3 day old preferring sleep over eating

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I had my baby 10 days early and she's now 3 days old

All she does is sleep and getting her to drink milk is almost impossible, she never cries for it and keeps her mouth firmly shut and it's hard to wake her (only way is to take her clothes off)
If I was to wait for her to cry I could be looking at over 5 hours and it just doesn't feel right to leave it that long?

She is having wet and dirty nappies so am I just worrying over nothing?

Are early babies more sleepy?! And do they take a lot less ml/oz. I'm sure my first born was drinking a lot more at this point

She does cry by the way but only at nappy changes!

Congratulations.

I had one like this, I was advised to follow the schedule related to their age, so when a feed was due change them and feed them regardless of if they were showing signs.

Yes early babies are sleepier, and may well take less depending on weight. But at three days old, you keep waking them otherwise their blood sugars drop, they get sleepier, feed less, and get trapped in a vicious cycle. Have baby’s jaundice levels been checked? Don’t leave her more than 4 hours without a feed at this stage - you are aiming for AT LEAST 8-12 feeds in 24 hours. Change her nappy, strip her clothes off, play with her feet etc. if you need to.

Yes, keep trying to feed. DD's blood sugar dropped at 3 days old. Luckily we were still in hospital as she wouldn't feed. I was given the same advice that @WorkEvent has just posted.

If your baby refuses to feed and gets sleepier you must take her to hospital as a matter of urgency.

You need to keep a keen eye on her weight and wake her at intervals as suggested. Sometimes it isn’t that they prefer to sleep but they just don’t have the energy to wake and cry for food..

How much is she taking at each feed? How many feeds a day? What was her birth weight?

Mention it to your midwife. She may be developing jaundice which can cause low blood sugar and sleepiness. A quick blood test will determine whether she needs treatment. Also watch out for the “jitters”, babies with low blood sugar will raise their arms and shake a bit. It sounds a bit weird but you’ll spot it once you know to look for it. Also smell her breath, if it smells sweet or like acetone (pear drops) take her in to A&E.
My son was early and had jaundice, he needed light treatment to sort it out.

Just to add jitters is normal when they are crying. If they jitter when asleep it’s not.

Definitely mention to the midwife. One of my DC was prem and sleepy. We had to strip them or tickle their foot etc to feed. We also fed to schedule, every 3hrs in day and 4 at night.

Crying is a late feeding cue, she should be fed when you see the earlier signs like stretching, rooting, etc.

I was breast feeding but I was told until they regained their birth weight to feed every 3 hours from the start of the previous feed. DD2 was very sleepy, I think from the birth and as a result of my GA. I had to tickle her, take clothes off, nappy change and even bathe her to get her to wake up enough to feed. You’re both still under midwife care so ask your midwife. If you are anyway concerned then ring the maternity ward now, someone will be available to speak to 24/7.

Is she jaundiced at all? That can make them really sleepy, but it's a vicious circle as they need to feed to get rid of the jaundice. I used to have to tickle DD's feet and strip her off sometimes to wake her up.

I would wake to feed every 3 hours during the day and 4 at night. Strip baby if you have to to rouse. Any longer that that at this age is too long

Hi all

Just seen these messages, have been in hospital overnight and it was jaundice- only mild and seems a lot perkier today and has had quite a bit of milk

Scary 24 hours but glad I listened to my gut as she was dehydrated because of it and obviously is just a vicious circle