Baby 4 wks snacking and napping not feeding and sleeping....

[cfc]

I am BF and whereas previously in his albeit short little life (!) baby was taking good long feeds and sleeping more or less straight afterwards (as I know newbies do) he's now snacking at the breast for 10 - 15 mins and coming off, either fighting with me or simply falling into a sleep I cannot rouse him out of. He'll then sleep for about an hour and wake to be fed once more.

This is more a day time thing, night time tends to be his usual 2.00am wake, feed for an hour with a nappy change and change of breasts and then awake at 4.30 am for the same and then 7am ish for our morning feed.

What can I do to extend his time between feeds without him getting distressed? I feel like we're in a vicious circle now with him never really being hungry enough to take a proper feed - I hope that makes sense?

What did others do, your thoughts are much appreciated.

I would just go with it tbh, it is totally normal at this age -- his tummy is so tiny and he will be going through growth spurts all the while. He will eat when he is hungry and take as much as he needs.

It will all change before you know it anyway -- IIRC when DS1 was about 3 or 4 months old he started going a bit longer between feeds without me pushing him. Now DS2 (5 weeks) feeds at least every hour during the day (unless napping) but I don't worry about keeping track, just whip a boob out when needed!

I'd say it was a growth spurt and he's working on boosting your supply with the constant suckling, and conserving his energy with the sleeping. If he's sleeping well at night and you're able to get some rest in between, I wouldn't bother trying to extend time between feeds at this stage, he's still so little and probably likes the comfort of being close to you. It won't last.

My DS did a similar thing where he would actually feed for about 10-15 mins then sleep on the boob for 20-40 minutes (waking if I put him down), then wake up and continue feeding. He did this for about 4 weeks which I think is quite unusual but put on a huge amount of weight during this time. Then of his own accord dropped down to 'proper' feeds every 2-3 hours.

Hello and thank you for your replies.

At night he does really very well - for example, last night he fed at 12.30 and woke for another feed at 3.30 and then fed for a short time but woke at 6.30 for another feed so 'textbook' if you like!

I am happy to go with it, it just means I have to do my bits in fits and starts! Which is fine. I did think that he would be having a spurt and upping his supply, I explained this to hubby as him ying and me yang, we're working together, him giving me the signals for what he needs in the up coming weeks. And he really is a lovely bonny boy.

Can I just ask also, when baby does nap during the day where would you put him? Because he wakes as soon as his head hits the moses basket (which we have down here with us during the day) we tend to put him down on the couch (which is massive) and potter about around him. Is that ok do you think? Or should I be endeavouring to put him down successfully in his basket in the darkened bedroom, perhaps even his bedroom?

Again, thank you.

SM - yes, I offer both breasts starting with the one I finished with last time.

Just let him nap wherever, as long as he can't roll off and hit the floor! My DS2 naps in the buggy (if we are out) or in his bouncy chair if we are in. I doubt he'll nap in his cot til much older as I can't be running up and downstairs while trying to look after DS1 as well!

what megbusset said.

I preferred it when DS napped downstairs (usually on his playmat on the floor, we don't have big sofas). I only started to put DS upstairs in his cot when he started waking from his naps at the slightest noise I made. We hadn't actually bought a cot till he was 8 weeks old though.

We haven't actually put up his cot yet but we'll have to as he's very long and I don't think the basket would last too much longer tbh!

We'll see if it fits in our room and if not we'll have to put him in his own room sob I'll miss him...poor little man in his own big room...

Eek!

Hi ya
I'm experiencing exactly the same with my 3 week old baby -- he feeds only 10 min or so on the breast before starting to fight/struggle or fall asleep. It was distressing me quite a bit as he needs feeding every hour, and learnt to associate feeding with the inevitable struggle and was becoming stressed.

I took the little one to the doctors and they said he actually has reflux, and prescribed some medication. Since then, he has shown marked improvement he feeds for much longer and doesn't struggle much now. I am getting more and more enjorment out of feeding him even if he 'snacks' from time to time.

Associated with the above is positioning - my little one used to wake/distress whenever he is put in horizontal position during and after feeding, which, once diagnosed makes perfect sense - the tummy acid is more likely to come back up so he was getting a lot of pain. He needed to be in upright position for a quite after each feed.

Just go with the flow...it is all so frustrating at the time, but best way is just to let them do what they do while they are that little. how annoying do I sound?! But it's true, with the benefit of hindsight...

I have a similar situation, I think. My baby is three and a half weeks (was prem and small at birth 4lb 6oz and is still only 5lb).

He is breastfeeding but tends to fall asleep all the time at the breast and hardly ever finishes a feed before dozing off, so always needs another feed again in an hour or so. Also, the feeds are taking up to an hour because half the time is spent napping on the breast with me trying gently to wake him up. This all adds up to quite an exhausting situation, with feeding/sleeping on the breast going on practically all the time, it seems! Does this seem normal for this stage?