She just will not suck if tired though - I can have the damn thing right in her mouth and she'll just play around with it with her tongue, she won't actually suck at all.
Today she has had heaps more feeds though, so I'm hoping that she won't go a huge 7 hour sleep again like she did yesterday - cos she hasn't done it today.
well that is an improvement then mel, as she is getting more used to(and you to) solely breast feeding she will become better at it and know not to knock it when offered
That sounds promising Mel, maybe she's waking up for more feeds all on her own.
Just keep an eye on those nappies, hopefully they'll get wetter and wetter. Still plenty of lovely poos? That's always a good sign.
Mel - please don't be discouraged by a little loss - that really is fine. Okay??? It's fine.
However, it is really important for your supply that you feed more frequently during the day. I had a tiny baby as you know. She was sleepy all the time... So I know how challenging that can be. This is what I did. I chanbged her nappy before I fed her - lots of talking - and a cool wipe to help her wake a little... (sounds mean I know) I fed her and when she dozed I would take her off and wake her with a cool wipe of a washer - tickle her toes etc.. It doesn't take too long & they get the drift - it's feed time. Feeding her as soon as she wakes is great - they ae hungry then. Then change her nappy if she gets sleepy & offer her some more.
It is time consuming & it can be stressful - but it doesn't last very long. She is still only very new & she will get the drift soon...
Remember - do NOT be discouraged. You are doing a superb job of feeding her & it seems like she is already waking more today. It really isn't unusual what she is doing and that little dip in weight. It is probably the norm.
So, during daylight hours wake her if she sleeps any longer than 3 hours and feed her up...
She's got a nice layer of fat on there & she is doing great on her Mamas milk...
Not too much of a loss but I would be doing what the others have said and trying to feed 2 hrly and waking her if she hasn't had a feed for 3 hrs (during the day). DD still goes 3hrs between feeds max!! lol. Sounds like she is becoming more wakeful already though and getting the hang of feeding more frequently. Hope she keeps it up. You're doing great!!
The same thing happened with Orson however he lost 2.5lbs in weight. He was very tired and just would not suck properly because he would fall asleep. But he was tired cause he wasn't getting much milk so it's a big nasty cycle. I would wake him every 1.5 hours but he'd still fall asleep during the feed. I had to do everything i could to keep him awake. Tickling his feet, cold wet face washer on his face, changing nappy, undressing him because the heat can make them sleepy too, changing sides etc. In the end my supply dropped too much and i had to stop when he was 4 months old. Other than the above advice im not sure what else you can try but to keep on going. I know it's really hard and stressful but i really hope you can both get through this.
Firstly, you're a champ for giving BF'ing a go! Well done keep up the great work, because I can tell you, it's sooooo worth it.... and it gets so much better. So much more enjoyable.... such a special bond.
DD was a very sleepy bub in the early weeks, partly because she wasn't getting enough milk (we had many problems) and I had to wake her 3hrly because otherwise she would sleep for up to 6hrs without a feed sometimes more and that was scary because she needed to put on weight as she would sometimes lose weight also. It's hard because it becomes a cycle, she wouldn't feed so she'd fall asleep and not feed for hours then we'd wake her, try and feed her etc my milk supply got affected. It was hard breaking that cycle. We'd have to splash her face with water and a wet cloth as she'd just sit there on the nipple also and not do anything (so upsetting). A little bit of a loss is ok but it sounds to me like she needs to be feeding more often so best to try and wake her up, as she sounds like she's a bit of a sleepy bub to me. She's only so little so if she's feeding 2-3hrly during the day then that's best I believe.... yes, follow your baby's lead for sure, demand feed etc but if she's going to sleep for longer than 3hrs and she hasn't been wetting much, then I'd be waking her....
It's sooo hard in those early days isn't it.... to know if they are getting enough etc....and you don't really want to wake them up do you ??? but you have to when you feel she isn't getting enough.... otherwise they just get so tired and fatigued like my DD and it was a hard cycle to break. (but we did have other probs)
I remember DD had really dry nappies but that's only because she simply was not sucking effectively and getting any milk out then it affected my milk supply and my milk dropped and therefore we had to introduce comp feeds of EBM and formula until my milk supply increased and established (which took weeks) but that's only because we had so many attachment issues, sleepy fatigued bub etc etc....
How is your attachment etc? Have you had an LC come and visit you to watch your DD feeding? It might not be a bad idea.... My LC was awesome, and I'm going to see her for the next bub too... even if all seems to be going fine!! Just great support.
ive had 3 early bubs so know the hassle of a sleepy bub too....i agree try feeds every 3hours i find doing things like undressing and making sure theyre not wrapped up help maybe a bath before hand i used to change the nappy first to help wak them up or even a damp cloth over the hair and face....you both with get there you just gotta find your groove....keep up the good work
A nappy change before a feed isn't a bad idea if she's a bit sleepy still. xo As others have said, to cool bub slightly to help her stay awake isn't bad, she definitely won't get cold while she's feeding! I would softly blow on bub to help them stay awake sometimes.
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such a special bond.
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