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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Very new sleepy baby not feeding...

39 replies

MrsGravy · 12/06/2010 15:34

I had a beautiful little girl at 2.20 this morning - she had a big (breast) feed not long after being born, conked out at 4am ish and hasn't fed much since. I gave her a bath to wake her up and she fed for maybe 10 minutes after that but she's conked again.

Midwife says to give her 1oz of formula in a syringe if I haven't managed to feed her much more by this evening.

Stripping her doesn't seem to work, she wakes up then conks out again as soon as I put her to the breast - before she's managed to feed! Apart from skin to skin is there anything else I can try to get her feeding? Or should I just chill and accept that she'll wake up and take an interest when she's ready?

TIA

OP posts:
rubyslippers · 12/06/2010 15:40

Why don't you use breast milk in the syringe?

Babies are often exhausted by labour and don't feed loads

Skin to skin is great, co-sleep, offer the breast at every squeak

Huge congrats on your DD

Original poster
MrsGravy · 12/06/2010 15:43

Thanks rubyslippers. Am missing a piece for my breastpump - it's been posted out to me today but won't get here til Monday at the earliest!

I could send DH out to buy another one though...

OP posts:
llareggub · 12/06/2010 15:43

Crikey, your MW is a bit alarmist, isn't she, suggesting formula so early. She sounds daft.

My DS2 was exactly the same. He was pretty sleepy (and a bit jaundiced) for a few days but was also born 2 weeks early. I just picked him up and fed him whenever he woke.

In the end I put it down to him being not quite ready to be be born, and I very much too the chill approach.

belgo · 12/06/2010 15:44

Congratulations! I assume you are at home? When is the midwfie coming again?

Firstly, don't change her clothes or bath her again - it's possible that is wearing her out.

Agree with ruby, get into bed, plenty of kin to skin and offer breast very regularly.

Has she had a wet nappy yet?

rubyslippers · 12/06/2010 15:44

You can hand express

MW can show you or am sure Kellymom has tips

belgo · 12/06/2010 15:45

You can hand express, but that might not be necessary, see what your midwife says.

Lynli · 12/06/2010 15:48

Congratulations. If you had pain relief this can still be in the babies system and make her sleeply.

thumbwitch · 12/06/2010 15:48

Congratulations on your DD!
My MIL would suggest running cold water on her feet to wake her up (MIL is a nurse of the old school) but it's a bit barbaric, if you ask me!

Hand expressing - basically "milking" your nipple - pull it gently between finger and thumb, holding it around the areola rather than the actual nipple bit - see if that works. Not easy in the beginning mind - I gave myself dreadful bruises doing it in the first day!

joyjac · 12/06/2010 15:53

Skin and to skin for the rest of the day. Express a little colostrum so that it's on the nipple if you put her to the breast. No need for formula at 12-18 hours old unless there are other issues.
How long was your labour? Remember it was that long for her too!

Fibilou · 12/06/2010 16:00

I thought it was quite normal for babies to do nothing but sleep for about 24 hours post birth. Certainly my DD hardly fed/woke at all for the first 48 hours of her life - despite the fact that I had no pain relief at all and a very quick labour (6 hours). Newborns are sleepy - it's a fact of life. Birth is tiring for them as well as us.

Your MW is being ridiculous suggesting topping her up already.

Original poster
MrsGravy · 12/06/2010 16:04

thanks all. had a very quick home birth with just gas and air. midwife suggested expressing but formula if no joy with that - she said to use a syringe so as not to cause nipple confusion. will stp tiring her out by undressing her and try some skin to skin. am seeing midwife again tomorrow

OP posts:
Fibilou · 12/06/2010 16:11

Hopefully Tiktok will come on and advise. or you could ring La Leche League for advice, I'm pretty sure it won't be to top up with formula when baby is less than 12 hours old

Morloth · 12/06/2010 17:27

Both my DS's slept for 12 hours straight immediately after birth. Not a whimper, I was left feeling bored and wondering what all the fuss was about the first time around - second time I took a book!

Let her sleep a bit, in a week you will be wondering how to get her off.

Is pretty hard work being born, please don't give her formula now if you want to breastfeed, colostrum is so very very important.

