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my 3 week old fed like an angel for the first 2 weeks...every 3 hours on the dot...
now, she only feeds for a few mins at a time, and then falls asleep, nothing that i can do will wake her up...so i put her down and then shes up again within the hour coz shes still hungry, and has the other side...still for only a few mins!!
this mainly happens overnight, and its killing me!!
That is what tiny babies do - after a couple of weeks they "wake up", and it can be very tiring.
Start trying to teach her about daytime - take her out in the noises and the light and don't let her sleep for more than 3-4 hours during the day. See if you can encourage her to feed more in the early evening as well - deliberately set out to feed her each hour if you can.
And make sure when she does sleep in the day that you have a nap too.
This will get better - but you just have to go into survival mode for the next few weeks.
Exactly what Kmn said!
If she is only taking a small feed you can feed her from the same breast the next time.
Hi!
I'm no expert as my bubs is only a week old, but she kept falling asleep during feeds in the hospital so the midwives suggested I strip her down to her nappy to feed her so she doesn't get too warm and comfy and fall asleep while feeding.....sometimes we even had to get a wet (cold) cloth out to rub her back occasionally to keep her awake! It seems to be working fairly well so far......
Tickling bubs ear and talking to them can keep the awake abit longer too or doing a nappy change and then putting them back to the breast to finish.
i had this problem as well, i found like HotI that just a little tickle (on the feet or hands, or even the ribs) kept DS feeding, even if he was asleep. That helped him sleep a bit longer, and then be awake for a bit longer next time.
Congrats on your bubba!!!
tina, most babies at that age need to feed at least 8 times in 24 hours, and often more than 12 times. Their bodies are designed to have smaller feeds more often - and our milk supply works best when that happens also. So most babies do actually feed more often than every 3 hours - your little one sounds very normal in that! Once she settles down a bit you will most likely find that she will sleep for a longer period during one time of the day (hopefully night). Also, at 3 weeks some babies can drain a breast in a few minutes, so your little one might be getting more than you think. Do you hear you doing the suck-swallow well during the feed?
Tina, nappies can give a good clue as to what is going on. How many wet nappies would you say she has in 24 hours? Also how many dirty nappies and what is the poo like? Also have you had her weighed recently?
A previous poster suggested putting her back on the same side if she feeds again about an hour later and that's something that can work for some mums. You might like to try that for a bit to see if it helps, and if she stays awake long enough you can still offer the other side afterwards. It is very tiring in the early weeks when they feed so often but it does get easier soon - and some mums find that they can feed lying down and get some rest at the same time! All the best hun :hug: