Breastfeeding Newborn - Breastfeeding issues with newborn

I had a similar problem when I was breastfeeding my daughter... what I would do is strip her down to just a diaper and tshirt... no socks.. nothing. The chill will make them wake up and stay awake.

Just a thought... good luck.

G.

While I never did this with my daughter (we didn't have the same issues) my parents SWEAR by their "wet wash cloth" treatment from when i was a baby! They said they had a wet washcloth that they would keep near by and gently wipe my face or feet or whatever, to keep me awake!!

Does your pediatrician think she's gaining enough weight? All my children (3 yr old boy and 1 yr old twin girls) have been very efficient nursers - even as newborns, often 5-10 minutes every 2 hours was sufficient. They gained weight just fine. I was/am an on-demand nurser (I still nurse the girls and I nursed my son to 18 months), so they nursed when hungry, but it did fall into a pattern (about every 2 hours as I said). I never took their short napping times as a signal that they were not eating enough since they were gaining weight and seemed happy. Newborns do have really tiny stomachs that fill up and empty quickly. Naps fell into a pattern as well after a while. I'm not sure how old your baby is, but my babies all fell into nap patterns at about 3-4 months. Before that, it was sleeping here and there. Hope that helps - good luck!

I agree with taking off all the clothes except the diaper. I also rub my baby's foot if he falls asleep nursing and that works (though I have to do it every 30 seconds or so!). Also try blowing gently on her face and rubbing under her chin. Good luck and hang in there!

While I never breast fed, I can say having two children that when you feed them to keep them awake to eat you might want to remove some of their clothing, it wakes them up and doesnt make them feel so snuggled and sleepy.

I had the same problem with both my children. None of the tips worked, not even the cold washcloth. Something that DID work was a new hold that results in an asymmetrical match. Google Dr. Jack Newman to see videos on how to do it. I found that my son was just too cozy with cradle hold and football hold, and this one encouraged him to stay awake longer.

Another thing to remember is that some newborns are just sleepy. Jaundice contributes to sleepiness, and breastfeeding is the best treatment for jaundice. Nurse whenever she wants to, and as she grows and gets stronger, so will her latch and ability to suck. With both my children 6 weeks was the turning point.

I wish you luck!

the trick for us was to take all the baby's clothes off and tickle her. she's now 11 mo, and still sort of a "snacker." just get some food into the baby when you can.

babies are really sleepy the first week, so if you're still in that time frame, just wait, and get some rest yourself while you can!

I had very similar issues with my DS. Very little worked to keep him awake, even rubbing feet and removing clothing. I did end up supplementing with a couple of small bottles a day, just so that he could gain weight. It also took some of the pressure off me and gave me a chance to relax a bit, which eventually helped my milk production.

I think time is a big part of it. Some kids (and moms, for that matter) just take longer to "get" how to nurse and to find a good rhythm. For us, I think it was about 6 months before I felt like our nursing sessions were really working well. And I'm really glad I persisted, since DS is still nursing after almost 15 months! And now it's a breeze for both of us, and he is healthy and happy. So keep at it, take as much time as you can to develop your and your baby's rhythm, and relax. Good luck!

Did you try undressing her...that woke my daughter up everytime!

I guess I have a few questions before I offer an opinion.

How old is she?
Age plays a big part in the nursing habits of a baby.

Does she nurse frequently?
Some babies eat in short spurts but nurse freuently through the day, breastfed babies eat what they need when they need it.

Does she have one long nursing session?
Like before bed or first thing in the morning? It may not be an hour or so but if she nurses during the day for ten minute periods but before bed nurses for a half hour, its not uncommon.

Does she seem uncomfortable? Is she always upset/hungry? Have you brought this up to her pedi yet? Have you thought about pumping your milk and this way you can visibly see how many ounces she is getting per session?

Some babies just need extra stimulation in order to get them on track. Have you checked out kellymom.com - they have some great articles that might help you out some more.

Z.,

So I will write the things I was told just incase they weren't in the books you read.

They say skin to skin while nursing - strip the baby -use the side closing onesies so you can open it up and put the babies tummy next to yours while nursing. I found this settled her and she slept - but it's still really good for them so I did it anyway.

Making the baby cold is supposed to wake them up - tough to do I think but still it might rouse her.

After she falls asleep take her off the breast and change her diaper - moving her around quit a bit to get her to wake up. Then nurse the other breast.

Has your daughter been checked for being "tongue-tied"? This is the lay man's term for a tight frenulum. This is the stringy fibrous memebrane that connects the lower part of the tongue to the floor of the mouth. If it's too tight the baby connot extend his tongue far enough to take hold of the nipple. Your ped can check this. One mother I know had this happen with her son - too sleep to nurse and he couldn't nurse enough because of a short frenulum. Once it was corrected he did fine.

