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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

New, confused and slightly worried Mum

32 replies

kiwicath · 28/12/2003 20:13

Hi all. Had my wee man Jake on the 23rd. Wonderful birth and he's a little gem but he is sleeping constantly and has never woken up on his own and asked for a feed. He would sleep all day if I let him. Tried waking him every 3-4 hours but when I do he doesn't seem to be hungry, just snacks on breast then falls asleep again. On the occassions he does "go for it" he can go 20-30 minutes before falling back to sleep but still loads left in breast. Got Gina Ford sitting on one shoulder and demand feeding gurus on the other. Anyone else with incredibly sleepy baby, is he going to starve and should I wake him regularly or let him sleep and if so how much is too much. Delivered in Cairo and living in the Sinai so no midwives to check up on me. Any tips or advice would be much appreciated.

OP posts:

popsycal · 28/12/2003 20:17

my ds was liek this for the first few weeks of his life - I was paranoid and started intorducing top up feeds (well special care in the hospital did actually but that is another story!!)...
he wqs such a sleepy feeder and i had the same gina ford/demand feed dimlemma
i cna;t really advise much but i wonder whether the breast feeding councilor phone numbers in the uk will work out where you are

otherwise someone like mears or tiktokon here may be able to help.......

popsycal · 28/12/2003 20:17

sorry for typos!

suzywong · 28/12/2003 20:20

I a, firm demand feed believer
If he was given clean bill of health at hospital you have nothing to worry about, use the sleep time to get some rest yourself and adore him while he sleeps.
I personally think GF is a harridan and never used her on DS1 or my 15 week old DS2 although you will get GF devotees advising you here, that is the beauty of MN.

If you are truly concerned tht he hasn't cottoned on to the availability of the breast, try carrying him around next to your body, in a sling if you like, that way he can smell your milk and be stimulated or comforted, sort of reminded that you are there.

20-30 minutes is a dam good guzzle for a newborn, so please don't worry!

Lisa78 · 28/12/2003 20:21

Wow, want to swap him for mine?! Don't worry about it kiwicath, he's probably sleeping off the birth and has plenty of colostrum to keep him going. I have never heard of a baby sleeping through being hungry... He will not let himself starve anymore than you would
In a week or two, you will be posting saying all you seem to do is feed and no sooner has he nodded off after one feed, then he wakes up for another! Your milk has probably not settled yet, so you will have full breasts even when he has fed - I felt like I had watermelons for a couple of weeks.
Does he seem happy and healthy otherwise? No temperature, no weak cry etc?
Some Gina Ford devotees on site, some think she is the antichrist, personally I ignore her routines but have found other things from her very helpful. there is a GF thread or two if you want to check them out in previous posts

LIZS · 28/12/2003 20:27

Wouldn't let him go more than 3/4 hours even if he seems tired. A newborn won't seem to eat much at first but it is possible he may develop jaundice if not fed regularly. ds was a sleepy baby at first and reluctant feeder, partly as a result of a ventouse birth, and had jaundice which is quite common. To keep him awake longer perhaps change his nappy, take off a layer of clothes or tickle him. If he still seems overly sleepy after a week or so or develops a yellowish tinge to his skin or whites of eyes, I would visit a dr or baby clinic if there is one.

Your supply won't regulate for several weeks as it reacts to his feeding pattern which will take a while to settle.

popsycal · 28/12/2003 20:31

i second what liz has said on personal experience
please dont worry though
very common to be a sleepy feeder but do keep o trying him

suzywong · 28/12/2003 20:31

LIZS,
have to say that is a good point about Jaundice babies, but going without a feed for 3 hours is surely nothing to raise alarm bells over. If his SBR was tested at hospital and he takes a 20-30 min feed at least twice a day then all should be well.

Original poster

kiwicath · 28/12/2003 20:32

Thanks guys. He's an angel. He's never actually cried except when he popped out. Got a clean bill of health when leaving the hospital. He seems happy enough, good colour, no temp etc. I'm going to regret saying all of this aren't I . I should be enjoying the time but can't help thinking his lethargy is a negative thing. Is it unheard of for a new born to sleep from 11 till 7??

OP posts:

popsycal · 28/12/2003 20:32

i also agree with suzy!!

popsycal · 28/12/2003 20:34

kiwicath - if you are worried - serach breast feeding threads on here and look for phone numbers of NCT or la leche and give them a call
i know you are abroad (saudi??) but it may be worth having them to hand

LIZS · 28/12/2003 20:42

Sorry, didn't mean to be alarmist but just to raise the possibility of cause/effect ie. sleepy baby and slow feeder can cause jaundice which in turn makes them sleepier. Most cases of jaundice are mild enough not to require any treatment other than regular feeding anyway.

However simply living in a foreign country as a new mother is hard if you are not able to access the answers and reassurance you sometimes need - thank God for MN. I was just glad that it was second time around for me.

Good luck, KiwiCath and I'm sure Leo is doing fine.