Original poster
MrsGravy · 12/06/2010 17:52

thanks again, have just tried hand expressing but no joy. dd1 did this too but we were in hospital so i didnt feel so worried. will def hold off on formula til tomorrow - maybe midwife can check her blood sugar....

not sure if shes done any wet nappies yet but has done a few meuconium ones tho...

OP posts:
stripeyknickersspottysocks · 12/06/2010 18:04

OK,

First of all don't worry, some babies don't really feed for 24 hours. You need to keep offering the breast at regular intervals, best way is is to strip baby off, change nappy, with a clean nappy on put baby skin to skin right by your boob but not stressing about trying to get baby latched on. I'd do this 3 hourly for rest of today/tonight.

Hand expressing - spend a minute using tha back of your knuckle and gently knead all round your breast to soften it up. Then spend a further minute stroking your breast towards the nipple, go all round the breast again as milk duckts are like bike spokes.

Then take your thumb and forefinger in a C shape and place them on the areola, press gently back and down working away from your nipple till you feel a change in texture. Stop at that point and then compress your breast with thumb and finger, compress in and release and repeat. Again you need to work all the way round your breast doing this.

It may take a couple of times before getting anything off but hand expression is meant to be better than pumping in the first 24 hours.

If you do get anything off you can try and drip some drops into baby's mouth. However the most important thing about expressing is that its stimulating your milk supply.

Something I would check before blood sugar is temp, is she warm enough?

Original poster
MrsGravy · 12/06/2010 18:25

She feels warm enough to me - it's a warm day here and she's in vest and babygro. Either cuddled up to me or under a light blanket in moses basket.

Have just tried your hand expressing method - thank you! Only got a few drops on each nipple but used that to try and get her feeding by dripping into her mouth. Will keep on trying that to keep my supply stimulated.

Skin to skin not working yet but will keep on trying that too.

Think it might be better when her big brother and sister are in bed, they are smitten with her and won't leave me or her in peace - very lovely but not conducive to relaxing!!

OP posts:
belgo · 12/06/2010 18:34

when is the midwife coming again?

FlightofFancy · 12/06/2010 18:37

I'm so not an expert, but my DS didn't feed 'properly' for at least the first 24 if not 48 hours - and the midwives in hospital weren't worried at all. He's now 22 weeks, so is recent advice.

I've checked my notes, and he had a 15 minutes feed when born at 4.30am, then another 10 mins in the afternoon. Then nothing until the following day.

The advice I had (from a very pro-breastfeeding hospital) was not to worry at all for the first day or so - just offer them the breast, if they have a couple of minutes feed, then great, if not, try again later. He didn't really kick in with the feeding until we got home 48 hours later - but since then hasn't stopped!

Original poster
MrsGravy · 12/06/2010 18:37

i have to go to the hospital tomorrow for the paed check up - no community midwives available to do it. Thats at midday.

OP posts:
Original poster
MrsGravy · 12/06/2010 18:38

thanks FoF - thats v reassuring

OP posts:
belgo · 12/06/2010 18:38

Mrs Gravey - if you are unsure of anything, then you need to phone up your midwife now.

If you were in hospital you would have a midwife available to you, the same should to true for a home birth.

foxytocin · 13/06/2010 00:34

Passing meconium in the first day is very good.

Skin to skin contact will stimulate a sleepy baby to wake up and feed. You with as little on top as possible, baby in a nappy.

try to do this in your bed with you semi reclining and staying there for a few hours.

Don't leave her to sleep in the moses basket or anywhere else in the early days. in bed, near you. Limiting visitors in the first week or so is a good thing and you semi naked in your room is a good way to keep them at bay for the first say, week.

TeenyTinyToria · 13/06/2010 00:45

I was told in hospital with both my kids that they had to feed at least every six hours or they would need to be topped up or something would go wrong. This was a breast feeding friendly hospital.

Sounds like you're getting great advice from everyone on here, just wish I'd heard it when I was going through this with my two!

Congratulations on your little one btw!

foxytocin · 13/06/2010 00:48

just read that you had little ones. get someone to take them out for a few hours in the daytime so you can stay in bed with the new baby.

and congratulations.

seeker · 13/06/2010 01:08

It takes 3 days for your milk to come in properly. Just spend as much time in contact with her as possible - put her to the breast often and wait - it will all happen! As you said - try to chill. Easier said than done, I agree!

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