Breastfeeding Dilemma Followup

My son was like this too and I stressed about it! As long as she is growing and soiling diapers, just go with it. You can tickle and mess with her to keep her awake but really, it is something she will outgrow, and pretty soon, I imagine. It is rough...I know.

It is normal, but when she's especially sleepy/lazy at the breast, there is a trick you can do to get her to instinctively nurse.

It is easiest to do this in a cradle hold, since you can reach to do this a little more easily, though it is possible in almost any hold.

With your free hand, you will cup her shoulder that is facing toward the outside (not the one next to your skin) and gently shrug it or move in a circular motion (imagine how you would move your own shoulder to work out a kink-- same thing, but very gently.) This movement will stimulate her to suckle automatically- no wet cold washcloths or supplies needed :)

Keep nursing and offer her the breast as often as you can- you'll find your routine. 3 months seems to be the magic number where you feel like you've got it all figured out.... well, for a moment ;) They're constantly changing and having growth spurts, etc. of course, but the nursing gets easier at 6 weeks (hang in there- you're right there!) and again at 3 months.

Congratulations!!! Bring a huge glass of water to your nursing chair and something fun for your 2 yr old (pipecleaners were a huge hit at my house- you can bend them into any shape will nursing and tell stories with them, almost like "puppets" that morph into anything you want.)

M.

Shes only 6 wks old, its normal for her to spend most of the day nursing. Try some different slings and carriers, find one you can nurse in comfortably, then just go about your business while she nurses. Theres no need to give bottle and pump, just nurse on demand.

It's normal. My kids were both like that until they were about three months old. By three months they were a little more regular with nursing and napping. Just hang in there, it will get better.

Her stomach is about the size of a walnut.
It fills up fast.
But being so small means she digests it fast, too.
So she gets hungry again quickly.
6 weeks is a growth spurt time and every time she has one she'll want to eat a bit more and a bit more often.
With my son, things seemed to settle down a little more after 8 weeks.

Both my daughters nursed for five mins at a time. Only one breast per feeding too. The reason was because I had forceful letdown. In those five mins they got plenty. It's best to nurse when they're hungry. Period. Schedules are not good for nursing babies. It won't last forever.

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1 hour feeding intervals is FINE and NORMAL. She needs YOU, not formula.

That's completely normal for a breastfed baby. The body digest the milk a lot faster then a formula fed baby. What it sounds like is you have an efficient nurser, not lazy, she's also six weeks old and growing at an astronomical speed. It takes a lot of nourishment to accomplish this.

As for bottle feeding, if you are supplementing a feeding she probably won't eat more the an ounce of milk. If you are trying to 'top' her off you are most likely over feeding her.

She will stretch out her feeding, but you still have a little ways to go before that happens.

I would try nursing her is a sling of some kind. I did this with both my girls and it really helped cause it frees up your hands to do other things like play with your 2 year old. If I was standing it would support their weight enough that I could have 1 hand free and if I was sitting I could have both hands free. I went back to work at a childcare center when my first daughter was 6 weeks old and I was very lucky I was in the infant room with her and they let me nurse her while working. With the sling I was able to sit and nurse her (I would also pull the sling up over my breast for workplace modesty) and give two other babies bottles at the same time. With my second I could sit and do puzzles or play games while baby nursed. It definitely helped me feel more productive throughout the day!

I understand why you might think you have to supplement, but that is probably making the problem if not worse, slower to get better. What you are describing is 100% normal, it's called being the mother of a newborn. Breast feeding gets WAY easier after the first few months, but until then, I expected to just be pretty much nursing all the time. It's normal. It's how nature builds up your supply. You said baby is wetting, etc. so baby is FINE. This is the most awesome thing you can do for her. Let family members pitch in to help with your toddler for now. Good luck, and really, it does get easier!! I forgot, one thing you can do is make some downward strokes on your breast when feeding (toward the end), this helps bring down the hind milk.

