Baby so sleepy

11 replies

BlossomTheUnicorn · 21/12/2023 04:00

Hi all. I had my little girl yesterday morning and she has had 6 feeds, 3 wet/dirty nappies but hasn't fed since 8pm as she seems so sleepy. Have tried wakening her to feed her but as soon as she's close to me she goes back to sleep. Bit worried that this is way too long to go without a feed but not sure how else to encourage her?

OP posts:

sleepymama3 · 21/12/2023 04:07

Is she jaundiced? Are you breastfeeding? Probably best to reach out to your midwife. Even if you've been discharged/ had a home birth, this is a very early stage and you have the right to ask for help and care.

sleepymama3 · 21/12/2023 04:15

If you are breastfeeding, try tilting her chin back and 'tickling' her lips with your nipple. A couple of sleepy gulps could remind her how to feed. It's a new skill for both of you.

GFB · 21/12/2023 04:17

Hi OP.

Congratulations!

We changed baby's nappy and sang to him to encourage him to wake up. If that failed we would undress him which usually did the trick and then covered him with a blanket whilst he was feeding so he didn't get cold. You get some skin to skin in that way we well.

shivawn · 21/12/2023 04:23

My baby was the same, so sleepy the first few days. I had to change his nappy and if that didn't work I'd undress him as a previous poster suggested. He's 3 weeks old now and I still have to do the same some days when he's extra sleepy.

PureAmazonian · 21/12/2023 04:30

It's quite normal for new borns to be very sleepy in the first couple of days after birth. This is usually why they lose some of their birth weight. If you're very concerned maybe give your hv a call. Some tips they will tell you are to strip the baby off and change their nappy when due a feed, this will usually rouse them enough to begin feeding.

Mumoftwo1312 · 21/12/2023 04:38

Op it sounds like your baby hasn't fed in 8h is that right? I can see I'm the odd one out in this thread but personally I think that's a bit serious. Are you in hospital still, if so ring the bell so they can check baby's blood oxygen and pressure. If you're at home, call the urgent maternity line for advice. You really need to try to get some milk into baby - I'd even suggest a bit of formula.

I'm a huge breastfeeding fan and I'm a strong believer that a couple of formula doses in the early days does no harm. My ds who I had last week spent his first day in nicu and had formula throughout - since I took him home on Friday he's been basically ebf, maybe a bottle every other day. So if you need to just give baby formula initially, it's worth it to keep them alive.

8h without feeding will affect their blood sugar levels, I think you need to take this seriously

flowerchild2000 · 21/12/2023 04:42

Try undressing her, make sure your hands are warm though!

Mumoftwo1312 · 21/12/2023 04:46

Ps I'm not implying you aren't taking this seriously! I'm just contradicting the tone of some of the other posters who seem quite relaxed about it.

Unless you are in a different time zone ofc. But here it's 4.45am so that's nearly 9h since the last feed if you're in the UK too.

Original poster

BlossomTheUnicorn · 21/12/2023 10:55

Thank you everyone. Have spoken to midwife and she is coming out this afternoon. It has been 5 years since I last breastfed so it is a bit of a learning curve again. Currently having some lovely skin to skin and then will commit to a day on the sofa with boobs available at all times.

OP posts:

Mumoftwo1312 · 21/12/2023 12:14

BlossomTheUnicorn · 21/12/2023 10:55

Thank goodness op, so glad to hear they're coming out to help you. Hope all goes well today

Mumoftwo1312 · 21/12/2023 16:31

How are you and your baby op? Hope all is well

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