from the breast and is filled with milk attached with a tiny tube from which he has to still such at the breast. You can fill it with breast milk too. The first few weeks are always the hardest but as I said it gets alot easier. Call a lactation consultant that makes home visits, and or La Leche League. I am a former lactation consultant that used to make home visits and it would really help you.
B. S. RN CCM
e-mail me at ____@____.com if you like.

Jennifer,

Ah...those crazy, sleep-deprived early weeks! Just know that your baby is doing exactly what he is supposed to be doing. Recovering from the birth, building up your milk supply and causing you to be in tune with his rhythm. Remember, up until he was born he had food "on tap" 24 hours a day.

I had a wise La Leche Leader tell me in 2000 (she nursed EIGHT daughters) that if you have to nurse every hour, around the clock, then do it. I did everything you mentioned to keep my oldest one awake for even five minutes, including putting ice to his feet and back, thumping his feet and other shocking things, and none of them worked. I wish now I had listened to him, and relaxed. As long as his diapers were wet and poopy then he was getting enough.

Please do not supplement with a bottle. Your body will create enough milk if you allow it to. If you supplement then that's that fewer ounces of milk your body will get used to making. Yes, it's tough to nurse with a toddler but it can be done. You all climb into bed and snuggle. If the toddler gets bored and goes away chances are he can't get into too much trouble.

This too shall pass but it will take every ounce of your energy to get through it. Your children are worth it!

K.

both my babies nursed every hour and a half. i think that's normal, especially when they are infants. good job nursing. maybe pump once in awhile if you feel you need the extra stimulation. get a sling, pop your infant in and that way you can nurse as needed and still have time for your two year old and getting stuff done.