Are you sure she's hungry each time, or is she using you as a pacifier? Or she prefers frequent snacking to eating 'meals'.

You might try gradually getting her to go longer between feedings using a pacifier. When she starts to get fussy for the breast, see if you can keep her content and wait just a little longer with the paci before nursing (depending on how hungry she is, a little longer might be 5 minutes, it might be 30). Then when you feed her, she'll be a little hungrier and maybe she'll eat better. And if she eats better, then she can go a little longer between feedings for the next time. Of course you don't want to push it too far - once she's going 2-3 hours between feedings, you don't want to put her off any longer than that.

I found this worked best if the baby was in the moby wrap with the paci. He was close to mama and had his need to suck satisfied. And, it left my hands free to play with my toddler.

Oh, and as for the 5 min and only on one side - this, by itself, isn't a problem. I had a lot of milk for my 2nd child and he only ever nursed from 1 side at a feeding for 5 min and he got plenty of milk. We breastfed for over a year that way.

ADDED: I just want to point out that the amount that you get from pumping is in no way a indicator of what your baby is getting. Some women don't respond to a pump well - it simply isn't close enough to what a real baby feels like to trick their body into releasing milk. Even moms that do get more milk from pumping don't get all their milk out that way. Please do not let the pump make you worried.

For the hind milk, the best thing you can do for that is to keep her on one side for the entire nursing session - which you are already doing, so you should be ok there.

It sounds to me like you are doing fine. Just try to space out those feedings a little bit so she's hungrier when you nurse. Good job and good luck.

"Cluster Feeding" is NORMAL in an infant. It means they nurse every hour or less. And you need to feed on demand.
They are changing so much so rapidly.
You need to nurse according to a baby's cues.

Do you have amply breastmilk being produced?
IF you think she is not nursing properly, then see a Lactation Consultant.

Infants, feed often.
It is normal.
Nursing is arduous work.

Supplementing will not change much. Except, it will affect YOUR milk production. And lessen it.

I would see a Lactation Consultant and see if your baby is latching on, properly.

But, both my kids as babies, had HUGE appetites and they nursed... all.the.time, day and night.
My Husband would go to work in the morning, seeing me sitting there nursing. When he came home from work, there I was, sitting there nursing. He'd tell me "Is that what you do all day, nurse???" And I would say "YES. Just be happy you don't have to do it." But at the same time, he was proud of me, because he knew... nursing is hard and time consuming... but that I was nursing as my kids needed me to. And he's a guy... and he knew this.

Every 3 weeks in an infant is a growth spurt. So 6 weeks is a growth spurt period.
Then at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and so forth.

When I was nursing my youngest, I just explained to my older child that I had to nurse baby. He can't do it by himself. My daughter understood, I'd have toys for her to play with and me there sitting in the chair nursing.
And no, there is no relaxation time.
But, BOTH my kids, NAPPED at the same time.
But no, there is no relaxation time.
It is busy.

My daughter was the same way. I was really nervous bc the nurses at the hospital told me she should be nursing 20 minutes each side! When I saw my lactation consultant a week later she weighed my baby before and after nursing and she was great. Turns out she was just a really efficient nurser. As long as she's wetting enough diapers and she's gaining weight, I'd say you're fine.

I had a sleepy baby too, for about 8 weeks. Couldn't keep her awake long enough for her to fill up either. Then she woke up. The sleepy, lazy nurser was a dream compare to the vocal, crazy, wild little toddler she became. I don't think I had time for relaxing in 3 years unless a saintly friend or relative took pity on us and sacrificed their sanity for a few hours to take care of our little sweet pea.

Parenting is funny in how you'll be cruising along thinking your getting the hang of it and then all of a sudden the kid takes you on a complete 180 degree turn. She's only six weeks, this will not last long. Try to rest when she's nursing, read or interact with your two year old the best you can and just go with it. They don't call it nursing on demand for nothing.

try getting your baby on a three hour feeding schedule and it might encourage her to eat more and give you a little more free time. I'm a big fan of the EASY method (Eat, Awake, Sleep, You time). Good luck!

