Newborn baby, looking for food but not latching on.

[Charleesunnysunsun]

DS has started over the past couple of days crying when he's put down even if he's been asleep in my arms.

He's only 9 days old and he's confusing me! He will cry so eventually one of us will pick him up he will then start looking for a feed, sucking at his hands, clothes, my chin ect. when i try to put him on the breast he sucks about twice then pulls his head away, he does however have good long feeds every 3hrs on the breast without a problem.
Im not sure if he's just doing it so he gets a cuddle or if he wants something else, we have tried him ona dummy and he's not really interested.

I'm not sure whats up with him as DS1 was bottle fed and never really cried except when he was hungry or wet/dirty.

I just don't want DS2 to rely on always being carried about, not that i would mind but i have DS1 to look after aswell he's only 2 so still needs mummy alot.

Maybe he wants feeding more often - 3 hours is quite a long time when your tummy is smaller than a walnut ! - and he likes the sensation of being close to you. I understand the dilemma with ds1 but the newborn probably needs you more atm , sorry. If you can find a compromise using a sling, all cuddling up in bed with a book or entertaining ds1 while feeding ds2 so much the better.

Don't be sorry! your advice is very much appreciated.

I would feed him more often but that's what im saying, when he cries i offer him the breast but he sucks literally 2-3 times then pulls his head away. I'm not sure why im latching him on like i do everytime but sometimes he will go on and feed for a long time and sometimes he wont but carries on crying.

He's sleeping in our bed at the moment, he won't sleep in his moses basket even though it's touching my bed its that close,which i don't mind but DS1 did the same thing and we had so much problems getting him into a cot when he was older. i don't mind picking him up all day long nothing would please me more but i would like him to beable to go in his boucy chair/ moses basket at least sometimes!

I understand he is still settling in though so maybe he will settle himself in time?

Charleesun, my ds 8 weeks is the same. He will wake up if I try to put him down even when asleep. He immediately senses that mummy is not around (it is the stillness) and drag himself awake. If he looks like he wants to nurse, it is because he is still tired and wants the closeness and comfort of the breast to nurse down. But the let down might put him off. And then he comes off and gets agitated because he is still tired but does not know how to get himself off to sleep.

What I do is then put him in the buggy and wheel/rock him down in the house to music. Once he is down, I have to keep rocking from time to time and when he stirs (could be every 5 min) because the stillness wakes him up again. But at least I have one hand to get on with toddler and chores. Sometimes, he falls asleep in my arms rocked to music but that is no good because I can't put him down without waking up. So I use the buggy. The sling might work, but it is more cumbersome to get chores done, than the buggy.

My dd was exactly the same.