Baby to sleepy to finish feedings

[snast1103]

my 6 day old falls asleep 5 mins into his feeding and i've struggled to keep him going to at least 15 mins on one breast. if i'm lucky i can get another few minutes on the 2nd breast. I've tried so many tickle tricks to keep him going but they are becoming less successful. What else can i do and is 15 mins enough time (my milk is fully in)?

[Marsha_Bearden]

Some babies can do well in 15 minutes, especially if a mother has a good milk supply. If in doubt, it would be best to keep a watch on his pees and poos. Also a weight check at this point would be a good idea.

Instead of trying tickle tricks, compress your breast as if you are manually expressing the milk. The drops of milk will stimulate him to continue feeding. You can also switch him to the other side if he falls asleep. Another thing...if he stops suckling the breast, but is still latched, you can try rubbing the palm of his hand or the back of his neck. Avoid touching the side of his face.

Is your baby jaundiced? This can be a cause of excessive sleepiness. If this is concern, discuss with your pediatrician.

[snast1103]

he's peeing and pooping the expected amount (per the hospital form). We had a checkup which confirmed he lost 12% and will go back in 3 days for a recheck since my milk was just coming in. I will try the expressing more then i had and the palm trick. He was tested for jaundice in the hospital but was negative. thanks again for the suggestions.

[Marsha_Bearden]

If your son lost 12% of his birth weight, then make sure he is nursing often enough since he is only nursing for a short amount of time.

Does he awaken often enough for feedings?

If he nurses less than 15 minutes, does he seem to awaken shortly after requesting to feed again? If so, put him back to the breast.

Allow him to cluster feed and bunch feeds if needed. Keep in mind that renting a baby scale for a couple of weeks could be very useful to you.