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how can I keep him awake

aew82aew82 member
in Babies: 0 - 3 Months
so im worried that ds is not eating enough and on top of that im exhausted  he sleeps the entire day no matter how much i do to try to wake him up.  he seems to sleep all day and then want to make up for it by nursing non stop from about 8pm to 4am.  he wakes up around 8 and i nuurse but it seems like 5 minutes after he eats he is starving again.  my nipples are cracked and bleeding and they burn i almost dread feeding him  i take him up to try to go to bed around 11 and at that point he does not want to sleep and wants to nurse constantly until about 4 am when he crashes.  last night he finally fell asleep around 4am and i woke up at 8 when dd woke up.  timmie was still sleeping.  i finally woke him up at 1030 and fed him.  he was awake for about 5 minutes after then back to sleep he went and as of now he is still sleeping.  i just dont know what to do.  he goes in for a weight check on tuesday so we will see but im so exhausted and sore.  oh and sorry for all the grammer mistakes.  im typing this from my phone.
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Re: how can I keep him awake

  • juliane2004juliane2004 member

    I have no advice for the nursing part, since I bottle/formula feed.

    But, on the sleep, BABIES NEED THEIR SLEEP. At this age, they are only awake for about 30-45 minutes (which is usually taken up by eating/diapering), and then they need to sleep again. Newborns sleep for about 18-20 hours a day.

    For more information, check out my sleep links in my siggy.

    ETA: What I am saying is, DON'T try to keep him awake, at least not for more than 45 minutes at a time.

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  • MolluskwranglerMolluskwrangler member

    My DD was sleeping non stop at the hospital and there was no waking her up to feed.  Turns out her blood sugar was very low making her lethargic.  We  had to supplement with formula to keep her full long enough and awake enough to nurse.

      I just use the formula at night now because otherwise she is up every 45mins to nurse more, I even tried pumping and feeding her that way but no go.  Also, she will just latch and "feed" even though she isn't getting anything, we give her a pacifier and it seems to help her sleep and take it easy on my nips.

    Best of luck

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  • jaxxx15jaxxx15 member
    We are having the same temporary issue in this home.  It is rough!  I don't have any advice but hope time will help him to recognize the difference. 
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  • flyingsaucerflyingsaucer member
    We had to supplement with formula as well.  As for sleeping during the day and being up all night, try getting baby up/dressed (changing clothes) in the morning.  Open the shades, let light in and let the baby sleep in rooms where there is noise.  At night, change baby into pj's, begin a bedtime routine (at 1 week old I would give DD a sponge bath, rub her with lotion, put on her pj's and swaddle her), then have baby sleep in his/her bed at night... keep noise level/interaction low and lights dim.  Eventually, your baby will start to stay up during the day and sleep at night.  Just make sure to check with your dr ASAP to ensure that he is getting enough milk!
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  • becca529becca529 member

    At only a week old, this is very normal.  All babies have "day/night confusion" until around 6-8 weeks of age. If when you take him to the pedi they find he is losing weight, they will probably give you suggestions then.

    As for the nursing, try buying nipple shields, they will give them a break without having to quit nursing.

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  • ABizzityABizzity
    Its very normal at this age to sleep a lot.  I have never had any luck keeping DS awake but now he is staying awake a little longer than he was the first week.  As long as your LO isnt losing weight, he will be fine.  Your pediatrician will check his weight and give you advice if you need it.  As for your nips, make sure he is latching on completely, and not too shallow.  Try some lanolin too.  
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  • mishu917mishu917 member

    imagekgopel:
    We had to supplement with formula as well.  As for sleeping during the day and being up all night, try getting baby up/dressed (changing clothes) in the morning.  Open the shades, let light in and let the baby sleep in rooms where there is noise.  At night, change baby into pj's, begin a bedtime routine (at 1 week old I would give DD a sponge bath, rub her with lotion, put on her pj's and swaddle her), then have baby sleep in his/her bed at night... keep noise level/interaction low and lights dim.  Eventually, your baby will start to stay up during the day and sleep at night.  Just make sure to check with your dr ASAP to ensure that he is getting enough milk!

    These are pretty much all the things you can try. Sorry to hear that nursing is so rough at night. I was in the same position when I first started nursing, and I was so frustrated. Luckily, I didn't mind supplementing (only a few days) and we did that until I was completely healed and ready to BF. I still get some painful days but I want to stick it out at least until I go back to work.  Also, do you have nipple butter? That was and is fabulous for my nipples!

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  • kxp004kxp004 member

    imagekgopel:
    We had to supplement with formula as well.  As for sleeping during the day and being up all night, try getting baby up/dressed (changing clothes) in the morning.  Open the shades, let light in and let the baby sleep in rooms where there is noise.  At night, change baby into pj's, begin a bedtime routine (at 1 week old I would give DD a sponge bath, rub her with lotion, put on her pj's and swaddle her), then have baby sleep in his/her bed at night... keep noise level/interaction low and lights dim.  Eventually, your baby will start to stay up during the day and sleep at night.  Just make sure to check with your dr ASAP to ensure that he is getting enough milk!

    I was reading in my baby book that gently tickling their feet is okay if they start to doze while nursing... Not like constantly, but just to get them to wake up a little bit...

    Definately agree with the bolded part of PP... If you can get your DC to get some extra sunshine in, it might help

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  • gracelikerain316gracelikerain316

    oh gosh i can relate! (look up cluster feeding!)

    my tips for keeping them awake while feeding is stroking along chin, tickling feet, blowing in their faces gently.... and change their nappy in between breasts...

     all the above day night stuff!

    you are not alone...!! and babies change week to week ive noticed at this age

     

    All the best

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