Newborn Falling asleep while bf
Legbuh
Our DD (3 weeks old) has gotten into the habit of falling asleep at the
breast. She'll latch on, start eating for a few minutes, then fall
asleep.
We tickle her, etc to get her eating again, but a few seconds later
falls asleep again. Over and over until mommy has to get her off.
We started giving her EBM once in a while because after falling asleep
while latched and not eating, minutes later she was crying and hungry
again. Also, it allows me (daddy) to give mommy a break, sleep through
a feeding at night (I take the 4am feeding and usually 1 maybe 2 in the
afternoon) and get a nap and/or eat/shower/etc in peace during the day.
We she does do the bottle (EBM only), she eats at least 4-5oz usually
every 1 to 3 hours. And she just POUNDS it down.. usually stopping 1 or
2 times in between for a good burping.
I did some searches for my wife and found that she should be expressing
to let down before letting DD latch. The problem could be DD is not
getting anything and simply falling asleep.
Anyhow, we'd like her to BF more, and (hopefully) sleep better from this
(as opposed to EBM). She seems to always be hungry (worse when we BF
and think she gets enough, but obviously not and rarely any hind milk).
She usually has one good stretch during mid day/evening where she will
sleep for 4-5 hours. Otherwise it's 1-3 (more on the 1 side than the 3).
LCs we've called really haven't helped much and offered conflicting
advice. I prefer "realy people" advice anyhow. :)
Thanks for any help!
Dear ol Daddy
Beth Kevles
Hi --
It's very normal for newborns to fall asleep while nursing. Nursing
takes work! Over the next few weeks, though, your baby should start
nursing longer at a stretch. In the meantime, keep baby cool while
nursing and tickle him etc. to keep him awake.
I'd caution against too much EBM at this age, since the bottle (which is
much easier to get milk from) can make babies lazy, and then they may
refuse to nurse from the source. Also, remember that nursing is a
feedback loop. The more baby nurses, the more milk mom makes, and then
the easier it is to nurse.
In our house, Dad was in charge of infant baths and all diaper changes
when he was at home. In the first month I just nursed and rested. The
4am session wasn't as big a deal as it might have been because my
husband did the hard part (burping and the obligatory diaper change)
while all I had to do was feed and then fall back asleep.
I found nursing both my kids very difficult until they were around 4-5
weeks old. And then things rapidly improved, the kids nursed more
efficiently, etc.
I hope this helps. Others will have other advice to offer.
--Beth Kevles
bethk...@aol.com
http://web.mit.edu/kevles/www/nomilk.html -- a page for the milk-allergic
Disclaimer: Nothing in this message should be construed as medical
advice. Please consult with your own medical practicioner.
NOTE: No email is read at my MIT address. Use the AOL one if you would
like me to reply.
Mum of Two
news:2a772$436ec89e$41a099a1$32...@myclearwave.net...
> Hello!
>
> Our DD (3 weeks old) has gotten into the habit of falling asleep at the
> breast. She'll latch on, start eating for a few minutes, then fall
> asleep.
>
> We tickle her, etc to get her eating again, but a few seconds later falls
> asleep again. Over and over until mommy has to get her off.
She isn't still jaundiced is she? That can make babies sleepy.
> We started giving her EBM once in a while because after falling asleep
> while latched and not eating, minutes later she was crying and hungry
> again. Also, it allows me (daddy) to give mommy a break, sleep through a
> feeding at night (I take the 4am feeding and usually 1 maybe 2 in the
> afternoon) and get a nap and/or eat/shower/etc in peace during the day.
>
> We she does do the bottle (EBM only), she eats at least 4-5oz usually
> every 1 to 3 hours. And she just POUNDS it down.. usually stopping 1 or 2
> times in between for a good burping.
I'm worried that a bottle this early could be affecting her latch. If she
isn't latching correctly due to nipple confusion, she isn't going to get let
down easily and may be giving up because of this. I think an LC or a La
Leche League leader checking her latch for starters might be a good idea -
LLL leaders give 'real mother to mother' advice and work for free. I would
ditch the bottles if you can, and supplement with EBM if necessary by a
spoon or syringe. If she's a reluctant feeder she may be developing
preference for the bottles as an easy way out.
