Hellobee Boards

Sounds like you have a couple of issues.

1. To wake my lo up when she was a newborn, I would keep a wet washcloth on hand to poke her with. It wasn't the nicest thing ever but it woke her up, especially if it was really cold.

2. Do you have a scale at home? I would look into getting a cheap one or a rental ASAP. That way, you can weigh her before a feeding and weigh her after the feeding so you can find out how much she is eating. Perhaps she is just better at removing the milk from one side than the other. I would definitely go the scale route.

Did your pediatrician say she wasn't gaining weight? When is your next appt with the pediatrician to check her weight?

We had a sleepy newborn also. She was an efficient eater, and ate quickly (10min) and only on one side.

Good luck! It gets easier every day, I promise!

Jaundice is terrible. We didn't have it too bad, but our pediatrician told us it creates a vicious cycle! Feeding is the best way to get rid of jaundice, but jaundice causes babies to be sleepy, so they're a lot harder to feed!

That being said, your baby doesn't sound out of the ordinary to me. Our baby was a little jaundiced, so they told me to make sure I fed him every 2 hours, and it was IMPOSSIBLE. Like you, my baby just wouldn't wake up sometimes to eat!!! I would try so hard to wake him up and nothing would work. He ended up eating closer to every three hours. He was also, I guess, an efficient eater (not so much anymore, the lazy bum) and would only eat for 15 minutes total.

I think you should just keep doing what you're doing. Is there anyway you can see an LC and do a weight check before and after a feeding so you know how much she's getting? When is your next check-up with the pediatrician? I remember when my baby was that young, I was soooooooooooo paranoid he wasn't getting enough because he didn't eat for very long and I couldn't get him to eat every two hours like I was instructed to do, but by his two week appointment, he was back up to his birth weight, which is where they want them to be! Sounds like yours is right on track to be there too!

I would keep trying to feed her every two hours during the day, but don't fret too much if it stretches to three hours. And I gave up trying to do two hours altogether at night - it was impossible!

Also, as long as you're seeing at least 6-8 (the more the better) a day, you can be relatively assured that your baby is getting enough to eat!

@DpeachLu: no advice on the jaundice but wanted to chime in and say my LO nursed for short periods of time from the get go ! I have a early and fast let down and he is just a really effective nurser. If she is gaining and having the right amount of dipes then I say pat yourself on the back and consider yourself lucky my friend !

@DpeachLu: I'm not an expert but a comfortable latch, good output and good weight gain are all signs that you and your LO are doing just fine with breastfeeding! The only other thing I can think of is to make sure that your having 10-12 nursing sessions / feeds per 24 hours to help establish your milk supply.

You're doing great!

@DpeachLu: Is there a reason you are offering both breasts? Once the milk gets flowing, it may be better to leave her on the one side. Just a suggestion.