Leo is 3 days old. While we were in hospital I noticed he is quite a windy baby and requires heaps of burping before he seems settled. Since getting home yesterday he's been really hard to settle. He woke at 2 last night and didn't settle till 4:45.
He seems to be attaching and drnking well, but falls asleep on the breast so I take him off wait for him to wake and then pop him back on. But he is wanting to feed constantly. When I put him on my shoulder to burp he gets upset and starts nuzzling looking for the breast again. The couple of times he has drifted off on my shoulder I wrap him and lay him down but as soon as his head his the bassinet mattress he's awake again.
What to do? I have a 2 year old as well, so feeding non-stop is very tricky.
PS My milk seems to have come in so I would think he's getting sufficient amounts.
Hey babe,
Congratulations!
Try not to get to worked up babe... I seem to recall this with both the girls and it was just as the milk is comming in. And quite normal :-) Your going to get alot of phases like this when bub just wants to feed all day. Try not to get dishearted your doing exactly the right thing. And if you need any help at all, you have my number xoxoxo
I went through the exact same thing with Harper, I almot thought i'd written the OP! I second what mummenurse has said, try to relax and not be disheartened, you're doing things fine. In my situation, I found a pacifier/dummy helped Harper to settle and sleep. She has never relied on it either, which i'm happy about. Whatever helps the both of you is the best option.
All the best with Leo, awesome name too!!
Have you tried a carrier/wrap? Your baby is still very young and the idea that he is a seperate entity to you would not be anything he would understand.
I recall the first few weeks with my youngest and he was with me constantly... feeding and sleeping.
Also singing and rocking him may help, try putting him down while he is still awake but drowsy so if he falls asleep there he won't be shocked to wake there... don't let him cry, pick him back up and comfort him and then try again.
Newborns tend to cluster feed at night as it helps bring your milk on. Feeding hourly overnight is quite common. My DD did this for the first 4 weeks or so. She was also very windy and this would unsettle her alot. I found that she would drink as a way of getting rid of the wind which only made the problem worse...so make sure Leo has a good burp.
The first couple of weeks are hard- I admire you doing it with a 2 year old.. it will get better
ETA: Newborns also feed alot a night because the milk is apparently more tasty!
It's normal Ella, hang in there.
Definitely get a sling or wrap if you don't have one and pop him in there so you can get things done while he stays close to you. It will ease off with a bit of time.
Last edited by MantaRay; November 27th, 2010 at 11:14 AM.
Four days ago all your baby new of for his whole life was being surrounded by his mother's body, constantly being rocked as she moved, hearing her voice and the sound of her heartbeat, and being constantly fed. That's what life was. After 9 mnths of that, no sensible baby is going to love sleeping alone, away from mum. She's everything to a baby. Your baby wants "womb service". In fact many people refer to the first 3 mnths as being the 4th trimester of pregnancy - they need a fairly similar level of care they needed when they were "on the inside".
Babies are orn with an innate knowledge of how to drive the milk supply. Frequent feeding in the first few days lets your body know that milk is required. Your little one is doing all the right things. This stage can be very intense, especially when you have another child, but it all changes very quickly
DD was like that for a few weeks. I agree with the sling. Its how we survived. Lots of pacing the hallway & leaving her in the sling on me to sleep.
It does get easier. I promise. From someone who has just come out the other side
Thank you all for replying. I put him in the baby bjorn this morning and he seemed to do well on me for a while. He's just had his first decent sleep for the day- went down at 12:44 and is still asleep so almost 3 hours so far.
I'm happy to keep doing what we're doing, you just start to second guess yourself as to whether you're doing something wrong, if you know what I mean?
Going to get his heel ***** test done this afternoon so I'm going to get him checked over as I thought he looked a little yellow this morning.
How did he go with the jaundice hun?
If he's looking a little yellow - Feeding him regulary will help and putting him in some indirect (so near a window) sunlight - Had to do it with both the girls. Hope Leo is okay.
And just remember if you need a handlet me know xoxox
The doctor said he is marginally jaundice but it should work itself out. So lots of rousing during feeds and continuing with frequent feeding and we should be ok.
Thank you all for your advice. It's so comforting to have supportive advice when its needed most.
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Advice with newborn not setling
it will get better
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