> I did some searches for my wife and found that she should be expressing to
> let down before letting DD latch. The problem could be DD is not getting
> anything and simply falling asleep.
I don't think your wife 'should' be expressing necessarily - that would be
the exception rather than the rule. But if your daughter is a lazy feeder
and/or your wife has a slow let down, pumping just enough to stimulate let
down may help - I don't mean pumping the whole lot in order to feed EBM. I
think you are right in that your daughter does need more time at the breast
and skin-to-skin contact with your wife.
Have you tried partially undressing your daughter? Taking off a nappy helps
to wake them up sometimes, as does a wet wash cloth on the feet.
> Anyhow, we'd like her to BF more, and (hopefully) sleep better from this
> (as opposed to EBM). She seems to always be hungry (worse when we BF and
> think she gets enough, but obviously not and rarely any hind milk).
>
> She usually has one good stretch during mid day/evening where she will
> sleep for 4-5 hours. Otherwise it's 1-3 (more on the 1 side than the 3).
That is normal for a baby her age. I know it is hard, but most babies will
quickly outgrow the need to eat so often. Right now that regular feeding is
important to build your wife's milk supply.
--
Amy
Mum to Carlos born sleeping 20/11/02,
& Ana born screaming 30/06/04
http://www.freewebs.com/carlos2002/
http://www.babiesonline.com/babies/a/ana%5Fj%5F2004/
My blog: http://spaces.msn.com/members/querer-hijo-querer-hija/
Irrational Number
>
> Our DD (3 weeks old) [...]
> Anyhow, we'd like her to BF more, and (hopefully) sleep better from this
> (as opposed to EBM). She seems to always be hungry (worse when we BF
> and think she gets enough, but obviously not and rarely any hind milk).
You're being a good father in supporting
your wife in this endeavor. As to your
DD, if she seems to be hungry and you
think she's getting enough, then she is
*NOT* getting enough.
(1) Newborns nurse nurse nurse
(2) At the 3-week growth spurt, which you
are in, the nurse even more. My Pillbug
nursed 45 minutes out of every hour, that's
EVERY hour. My Rocky would marathon nurse
in the evenings, from about 5:30pm to 8:30pm,
he'd be latched on almost continuously. And
my supply is normal, it's NOT low supply
that causes baby to nurse a lot.
(3) Don't worry about expressing first,
just nurse.
(4) Make it easy for your wife to nurse
a lot. Bring her water, magazines, whatever.
Don't expect her to do much around the house.
DH would come home from work to find that
I hadn't budged from the glider. (Except
to go to the bathroom.)
Best wishes,
Anita
Anne Rogers
> much easier to get milk from) can make babies lazy, and then they may
> refuse to nurse from the source. Also, remember that nursing is a
> feedback loop. The more baby nurses, the more milk mom makes, and then
> the easier it is to nurse.
I was actually wondering if this was already a problem.
To the orginal poster, I've never head that you _should_ express to a let
down, though it can work if baby is slow to stimulate one. Does your wife
feel them? Is the baby stimulating one.
I still usually twiddle my nipples before feeding, sometimes that gets a let
down sometimes not, but it definitely seems to help there be a good shape
for the baby to latch on to.
Anne
Legbuh
> "Legbuh" <legbuh@nospam...gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:2a772$436ec89e$41a099a1$32...@myclearwave.net...
>
>>Hello!
>>
>>Our DD (3 weeks old) has gotten into the habit of falling asleep at the
>>breast. She'll latch on, start eating for a few minutes, then fall
>>asleep.
>>
>>We tickle her, etc to get her eating again, but a few seconds later falls
>>asleep again. Over and over until mommy has to get her off.
>
>
> She isn't still jaundiced is she? That can make babies sleepy.
>
No, never was jaundice. Had her 2 week checkup, all was good. Born at
7 14.2 and then was at 8 9oz. Probably over 9 now.
>
>>We started giving her EBM once in a while because after falling asleep
>>while latched and not eating, minutes later she was crying and hungry
>>again. Also, it allows me (daddy) to give mommy a break, sleep through a
>>feeding at night (I take the 4am feeding and usually 1 maybe 2 in the
>>afternoon) and get a nap and/or eat/shower/etc in peace during the day.