Have you tried a wet cool washcloth, wiping at her forehead and tickling her feet? Not having her have too many clothes on (keeping her too warm) so that she's not "too comfortable". That's what lots of moms do with their newborn nursers.

I know that heavy duty breastfeeding moms will disagree with me for the following. No matter. If I were you, I would continue to offer a bottle to supplement. Instead of the nipple you are currently using, get a rapid flow nipple. She might just have to work too hard right now with the particular nipples you are using.

I will tell you that one of my kids had the same problem you have, and I didn't allow him to go to sleep. Yes, I "messed" with him plenty to keep him awake. I did supplement with a bottle and by accident found that the nipples with the larger hole worked so much better. But here's the thing. Years later we found out WHY he had this issue. He has a submucous cleft palate. That was why he was a lazy nurser. Supplementing was better than him doing without - when he got tired, he just quit eating. The fact that he had a compromised structure is the reason.

I'm not saying that it's the reason that your baby is having this problem. But it was why my baby had the problem.

Dawn

First, a baby can't be a 'lazy' nurser. They just get tired easily. Even six weeks out of the womb, they are still using so much energy to grow. Their brains aren't fully developed and so baby is just doing what she needs to do, which is to get that easy foremilk and then to nod off.

Your ped is right-- I had a 'can't hardly keep him awake to nurse' baby for a while, and then I got the "wow, I'm so awake and aware I want to look around at everything" challenge of nursing.

Give this time. I know you want the best for your son, but she does know what she needs. Cluster feeding is very, very common. You can decide which breast to put her on, you can choose to start her on the previous breast to get that hind milk out, or you can choose to pump and put that hind milk in the freezer for another day.

One thing you might consider doing is making sure she isn't overheated before nursing. When my son would start to nod off, I'd take his socks off to see if we could keep him awake for an extra few minutes, but overall, unless the pediatrician sees a problem, it's likely things are fine. And yep, it IS all you think you do all day because new babies need to eat, constantly.

I don't know if you feel like anything I've suggested is a solution, per se, but just wanted to tell you that your baby is fine, this is just a part of the adjustment period of having two kids. (I saw this as a nanny--- it is a challenge, for sure.)

Good luck!

I actually had low supply for the first 6 weeks (with my now 6 month old). He would cry out of hunger, I had to supplement with pumped milk and formula. If she is happy, growing, and good on the diapers, you probably don't have low supply. You can always go to the peds or lactation consultant (or BFing support group at Hinsdale Hosp) to do a before and after BFing weight to confirm she is getting enough at the feeding. You'll need access to a scale that does ozs. (2.5 X weight /number of feedings= oz per feeding) ex 2.5 X 8lb baby/10 feedings= 2 oz per feeding. This is a general calculation for the first 3 months.
Once my supply normalized I still had it in my mind that he was always hungry (every 2 hours so not as often as you) and offered my breast. He would take it, but just for a few mins. I was misreading his cues, he just wanted to snuggle, burp, get a pacifier, or something else. Try to see if she wants something else, then follow the other women's advice on keeping her awake during the feeding (also got awesome advice for this at the Hinsdale Hosp BFing Support Group)
BTW- getting 1 oz per breast is good for your baby's age with the pump!

You didn't mention how she's sleeping at night. My second baby ate the same way but he slept longer at night than my first, so I just went with it. I'd much rather have to feed a lot during the day than be up every 3 hours all through the night like i was with my first.

A lactation consultant may be able to help - pedi's just don't know everything about breastfeeding. They know BABIES, but not really breastfeeding. La Leche league may work, but I've heard good things and horror stories about them - it probably depends on the group. A breastfeeding pro may be able to help figure out how to help her be a better nurser :)