QUESTION: Madeline is a very sleepy baby. She barely ate while we were in the hospital. She is doing better at home but still only wakes every 4 to 5 hours to eat. Should I be waking her more often? She does have about 6 to 8 wet diapers and 5 stools per day. When I do try to wake her, it takes a long time to get her to want to latch on. She doesn't seem interested in eating if I wake her up. What can I do to get her interested?

Kristi,

It sounds like you are concerned about Madeline's sleeping habits. At 10 days of age, Madeline needs to breastfeed at least 8 times in a 24 hour period which means every 2 - 3 hours. It may be okay for her to go a little bit longer at night although not usually longer than 4 hours. Breast milk is easily digested so that babies are really hungry after about 2 hours!! Newborns may not be aware of the "hunger" feeling and may not understand they need to wake to eat, so we need to teach them.

Watching for the Madeline's cues that she is ready to feed is one way to let her know it is time to feed. For example, watch for hand-to-mouth movements, movements of her lips as if sucking, rapid eye movement (REM) under her eye lids, little noises or body movements. Approximately every 2 -3 hours you can watch for these signs and when you see them pick her up and try to feed her by making your breast available for her. Sometimes when these signs are missed babies will simply fall asleep again only to wake again very upset and crying (the last sign that a baby has to let us know s/he is not happy).

At this time, I would recommend that you spend as much time as you can with Madeline skin-to-skin with her in your arms. This will help both of you learn each other's signs and will increase Madeline's desire to breastfeed. When Madeline breastfeeds, try to listen for her swallowing so that you notice that she is nursing actively. She should nurse actively so that she is getting the fatty hindmilk and stimulating your milk production. Since Madeline is sleepy try waking her up when she is in light sleep (REM) or dim the lights since bright lights may make her close her eyes. Make sure to support your breast while Madeline is nursing to keep the weight off her chin and you may also want to switch breasts as soon as she begins to lose interest in sucking. Try a few of these suggestions and let me know how Madeline is doing.

Yvonne C. Bannister, B Sc, CBC, LLLL, IBCLC

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