>>
>>We she does do the bottle (EBM only), she eats at least 4-5oz usually
>>every 1 to 3 hours. And she just POUNDS it down.. usually stopping 1 or 2
>>times in between for a good burping.
>
>
> I'm worried that a bottle this early could be affecting her latch. If she
> isn't latching correctly due to nipple confusion, she isn't going to get let
> down easily and may be giving up because of this. I think an LC or a La
> Leche League leader checking her latch for starters might be a good idea -
> LLL leaders give 'real mother to mother' advice and work for free. I would
> ditch the bottles if you can, and supplement with EBM if necessary by a
> spoon or syringe. If she's a reluctant feeder she may be developing
> preference for the bottles as an easy way out.
>
She gets a great latch. Just falls asleep quickly while latched (and
stays latched). My wife may be a little too lenient on the waking, and
when I'm around I make sure she stays awake, but my wife seems to not
try that hard..
If anything, my wife is getting used to pumping instead of feeding, not
the baby becoming lazy from the bottle.
>
>>I did some searches for my wife and found that she should be expressing to
>>let down before letting DD latch. The problem could be DD is not getting
>>anything and simply falling asleep.
>
>
> I don't think your wife 'should' be expressing necessarily - that would be
> the exception rather than the rule. But if your daughter is a lazy feeder
> and/or your wife has a slow let down, pumping just enough to stimulate let
> down may help - I don't mean pumping the whole lot in order to feed EBM. I
> think you are right in that your daughter does need more time at the breast
> and skin-to-skin contact with your wife.
> Have you tried partially undressing your daughter? Taking off a nappy helps
> to wake them up sometimes, as does a wet wash cloth on the feet.
>
We've tried everything... :)
Nikki
> Hello!
>
> Our DD (3 weeks old) has gotten into the habit of falling asleep at
> the breast. She'll latch on, start eating for a few minutes, then
> fall asleep.
That is very common. They do grow out of it a bit after 4-6 weeks when they
wake up a little bit more. My oldest did it for quite a bit longer but then
I indulged it ;-) You can try to keep her awake for better feeds by
tickling, keeping her cool, stripping her down to her diaper, feeding from
one side and then changing her diaper to get her to wake up and take the
other side, keeping the lights dim so she doesn't close them against a
bright light and then dose off :-) Things like that. You can also just let
her sleep and try to feed her again later.
> Also, it allows me (daddy) to give mommy a break, sleep
> through a feeding at night (I take the 4am feeding and usually 1
> maybe 2 in the afternoon) and get a nap and/or eat/shower/etc in
> peace during the day.
That is quite a few bottles for a 3 week old. Since she is already getting
them I wouldn't necessarily stop but I would try to make nursing directly
the focus and keep the bottles down to no more then one in a 24 hour period.
Some ways to help your wife out is to encourage her to nurse side lying.
That can be extremely restful but needs to be learned for both baby and mom
so keep practicing and don't give up! Fix your wife meals and snacks etc.
Make sure she has a nursing station set up so that she has things to read/do
while nursing, something to drink or snack on, telephone and TV remote
close...things like that. The long nursing sessions won't seem quite so
frustrating. If you can take the baby for a walk once a day she can get
60-90 minutes to shower and eat etc.
> We she does do the bottle (EBM only), she eats at least 4-5oz usually
> every 1 to 3 hours. And she just POUNDS it down.. usually stopping 1 or
> 2 times in between for a good burping.
> I did some searches for my wife and found that she should be
> expressing to let down before letting DD latch. The problem could be
> DD is not getting anything and simply falling asleep.
Possible although I'd be a bit surprised. This doesn't hurt anything but if
your wife finds it a big PITA I wouldn't worry about it :-)
> She usually has one good stretch during mid day/evening where she will
> sleep for 4-5 hours. Otherwise it's 1-3 (more on the 1 side than the
> 3).
That is *entirely* normal. It sounds like she might have her days/nights a
little mixed up since her long stretch isn't at night but feeding that
frequently is expected at her age.
Hang in there. Things will likely get a bit easier in a few more weeks!
Keep up with the breastfeeding and don't doubt it so much. She seems to be
thriving!!
