4 week old not hungry

[Emma1979]

I have demand fed my four week old boy from birth, during the day he has practically fed all day, sometimes hourly or two hourly, and at night was giving me a 3 hour stretch, sometimes 4 hours... in hindsight during the day i think some of the times i fed him he was actually tired, but anyways i'm not too worried about that...

in the last 24 hours though he hasn't been as hungry, he went about 5 or 6 hours yesterday evening where he wouldn't feed properly, i kept trying to attach him but he kept crying and wasn't interested, when i gave up he wasn't distressed or seeming hungry, he seemed quite okay... then i managed to feed him one side at about 11pm, couldn't get him to take the other side, and he went until 4am and took the other side, then had another feed at 6am of one side, and now at 9am i tried to feed him but again he is fussing at the breast, taking a few mouthfuls then crying and hopping off, over and over... so its 10am now and its been 4 hours, and he doesn't seem hungry... after feeding every 1-2 hours i am not used to this and am worried something is wrong... do you think it sounds okay for a 4 week old? he has pee'd on me twice this morning and seems to have wet and dirty nappies etc... i'm just confused at why practically overnight he doesn't seem to want to suck on me every waking hour!?

[fourthontheway]

His tummy is bigger now that it was at birth, he can most likely hold enough in it to keep him going for a bit longer. Keep feeding to his needs and you'll be doing the right thing

[Pandora]

You are doing a really good job
Maybe hes getting enough form the feeds he is having.
If his nappies are wet and he is happy, alert etc (as much as a 4week old can be) then everythings probably fine.
If you are worried call your mchn or gp.
He may also just be having a fussy period. Its hard to tell.
Is he sleeping between the feeds?
My eldest child also started having longer gaps between feeds (5 hours at night from 1 week) which worried me. My younger child started just taking one side on a regular basis for abour 4 weeks which surprised/concerend me as well, but I just had a good supply and he was getting all he needed.

[Emma1979]

hmmmm, its 2pm and he still hasn't fed properly.... he has had a few 'sips' for a few minutes, but then hops off the breast and cries... he did seem to act like he had loads of wind this morning, crying etc and bringing his legs up, but now he is sort of quiet and not crying, a bit sleepy... i'm thinking maybe he has a sore tummy and needs to do a giant poo...

is it okay for me to keep offering 'sips' throughout the day, can he survive on just a little bit of milk quite frequently, until he feels better/gets his appetite back?

is it normal for them to lose their appetite if they aren't feeling well?

will my milk disappear? i really cannot be bothered with expressing, i don't have anything to express into, ie containers etc... and i hate having to wash and sterilise the pump after each time... sorry a bit of a whinge there...

do you think i need to take him to the doctor or anything.... he isn't unhappy, just not feeding well.

[onthefly]

It may be that he's gotten a lot more efficient at feeding all of a sudden - his crying and fussing could be a reaction to you trying to get him to have more. I would definately watch his output and other signs to ensure he is getting enough - just in case.
If he's taking enough then your supply will be sufficient.

It could also be reflux (silent reflux even), wind or something like that. Or maybe you have a forecful letdown and he's having trouble with it. Personally, when in doubt I go and waste the time of my GP or CHN, just for reassurance. So far there's never really been anything wrong, but you never know.

[Pandora]

is it okay for me to keep offering 'sips' throughout the day, can he survive on just a little bit of milk quite frequently, until he feels better/gets his appetite back?

Thats what i would do, just keep an eye on how long it happens for
Is he just not seeming hungry or is he screaming?

is it normal for them to lose their appetite if they aren't feeling well?

Yes it can be especially if constipated but constipation is extrememly rare if you are exclusively breastfeeding

will my milk disappear? i really cannot be bothered with expressing, i don't have anything to express into, ie containers etc... and i hate having to wash and sterilise the pump after each time... sorry a bit of a whinge there...

Who told you that you needed to sterilise your breast pump parts between uses? Unless someone else is using it, you should just be rinsing them thoroughly between uses on the same day, and wash well in hot soapy water at the end of the day, rinse thoroughly and air dry

To answer the question it depends how long it goes on for. Probably not, but you may feel like it has becuase at about 4 weeks your supply will start to settle down anyway so you may feel less full.

As for the doctor - do you think you should take him? It cant hurt.

[Emma1979]

oh wow, i didn't realise i didn't have to wash and sterlise my breast pump!!!! THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING!!!! i can express a little after each feed to build up a supply of stored breast milk... i never understood how people did it if they had to wash and sterlise after each usage... it just seemed like it was way too much work... i might go to the chemist and see if they have those storage bag thingies...

i've rung my doctor and waiting for a call back, so will ask her what she thinks...

no he isn't screaming, he is actually sleeping which is semi unusual, he is usually awake for quite a while during the day.... is it actually possible he would get a good feed from only a few minutes on the breast though? if i squeeze my nipple, the milk shoots out and squirts - does that indicate a forecful letdown? he hasn't had any trouble with it in the past.

hmmmm i feel guilty as i am loving that he is sleeping and not wanting to feed all the time, but at the same time i'm feeling guilty in case there is something wrong/he isn't getting what he needs.