Very sleepy newborn

[Oceansinourway]

Hello, I’m largely just seeking reassurance. Dd was born on Tuesday afternoon, via elective section. She’s barely been awake - sleeps around 20 out of 24 hours!

I honestly don’t remember DS being this snoozy. It’s hard to establish feeding as she won’t wake so I’m having to express milk to keep my supply up. Is this normal? The midwives don’t seem concerned so I guess I shouldn’t be but the early days are a stress.

Is she feeding regularly? And weeing and pooing? Is she Jaundice or yellow looking? They do sleep a lot and may not have much awake time but should be waking to feed pretty regularly: sometimes 2-4 hourly is 'usual'.

In all honesty her feeding is a bit all over the place because of her sleepiness. I have managed some successful breastfeeds but often she is just so tired she can’t manage it, or manages a tiny amount then falls asleep on the breast. I have used some formula and expressed breast milk to top her up (DS lost a lot of weight after birth and was put on a feeding plan so I wanted to avoid this.)

She had a lot of poos in the days after birth but not as many now, although still some. And definitely wet so I should not worry. She isn’t jaundiced, so I’m a bit worried - I know newborns sleep a lot but I just really don’t remember it ever being this much!

At that age they are mostly asleep. Keep offering the breast and don't worry about topping up with formula. You shouldn't need to be pumping at this stage either, you could end up with a huge oversupply. Just offer the breast every 2-3 hours, including at night. Strip baby off to her nappy and tickle her feet to get her to suckle. Congrats on your new baby!!

You’re an experienced Mum and you’re feeling like something could be wrong . I think you should listen to this and get her checked out.

@headcheffer - it’s largely to keep my supply up to be honest. Today we had a good breastfeed in the morning, but she was too tired to feed properly for the other two feeds so they ended up mostly being expressed milk.

@Soggysummer2023 - I don’t know about the experienced part I know all babies are different and I know there’s a huge range of normal. Just hard as nothing discernible other than sleeping such a lot!

https://breastfeeding.support/breastfeeding-a-sleepy-baby/#:~:text=Try%20different%20positions%2C%20upright%20positions,keep%20a%20baby%20feeding%20longer.

My first was like this and I was always worried. I struggled to wake her up at all to feed. Like you the midwife and health visitor were never worried. I just kept doing whatever I needed to, to wake her up- stripping her clothes, tickling or blowing on her, etc. Often that didn't actually work and I would need to keep trying for ages before she would maybe drowsily feed. I get why it worried you. She's now almost two and doing great (although is a terrible sleeper now!)

Hmmm. I'd be worried if she isn't feeding properly. Without wanting to alarm you, DD (also CS and BF) was very sleepy and by day 4 I was really struggling to get her to feed. The midwife sent us back to hospital to get checked out. The hospital were quite dismissive and said she was probably just a bit jandiced, but at my insistance they let me stay for observation. A little while later she stopped breathing and had to be resuscitated. Immediately rushed to NICU, where she had to be resuscitated multiple times over the next 24 hours and spent the next 5 days clinging to life with a suspected infection. Thank christ she pulled through. But if I hadn't have trusted my instincts she would have died at home.

Hopefully this is nothing like your situation, but please do be vigilant.

On no @Peajee i was hoping this meant she was going to be easy! 😂 But thank you, that’s reassuring!

thanks for the link @CelticPromise . She actually woke to feed just when I went in to read a story to DS ! So she had a bottle of expressed breast milk. I’m hoping in a week or so she’ll be a bit more alert and feed more reliably from the breast as pumping is not really sustainable long term.

@fuckthisprivilage how awful for you. What a relief it was sorted. I don’t know that I have an instinct, it’s more a bit of jitters, and I really do want to breastfeed her so obviously that’s being a bit sabotaged at the moment.

I had a very sleepy baby. Is she falling asleep on the breast or not sucking? My baby was like this the first day/night and then had a 'dusky' and struggled to breath so taken to neonatal with a suspected infection. I was absolutely convinced there was a problem and was right. Trust your instincts and keep a close eye.