--
Nikki
Hunter 4/99
Luke 4/01
EDD 4/06
Legbuh
> Legbuh wrote:
>
>>Hello!
>>
>>Our DD (3 weeks old) has gotten into the habit of falling asleep at
>>the breast. She'll latch on, start eating for a few minutes, then
>>fall asleep.
>
>
> That is very common. They do grow out of it a bit after 4-6 weeks when they
> wake up a little bit more. My oldest did it for quite a bit longer but then
> I indulged it ;-) You can try to keep her awake for better feeds by
> tickling, keeping her cool, stripping her down to her diaper, feeding from
> one side and then changing her diaper to get her to wake up and take the
> other side, keeping the lights dim so she doesn't close them against a
> bright light and then dose off :-) Things like that. You can also just let
> her sleep and try to feed her again later.
We've tried all that... it's seems "so comforting" to be at the
breast.. she just falls asleep. :) Of course, if I was the one feeding
I may try a little harder. I think my wife is still in the "they're
made out of glass" stage... even when burping. :)
>
>
>>Also, it allows me (daddy) to give mommy a break, sleep
>>through a feeding at night (I take the 4am feeding and usually 1
>>maybe 2 in the afternoon) and get a nap and/or eat/shower/etc in
>>peace during the day.
>
>
> That is quite a few bottles for a 3 week old. Since she is already getting
> them I wouldn't necessarily stop but I would try to make nursing directly
> the focus and keep the bottles down to no more then one in a 24 hour period.
> Some ways to help your wife out is to encourage her to nurse side lying.
> That can be extremely restful but needs to be learned for both baby and mom
> so keep practicing and don't give up! Fix your wife meals and snacks etc.
> Make sure she has a nursing station set up so that she has things to read/do
> while nursing, something to drink or snack on, telephone and TV remote
> close...things like that. The long nursing sessions won't seem quite so
> frustrating. If you can take the baby for a walk once a day she can get
> 60-90 minutes to shower and eat etc.
Oh, I do my share. My wife doesn't even cook (and is proud of it..
lol). I do all of the cooking (unless my wife volunteers to burn some
hot dogs on the grill... lol), at least half of the cleaning and
laundry, etc...
I work from home which is nice.. I've mentioned to her that when she
goes back I'll be doing everything full time around the house as far as
DD is concerned. HINT HINT!!! :) But I'm satisfied, love helping,
etc. I'm by no means on a leash. And she's told me she appreciates all
the help ("more than my share" as she puts it). I just hope it's not
because I'm offering to bottle feed when she's tired, at 4am, etc.
DD just awoke... off to the rescue I go! :)
Cath
I wouldn't be surprised if that does stimulate a let down - it's how I
stimulate one when I'm pumping.
Cath
Mom to Fenna born 5th of july 03
and Jens born 10th of august 05
Nikki
> We've tried all that... it's seems "so comforting" to be at the
> breast.. she just falls asleep. :) Of course, if I was the one
> feeding I may try a little harder. I think my wife is still in the
> "they're made out of glass" stage... even when burping. :)
Well it is fine if you wife wants to let it happen. The baby will be fine.
Once mine woke up from his jaundice induced sleepiness he still
nursed/slept/nursed/slept like that for many more weeks I just quit
peforming all the various baby torture techniques I was using. He continued
to nurse like that in the evenings for months. While some people find that
irritating there are no health concerns. My baby grew and developed
fabulously. If your baby is growing, gaining, and developing her feeding
habits/style is not a health concern. Some people try to tweak them for
conveneince sake, which is certainly fine, but try not to stress about the
amount of milk she's getting feeding that way unless you see other signs
such as not gaining, not enough wet diapers, etc.
> Oh, I do my share.
Well I could tell you did your share just by the tone of your post, and the
fact that you posted at all :-) I was just giving hints on ways to make the
nursing specifically more managable for you wife in these early weeks, when
it seems so overwhelming to lots of us. In the long term frequent bottles
from an early age (especially when your wife is around), may cause some
problems. Not everyone experiences them of course but it is a PITA when it
happens.
> DD just awoke... off to the rescue I go! :)
:-D This period is sometimes referred to as Baby Boot Camp, lol.