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Original poster

5 week old - low temp and won't wake for feeds

118 replies

Angeliki159 · 03/09/2018 03:53

My 5 week old strains all day and during naps he wakes up startled every few mins (the falling reflex thing I think) so bot really managing to sleep.
When he eventually does fall asleep at night he sleeps really heavily.
Can't wake him long enough to feed. He opens one eye or stirs a bit then konks out again.
This also happened this afternoon - fed at 4.30pm. Missed his 7.30 feed. Eventually woke him at 10.30pm
Was grunting and farting loads till about 1.30am
I tried waking him at 2.30am for his feed - nothing
Tried again at 3.30am - nope.
When I tried waking him at 3.30 I checked his body temp as the room is 23c at the mo and thought he might be hot but he was cool to touch on his chest.
Wrapped him in a thick blanket for about 30 mins and took his temp. Was 35.4
Changed him but still only stirred.
He is wearing a vest, a long sleeve/long leg onesie and a cellular blanket is over him (unfolded).

Should I be worried/call the doctor??

OP posts:
Are your children’s vaccines up to date?
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Hotpinkangel19 · 03/09/2018 08:01

111 told me to give honey and water to my 7 month old baby.... tells me all I need to know. When I told her babies can't have honey under 1, she told me 'I'm sat at a computer following a flowchart' 🙄
Please take your poor baby to A&E now.

PhilomenaButterfly · 03/09/2018 08:04

What kind of idiots designed the flowchart?! Shock

scatteredglitter · 03/09/2018 08:09

Op how is baby this morning ?

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trulybadlydeeply · 03/09/2018 08:19

How is your DS this morning?

Please get him checked by someone today, OP, whether that is at the hospital, GP, HV.

shakeyourcaboose · 03/09/2018 08:30

Always say this but the medics l work with say they would rather see you and send you away wellcthan later see you in a crisis. Please see someone today

gilmoregal · 03/09/2018 08:41

Thinking of you @Angeliki159 hope all is well. Thanks

Aw12345 · 03/09/2018 08:44

I would also ignore 111 and just go straight to a&e. You're the mummy, you know your baby. If your worried go to a&e :-)

Good luck Flowers

KMoKMo · 03/09/2018 09:21

Echoing everyone else with the advice about going to A&E. I hope you’re there now.
A newborn should not be going 10 hours between feeds - especially at that weight.
I hope you and baby are ok Flowers

RatRolyPoly · 03/09/2018 09:27

Hopefully you're now in the safe hands of the medical professionals with your little one OP. Thinking of you.

Toofle · 03/09/2018 10:21

111 sounds dangerous. Can't believe their advice was meant to cover newborns.

PipeTheFuckDown · 03/09/2018 10:24

A&E. Now.

My DD had this as a newborn - we were still in hospital - turned out to be sepsis. Spent a week on NICU.

Please go now if you aren’t already there.

BirthdayBlueBo · 03/09/2018 12:35

How’s baby now op?

QueenofmyPrinces · 03/09/2018 12:38

I’m sure you’ve sought medical attention now and I hope everything is ok.

The advice given by 111 was very dangerous. A 5 week old should not be sleeping through feeds and especially not going 10 hours without one.

Original poster
Angeliki159 · 03/09/2018 13:07

Right... I spoke to DH at 5am as I can't drive yet (c section). He was much less worried than I was. So we agreed that I would sit up with him until I can call the doctor and take him asap.
Doctor said he was absolutely fine. He was not worried in the slightest.
He said that LO is sleeping through feeds because we are overfeeding him.
Based on his weight (around 7.5lbs) he should be having 6 feeds of 90ml. Not 5 x 150ml.
I feel terrible that we are overfeeding him!
He finishes the bottle and guzzles it down to the point where we have to take the bottle out so he can calm down and try again.
We were going with the age guidelines not the weight.
Doctor said it's fine if he misses a feed now and then. Even if it's 10 hrs since the last feed.
I'm keeping a close eye on him today, we have gone to 90ml and set a routine type thing to see if that helps

OP posts:
MacNcheese87 · 03/09/2018 13:09

Sounds reassuring OP.
Have you checked that your thermometer is working ok? Did you get temp checked at the GP?

AssassinatedBeauty · 03/09/2018 13:11

Are you in the UK? Seems odd that the GP didn't mention feeding on demand and wants you to feed according to average guidelines and to a schedule.

MacNcheese87 · 03/09/2018 13:12

As for the feeds, I wouldn't take what was on the side of the box as the holy grail. As long as he's getting enough milk in a 24 hour period (putting on weight as expected), I would let him drink and sleep as he likes.

Original poster
Angeliki159 · 03/09/2018 13:24

Basically we demand feed at the moment. If we feed at 12 for example, we set an alarm for 3. If he indicates that he wants feeding at 2, we will feed him. If he doesn't want it at 3 we will leave him. It's just a prompt for us really.
He has been wanting a bottle every 3 hours near enough.

I'm in UK

LOs temp at the docs was 37.0
I checked him this morning before I left and he was 36.8 and we had a 15 min walk in the sun. I had swaddled him in a thin muslin in the carry cot.

OP posts:
BertrandRussell · 03/09/2018 13:30

The doctor said you were over feeding him? That's bolloxks, I'm sorry, OP. How's his weight?

MeAgainSparkle · 03/09/2018 13:34

I agree with Bert. Feeding on demand is the advice I was given for both of mine and it worked well - both DC very different feeders BTW. Please don’t feel like you can’t go for a second opinion. Did the dr address the raised temperature?

MacNcheese87 · 03/09/2018 13:45

Sounds like you're doing just fine. Every 3 hours is about right at that age. I wouldn't change the amount of milk. LO will let you know when he's finished.

As long as his weight is steadily increasing in line with what is expected, there's no need to change anything. Certainly don't wake him to feed him if he doesn't want it, and don't worry if he sleeps a bit longer as the 3 hourly feeds will eventually begin to become 4+ as the weeks go by. Usually beginning at night if you're lucky!

If you're still concerned you're overfeeding, take him to the HV and get him weighed every month, he will probably follow the same percentile in his red book.

But you're doing great. Don't let the GP confuse you. They're very clinical but feeding a baby isn't their forte.

Original poster
Angeliki159 · 03/09/2018 14:23

Oh geez
That didn't go well!
Fed him 90ml and all was fine for an hour...then he screamed the house down for an hour!
I gave him another 30ml which settled him for a lil but he screamed again.
I did give him another 30 because I can't see my baby scream like that for the sake of what it says on the guidelines for his weight!
Looking at the signs of over feeding, he has all of them.
I feel terrible that I'm doing this all wrong.
I'm going to feed him when he wants it but try to reduce the amount gradually.

OP posts:
GiveMeAllTheGin8 · 03/09/2018 14:35

Has he got silent reflux?

Original poster
Angeliki159 · 03/09/2018 14:45

The doctor also said "how is he finishing 150ml?"
Well he is drinking everything and then it's empty lol
"But how. He shouldn't be!"
Erm well ok. He is.

OP posts:
Singingitoverandoverandover · 03/09/2018 14:45

Trust your instincts but also maybe try a new thermometer just incase: I have had a good few that are useless and read random things and are wrong.
I wouldn’t let a baby that young go ten hours without milk though

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