sleepy / slow feeder

[jandmmum]

DD2 is 4 weeks old and incredibly sleepy at the breast. It can take 1.5 to 2 hours to feed and I'm trying to feed every 3 hours so can end up feeling like she's permanently attached. If she was my only child this might not be such a problem but I feel DS1 who is almost 3 is getting no attention. I've tried her with a bottle which she will take much better butthen I spend another hour expressing so have no more time. I have had to do this anyway for dream feed and middle of night feed otherwise she would feed for five min drift of and wake 5 min later as I was settling down again. This means though I'm out of bed for 1.5 hours inthe middle of night to feed and express then have difficulty getting back to sleep so am fast getting very tired.

Any ideas how long before she will become more efficient and alert when feeding? DS never fed for more than 10 min at a time so this seems so different. I try everything I can to keep her awake stoking her face hands and feet, squeezing milk into her mouth, talking to her, walking hands down her back ey
etc.
ideas wecome

I was told by my HV that the milk you produce at night is nutritionally better for your baby than milk produced in the day. This is why they feed so much in the night. My son is 7 months now & he used to feed every 2 hours....night or day.I was shattered too.He will never go to sleep unless he is full of milk. He will sleep & eat at the same time & will take himself off when he is done.This is normal. I did find though that he did use me as a comforter too. This is when we introduced a dummy, just for sleeping.It worked. He had the dummy until he found his thumb. Now he is an avid thumb sucker, especially when he's tired.You also have to remember that, if your baby was really hungry, they would eat. If they are sleeping, they can't be hungry enough.I know it is disheartening & frustrating & worrying when they won't eat but, they will eat when they are ready & BOY will you know when that is.Try to relax. Another suggestion is, she might be too warm when you are feeding her so try taking off her clothes but leave the vest on.If she's a tad cold, she's less likely to fall asleep. This was something that worked for me too. I didn't like doing it as my son was born in January so it was really cold but, needs must.Good luck.

It's not the case that sleepy babies can't ever be hungry - it can be concerning when a baby sleeps instead of feeding,because this is a way to conserve energy when bf is not going well. On the other hand, if your baby is gaining weight and thriving, jandmmum, then this might just be a normal pattern for her at the moment.

It may not be very kind to try to keep a baby awake - they do need to meet their own sleeping needs. If she is not gaining and thriving, then it's a different matter.

If all is well and she is doing ok, then going with the flow sounds a lot easier than the intense hassle you are going through at the moment :(

(LovingYummyMummy - what your HV said about breastmilk being more nutritious at night? Not true!)

It isn't that she is just sleeping instead of feeding she is feeding a little, falling asleep for few min, then realising that she's still hungry and feeding a little more and so on so that feeds are taking forever. She is putting on weight although not huge amounts 3 oz in last 9 days. Also my boobs don't seem to be filling up much although I can always squeeze a spray out. Could this be a supply issue? Is she falling aslehp because not much is coming out for all her effort? I can't get to any support groups at the moment as I had a section and can't drive.

Dear jandmmum. You really do sound like you are struggling. You poor love.

If your baby is putting on weight then you must be supplying milk. It could be that your boobs don't feel full because they have got used to your feeding pattern now. I remember being concerned that my boobs weren't getting hard with milk but it makes sense that they won't when you are in a routine.

I do know a few women who had sections & were then unable to breastfeed. If you are very concerned I would contact your HV & ask them to visit you as you can't get out. They should do this. However, I wouldn't have thought that your baby would fall asleep if she's very hungry still. I would have thought she would be crying.

I would suggest to boost your milk supply a recipe called 'Tigers Milk'. I started drinking this when I was worried about my supply. It seemed to do the job. The ingredients are;

240ml full cream milk
120ml acidophyllis yoghurt (live yogurt)
1 tbsp complan powder (or milk powder)
1 tsp yeast flakes (i found these in health food shop)
1 banana
squirt of honey
ice-cream (optional)

Mix in a blender & drink over the day.

The yeast flakes are what increase the supply so I always added a little more than suggested.

I really noticed the difference with my son in his nappies when I started drinking this. His poo became thicker & brighter. (sorry if that's TMI)

Other suggestions are nursing teas & fenugreek capsules. I found this info on a website called 'Breastmates'.

Good luck & try not be worry or get stressed as that will have an effect on your milk too. Easy to say I know.

(*tiktok - my HV is the breastfeeding expert for my area. She explained to me that a women releases certain hormones at night that make the milk better for your baby. Are you saying she was lying to me & that she doesn't know her job? Why would she do that?)

Lovingyummymummy thanks for your suggestions. Have started taking Fenugreek but also started combo feeding which I know will reduce supply but seems to be working for us as I need her to take a bottle of DH when DS needs me and so I can go to bed earlier. Also don't really like feeding in public because of her. coming on and off as she falls asleep . When I was only giving breast milk she gained 3 oz in 9 days on the combo she has gained 13 in 6 days.

I understand about feeding public. My DS comes on & off. You really have to have your wits about you or your just sat there...boobs on show. I did it once at my best mates house. I was talking, didn't realise he had fallen asleep & come off until my mates said "Think youmight want to re-adjust yourself". I was mortified. Kids....gotta love them.

So pleased things are getting better. Bottle feeding as well is probably a good solution. At least you know she's getting something to eat for definate. Also, it helps in the future. I'm currently trying to get my son to drink from bottle or beaker as I go back to work in 8 weeks & he is refusing everything. He only wants milk from me. Little devil.

Take care & best wishes