message from medevry

[Sassafras]

What should I do if my baby doesn't unlatch on her own to signal that she is done feeding? She usually falls asleep despite cold wash cloth and other attempts to awaken her during a feeding.

[Sharon_Mattes]

Dear medevry:

That question could be better answered if I ask you for more information:
How old is your baby?
Is she only breastfed?
Do you have a 'schedule' for her?
Is she gaining weight and happy much of the time?

I am going to make an assumption (I could be way off though) and assum that your baby is only a couple of weeks old or even less. If this is the case, you may find there are a couple of things that you can do.

First - you need to learn her 'patterns' since all people (including babies) have their own sense of time that is most comfortable for them in eating and sleeping. When parents feed a baby because 'it is time' sometimes they spend lots of energy in trying to waken a baby that is in a deep sleep state. Babies feed best after they move from that deep sleep up into a light sleep and then become drowsy, then awaken. It is a waste of time to feed baby in a deep sleep.

Watch her. Every hour she goes through a complete cycle (look up infant sleep/wake cycles and read more) - about every hour. After a couple of cycles - or around 2 to 2 1/2 hours, you can see her start to suck on her hands, stretch her limbs, make smacking or sucking sounds, and begin to look around - for you! These are early feeding cues - which are designed to draw your attention to her so she can feed. This is the best feeding time.

Now perhaps you are doing this - but when baby latches on to feed, she suckles for a minute and then falls immediately to sleep - continuing to do 'non-nutritive' sucking (which is similar to pacifier sucking). There are lots of pauses - and few sucking bursts. This may mean she is not 'actively feeding' for a long enough time...and may not be getting much milk - but she knows already that if she stays on the breast - every so often you will have let-downs and she will get more swallows of milk. So - if she is seeming to sleep nurse a lot of her feedings - you need to check her weight and the number of wet and (especially) soiled diapers - to assess if she is getting enough milk.

You may need to speak in person with a Lactation Consultant, La Leche League Leader, or your Pediatrician's breastfeeding helper to make sure she is latched well at breast. If you have sore nipples - she probably is not. Sore nipples are not normal --- contrary to popular belief. They are common, however, because many people think soreness is normal and they just 'put up with' pain and physical damage. It is something that needs to be checked out ASAP.

The last possibility is that you are feeding her well - she is very efficient and empties your breast quickly (5-7 minutes) and just likes to 'hang out' at 'mom's. A full baby is also very hard to waken. So - if she has 4-8 wet diapers and 4 or more large soiled diapers daily and is happy much of the time - I may not have any problems to help you with. This may be normal for her

Do write back if I have missed the mark or if you have other questions.
Sharon Mattes, IBCLC
__________________