Feed change feed, or should I do something different?

[Teeki]

DD is 2 weeks old tomorrow, and until now our feed/sleep routine has been feed until she comes off asleep, change nappy and then feed again to make sure she's getting enough. She used to fall asleep and drop off the second time too, and transfer easily to bed.

The last few days though, the second feed hasn't gone so well, she doesn't get into a proper deep sleep. She kind of dozes, and wants to stay on the nipple. She ends up getting frustrated, pulling everywhere, grunting and seriously scratching my chest. I think this might be giving her wind, and makes for a very unsettled baby!

So I'm wondering, should I change her first and then just feed her to sleep? Will she get enough milk and sleep well if I do that instead?

[Kmn]

Here's what you don't want to hear. Most babies at 1-3 weeks "wake up", and they want feeding more often and become harder to settle. You may find a sling, or an office-chair or a fitball or a walk in the pusher or going somewhere noisy help her to sleep - it's a matter of finding what her particular tricks are!
If she doesn't pooh mid-feed you could try changing her and then feeding her to sleep. Maybe give her 20 minutes one one side and then swap her onto the other until she's sleepy. As long as she feeds often (at least 6, but preferably more times a day), has lots of wet nappies, poohs at least once a day, and gains weight then she is getting enough milk.

[Teeki]

Yeah, she's gaining lots of weight, lots of wet nappies, and one dirty nappy a day.

She does feed a lot, but it's not really the number of feeds each day, more that she seems to sleep really well after the first go but not the second. The second time she spends ages just nuzzling the nipple without drinking, or getting frustrated. So I'm wondering if she doesn't like being woken up half way through and is getting over tired and frustrated.

I just hate not knowing what's upsetting her

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[onthefly]

maybe she's not really that hungry 2nd time There's always a lot of trial and error with babies - it's all part of becoming a parent. Ultimately, you know her best and are best able to figure it out.
Does she poo after each feed? If not, why not just change her first (you'll need to be quick so she's not too upset and don't be afraid to vary it if need be) then feed her and let her sleep? Or just whatever. There are no rules. None whatsoever. It's just whatever works for you and her.

[Teeki]

Yeah that's what I'm thinking MadB, seeing as she sleeps so well after the first feed and then is quite fussy the second time maybe she doesn't need it?

She doesn't poo during feeds, just once a day an usually while she's asleep. She doesn't get very agitated when waking for a feed, I reckon we've got time for a change first. Might give it a go that way tonight and see if it makes a difference.

Thanks

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[ellasmummy]

When dd was that age we changed to feeding only one side as she would be sound asleep after one side then be wide awake after a bum change! I still do it that way now and she's a big 3mth old although she screams the house down while I change her as once she's up she wants a feed ASAP! Only takes a minute though and gives her losec a chance to settle. Now she's more interested in looking at things the mobile above her changetable keeps her occupied

[Gigi]

ONE dirty nappy per day? wow, go out and buy a lotto ticket!! (sorry, reading that made me LOL). i was changing 12 dirty nappies a day at that stage, changing nappies like a robot haha.

[eza]

ONE dirty nappy per day? wow, go out and buy a lotto ticket!! (sorry, reading that made me LOL). i was changing 12 dirty nappies a day at that stage, changing nappies like a robot haha.

I agree! Your lucky you only have one!!

[ellasmummy]

Hehe my dd was about a 6 poohey nappy a day bub! Now she only goes once every 2-3 days

[Teeki]

Lol, but when she poos, she really poos! It's not just a little bit

The new way seems to be working for her. Last night she slept 5 hours, 3 hours, and just now only an hour and a half - but she generally does that in the mornings anyway. I got loads of sleep! And now she's asleep again, I can probably actually have breakfast! The best part is though that she didn't get frustrated and start pulling all over the place and scratching, she just fell asleep and stayed asleep. She's also had no wind problems for the first night in a while.

Hoping this works for a while!

Thanks Gigi & Ellasmummy

[Teeki]

Gah, change of plans already! She just doesn't stay awake long enough with just one feed, and isn't getting enough milk, so hardly sleeps.

So I need the change in the middle to wake her up. I've realised though that the frustration could be running out of milk on that side, so when she starts I swap her over and we're all good! Fingers crossed we've figured it out

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