Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thanks for all of the suggestions. I have decided to pump and bottle feed. He’s eats about 10 times a day and we are going to do half breast milk, half formula. Once he regains his weight, I will try breastfeeding but still supplement 1-2 bottles with formula.

I will do all of the things suggested. We do a diaper change and that wakes him up but he just falls back asleep. He was checked for jaundice and he didn’t have it. The doctor said some babies are just sleepy.

It’s 100% fine if you want to bottle feed, but just be warned that after a week of exclusive bottle feeding it’s quite possible baby will refuse the breast entirely. Just be prepared.

Anonymous wrote:I had this problem too and the pediatrician wanted him eating for longer. I kept a damp wash cloth next to me and would gently touch his skin to keep him awake. It was our doctor's advice and it seemed to work. He's 10 now and I wish he slept more and ate less!

We also used the damp wash cloth and it worked, well sort of. My mom was horrified and said it was mean what we were doing. But I wanted at least a 90 minute break between nursing sessions. Once they got the hang of things, they were nursing and sleeping champs.

OP here. Thanks for all of the suggestions. I have decided to pump and bottle feed. He’s eats about 10 times a day and we are going to do half breast milk, half formula. Once he regains his weight, I will try breastfeeding but still supplement 1-2 bottles with formula.

I will do all of the things suggested. We do a diaper change and that wakes him up but he just falls back asleep. He was checked for jaundice and he didn’t have it. The doctor said some babies are just sleepy.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Op, are you trying to breastfeed, lumping, and bottle feeding all in the same feeding? This was recommended to me and honestly it was crazy making. I literally got no sleep.

+1 This is how I spent the first year of my twins’ lives. It affected my mental health so much, I had to go on antidepressants.

Omg a year and with twins???! I lasted a month doing that routine with one baby. I was crying hysterically in the shower every morning and in such a tired zombie like state I was afraid I was going to leave the oven on or drop my baby or..., finally I switched to 100% formula and things got much better.

My babies were sleepy for the first couple of weeks and didn’t become good nursers until they were 2-3 months old. Has someone recommended a lactation feeding tube like the Jack Newman or Medela ones? Could be easier than nursing, which takes a lot of energy. If you have a baby scale, that is also good to see how much they drank.

We did a cold washcloth on foot. When I switched to bottle (pumped or formula) he stayed awake longer.

My sister had this issue with my niece. The recommendation was strip down to bottle and put a cool washcloth on her forehead.

Anonymous wrote:Op, are you trying to breastfeed, lumping, and bottle feeding all in the same feeding? This was recommended to me and honestly it was crazy making. I literally got no sleep.

+1 This is how I spent the first year of my twins’ lives. It affected my mental health so much, I had to go on antidepressants.

We had this problem too and it turned out that my son was severely jaundiced and somehow the doctor and hospital missed it. I don’t know if it actually helped, but we were told to give vitamin d drops to help him get over the jaundice so he could eat better. We also tried the strip-down-to-the-diaper trick and turned on the lights.

Went through the same thing, OP. Strategies that worked for me:
-undress baby
-tickle foot/leg during feet (baby would often fall asleep while nursing)
-warm wet washcloth on baby while eating
-quick bath first
-talk to baby
-touching baby's face (could sometimes be too distracting, though)

Good news is it won't last forever, and baby will get back up to birthweight. Then you get enjoy a baby who likes to sleep! My 1st and 3rd were like this, and were fantastic sleepers, and continue to be at 3 and 9 years old.

And don't worry too much about giving formula at this point to help with the weight gain. There is some evidence that giving formula early actually helps moms and babies with breastfeeding.

https://healthland.time.com/2013/05/13/can-giving-newborns-formula-increase-breast-feeding-rates/

I've had a child like that; you've got my sympathy.

Bottle is easier for them to suck on. Have your husband do it, if you can. Give him one of the feeding rounds at night to you more time to sleep. Formula is fine to supplement with in order to get you over the hump. The kid needs calories at this point.

OP - I had this problem with my first baby. We did many of the tickling tricks, pumping her arm (this worked best for us), changing her diaper, and stripping her down (this was my least favorite). My SIL had the same issue and her midwife had her put a cold washcloth on her baby. I would also squeeze my breast sometimes so that milk squirted in her mouth, which would stir her enough to start sucking again for awhile.

This was such a tough period - all my sympathy. I promise it gets better and it is a short time!

Op, are you trying to breastfeed, lumping, and bottle feeding all in the same feeding? This was recommended to me and honestly it was crazy making. I literally got no sleep.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would let him for for 3 hours. Then wake him up for a diaper change. Use an unwarmed wipe. Make sure the lights are on. Don’t re-swaddle him until the feeding is finished. I’m assuming your not breastfeeding since you know exactly how much food he’s getting. In this case, while feeding...sit him up on your knee, away from your body. When you feed him cuddled up, warm and cozy next to you, he’s gonna fall asleep.

OP here. I’m breastfeeding but the doctor said to pump and bottle feed. He also wants us to supplement with formula.

Listen to your doctor’s advice. If he isn’t eating enough he won’t be as alert due to dehydration. Have you checked with a lactation consultant? If he has difficulty getting the milk out he may be using more energy to eat and it will make him tired. You can hand express into a spoon and give it to him that way, or use a dropped. Definitely make sure he drinks more and see if it helps his alertness. Does he have periods when he is awake at night? Maybe that’s when he could eat more? Not having regained birth weight is an issue.