If she's awake and alert I would put her to the breast. Skin to skin can help. You could ask to be referred to the local infant feeding team for support. They can help with other feeding methods which will reduce the chance of bottle preference developing. You'll definitely get there, this situation is really common.

@ameanoldscene sometimes she’ll go on without a problem, but then fall asleep. Other times she’s too tired to latch on but does seem to want it and then becomes frustrated and worked up and it’s hard to latch her on then.

m Thanks @CelticPromise . I just keep being told to strip her off but it doesn’t make any difference!

Was she early? Ds1 and Ds2 were overdue and were very awake straight away. DD was a week early and she was asleep for the vast majority of the time for a couple of weeks. I was amazed by how much she slept! As long as she’s feeding ok and has wet nappies I’d just let her sleep and enjoy it while it lasts!

She was 39 + 6 by their dates and 39 + 2 by mine! So perhaps that is it. DS was born at 40 + 3, so maybe it was just he had had extra cooking time?

I'd be waking at the 2 hour point if she hasn't woken herself until she's back above birthweight and feeding well.

Nappy change and chilly wet wipe to wake her up, get her on the breast as much as possible as it's such early days with your supply/bottle preference is likely to occur if you want to establish full BF

@Coffeeandcrocs this is the problem, it would be easy if it was as simple as just waking her. She doesn’t, or she wakes briefly then goes back to sleep! She will take a bottle feed when like this (whether expressed breast milk or formula) but not a breast.

Stripping her off and putting her directly on your skin, tummy to you, can help to awaken the newborn instinct to feed and you can catch the earliest feeding cues.

3 keeps- keep the baby fed, keep the milk flowing, keep the baby close. It'll come.

Take her to a Dr/A&E to be checked out. Insist on seeing a consultant. You are an experienced mother, you feel something may be wrong. I therefore needs to be checked out by suitable qualified paediatric consultant.

I stopped listening to midwives when my first was a few weeks old.

My second was born at 38 plus 5 on 20 December. She slept like that for a week. I remember post Xmas haze in 28 December and she turned into a newborn. Oh wow. It hit me hard. I had spent Xmas day so chilled and post section resting. Her sleeping. Then she went ok mum. Let’s do this.

If she's that hard to wake, I think id call your maternity unit and take her in to be checked over OP

Get her checked just to be on the safe side.

This 100% sounds like jaundice is coming.

To avoid a readmission to hospital in a couple of days due to jaundice you'll have to wake her and encourage her to feed. Keep her cosy at a window but get as much sunlight on her as possible. Try and feed feed feed.

My son was like this then he lost too much weight by day 4, wasn't breastfeeding at all. The midwife made me give him a bottle of formula to which he puked up. We spent 2 nights with 2 lamps on him in hospital and it did turn out to be jaundice. It came on fast on day 4

She went in today for her five day check and no concerns were raised and I did specifically mention her sleeping.

@dinoice yes, this is what I remember from DS! Evenings screaming, wouldn’t sleep unless being held / pushed in a pram / in a car seat (and even then hit and miss!) It could be this will come or just I’ve got a very chilled baby. She’s lovely, just the feeding is proving a challenge because of her tiredness and as PP have said I am a bit worried that she will develop a preference for bottles.

Thanks @CelticPromise you’ve been really helpful and reassuring about the feeding.

@Hungrycaterpillarsmummy she’s very pink though, absolutely no signs of jaundice?

@RogersOrganismicProcess I think i will ask for a check but anything specific?

And I had to keep on with tiny bottles of formula whilst pumping milk. I was given a target of 60mls milk a feed and I could pump 10-20mls so ended up topping up with formula. It gradually for better so I could express more but it took 2 hours to pump 20mls and I was to feed every two hours. I wouldn't recommend this as I almost had a breakdown striving to give him the breast milk when I should have just focused on giving him formula and myself a rest!