Original poster

kiwicath · 28/12/2003 20:42

Cheers for your help guys. It's 10.35pm in the Sinai now so going to try those tricks to wake him and see if he'll have at least a snack. Do the same again 3am ish. Will call UK if things don't change soon. Will keep you posted.

OP posts:

suzywong · 28/12/2003 20:45

Good night Kiwicath, enjoy it and please don't worry, mother nature is on your side.

popsycal · 28/12/2003 20:45

you are doing a good job cath!
go feed your babe lol

Demented · 28/12/2003 21:28

Kiwicath, just to echo the others I would leave the likes of GF alone for now, I think even the most devoted of GF followers on this site believe in demand feeding for the first few weeks, you need it to build up your milk (personally I demand fed until they were started on solids). My DS1 was jaundiced and I was advised not to let him go any more than three hours during the day and six hours at night.

popsycal · 28/12/2003 21:30

kiwicath....i was advised evey two hours...but ds was dangerously jaundiced...!
keep trying him with feeding....keep a check on the whites of his eyes....
it must feel qute lonely in a foreign country
please keep posting....

pie · 28/12/2003 21:51

I agree with LIZS, wake him up a bit more, physiological jaundice starts 2-3 days post birth and peaks around 4/5 days.

My DD1 went unchecked for it and I let her sleep too much, she ended up back in hospital at 3 weeks for a week of tube feeding. Don't want to be alarmist either, but please keep jaundice in mind with such a sleepy baby, as this is one of the symptoms.

Otherwise I would go with the demand feeding as your supply really won't be established yet.

Hope everything goes ok

tiktok · 28/12/2003 23:33

Kiwicath, you are right to be concerned....it is quite misleading to think 'he won't starve' and to leave him to wake. GF routines would be inappropriate, too. Lethargic babies may be jaundiced, and need encouraging to feed. 11 to 7 is too long without a feed. If he goes a long time more than very occasionally, you need to express and get it into him. He needs to be close to you as long and as often as possible, so you can respond as soon as you see feeding cues (head, arms moving, waking up, mouthing...crying is a late sign). Don't go by the clock. It doesn't matter that there seems to be lots left in the breast. What matters is he feeds effectively, and often. By now a good sign would be him producing several yellow poos a day as well as wet nappies.

Good luck - the bf helplines do work from abroad.

Kika · 29/12/2003 08:30

Kiwicath,

My babe was the same in the first couple of weeks, I had him with Caesarean, so apparently that aded to the sleepiness. Make sure you wake him every 2 hours for his feed, to ensure he feeds+ that your milk supply gets going. I have checked with paedietrician, and it is OK though if he only gets his b'weight back at 4 weeks.

Kika · 29/12/2003 08:35

...just one more thing...if he doesn't want to feed much when you wake him, express both breasts. this will help to establish a good milk supply, and also you can freey the milk for later when he has the growth sprouts at around 4 and 6 weeks. God know how helpful the frosen milk came for me and my baba!

Kika · 29/12/2003 08:39

...just one more thing...if he doesn't want to feed much when you wake him, express both breasts. This will help to establish a good milk supply, and also you can freez the milk for later when he has the growth sprouts at around 4 and 6 weeks. God knows how helpful the frosen milk came for me and my baba!

tiktok · 29/12/2003 10:33

Kika....it may not be ok to only get back to birthweight at 4 wks. It may be ok for some, and decidedly not for others. I would be very concerned about a baby who was this slow to get back up to birthweight, and would need reassurance from other signs that all was well. These signs might be there, and I know of many babies who were fine, despite a very slow weight gain. I know of far more who weren't.

Kika · 29/12/2003 13:07

Tiktok,
You are right, as gaining the birthweight back so late is only OK if the baby otherwise looks healthy, reflexes are fine, is alert and happy etc.

prufrock · 29/12/2003 13:17

My dd was very sleepy to start with as well - we did a sort of demand and force feed - she got a bf whenver she wanted it, and I woke her every 3 hours during the day to feed as well. There really isn't a difference between GF and demand feeding at this stage - she advises feeding at least every 3 hours, and not starting routines (if that is what you want you do) until 2 weeks and regained birthweight.
My breasts never felt at all empty until dd was about 8 weeks and my supply had settled down to her needs, so don't worry about that.

Original poster

kiwicath · 29/12/2003 13:19

Beautiful sunny winters afternoon here in the Sinai Had baby jake next to me when talking with you all last night. I don't know whether he was reading over my shoulder or whether mother nature was on line as well - what ever the case, Jake has been wanting to feed much more frequently now and seems to be suckling much more effectively. He has frequent yellow bowel movements and pees constantly (twice hitting himself in the face!! - that woke him up Got the kitchen scales out last night and weighed him. His birth weight was 3.65kg and his weight now is 3.5kg at 7 days old. Is that acceptable?? Searched on the web for ages and got loads of helpfull hints and facts. For those of you warning about jaundice, thanks. I completely see where you are coming from and no, you didn't frighten me. I've got to know the facts rather than just assuming and hoping things will be ok. Will keep you posted though. Dying to take the little one out and about as the weather is fantastic here during winter - it's not too early is it?

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