Also check in with the ladies in your local chapter of La Leche League. www.llli.org These women know what they are talking about and can help you. You can call them from 9am to 9pm 7 days a week. They have meeting as well once a month but since you are having problems don't wait til the meeting call and talk to someone right away.

Hope this helps,
L.

My oldest was a preemie and did the same thing. The NICU nurses told me to strip her to her diaper so she wasn't cozy and try a cool washcloth on her face when she started to doze! I know it sounds a bit harsh, but after a little while she got the hang of it and stopped dozing.

With seven children I had all sorts of breast feeding situations.
I had one who just did not have the stamina to nurse for twenty minutes. He would nurse five minutes , sleep for ten.and so on. It would take an hour to get a twenty minute nursing into him.
He outgrew that in about one month. Then he would nurse for ten, sleep for twenty, nurse for ten.
Another month or so he outgrew that and nursed for the full twenty minutes.
Tincture of time honey. But a word, if she is that tired that easily when hungry, has doc checked her all out?
My Joey was a month premature. My sisters son, who nursed the same way, had much more serious condition.
Your little girl may just be tired right now but would not do any harm to tell ped about this and run it by doc. Have wee bit of check up.
That being said DONT WORRY...lots of babies are bit slow at the beginning, ok?
Mostly tincture of time and patience is all that is required.
Best wishes and God bless
Grandmother Lowell

I had some of the same issues. Try stripping her down to her diaper to stimulate her. Try talking to her. Eventually, I went to pumping and giving our daughter bottles. I hope that helps a bit. Please remember you can always contact a lactation consultant or your pediatrician for additional ideas.

E.

i used to tap lightly on the bottom of the babies feet,or take a warm face cloth to arouse the baby.good luck

I had a similar problem with my second child, and I've found that undressing him and just have him feel me and cover with whater you feel confy, if the baby is too warm all he wants is to sleep, changing positin also helped, like the football holding under arm, lying down, we are all diferent but we're much alike, just continue giving your baby the of you love possible and you shall see results.
best wishes
T. Milioli
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it sounds like she has more issues with sleeping than eating... is she gaining enough weight? my firstborn did the same thing - would fall asleep nursing, wouldn't nurse for very long, and didn't like sleeping anywhere but my arms (and really only would fall asleep at the breast). but she gained weight just fine - I nursed her for 19 months, she never got formula, and didn't start solids until 6 months. she is now a solid, healthy toddler, and its clear that she just has a hard time falling asleep and wakes easily - its just her temperment. try looking into sleep solutions (rather than breastfeeding solutions). we had a lot of luck with "the no-cry sleep solution".

after she nurses on one side strip her down and change her diaper it should wake her enough to nurse 5-10 minutes on the other side. My son nursed every 1-2 hours for the first few months and constant when he was going through a growth spurt. Its normal as long as the dr. says she's gaining well don't be worried about how much she is or isn't getting. Good luck. It takes a little time to get the hang of but after awhile you will both be pros.

I'm a first time mom to my 3 week old. The first couple of days home trying to breastfeed were the worst and involved lots of crying (by me). My baby would not wake and clearly wasn't eating enough...hadn't pooped in about 32 hours and WOULD not wake up long enough to feed. It's so easy to give up and give a bottle when you can just shove the nipple into their mouths! I didn't give up. I would try everything to keep her awake...including a cool cloth on her nearly naked body! Do you have a lactation consultant that can work with you both?? Mine was a God-send and came with the hospital. Get her naked down to the diaper and try and get her to eat every 1-3 hours. Keep waking her. However, if she is sleeping to reserve her calories (like mine was), I had to supplement with some formula. I started with a half oz. Then I would put her to breast. You can try and sprinkle some formula onto the nipple to get her to open. Ultimately, I ended up giving her a bottle of formula, up to 2 oz, a couple of times just to get something into her. Now she is on strictly breastmilk. Don't give up!! Good luck!!

Nurse nekid!

Seriously, take off all clothes except the diaper. (for the baby, not you) When they dose off, rubbing the inside of the palm OR the joint of the jaw vigorously helps stimulate the suck reflex.

Hello! Congrats on your new little one & for bfing!!!!!My oldest had this issue. Even disrobing him did nothing! Our ped worried because he was below the growth chart for some time. My advice would be to go with the flow for a bit. It took my son a while to find his flow, and when he did he was fine. It gets frustrating I know. You want to do what is best for your child and EVERYone has an opinion on what that might be. Follow your gut. You are her mother. I do believe our children are ours for a reason, what ever there troubles might be. You can do this!!! Follow her lead, gentle persuasion only.
Sending you gentle thoughts of support!

As you see her start to doze off, gently try to pull your breast away, but not all the way out. That will wake her up a little and encourage her to suck harder. Good luck!