not nursing often

SSCmomma

My daughter is 6 days old and had low blood sugar at birth. They gave her a formula bottle right at birth because I had a c section and then they had me supplement a few times In the hospital with formula until my milk started to come in. After that they had me cup feeding pumped breastmilk after each breastfeeding session. Finally on going home they gave me the all clear to just breastfeed as long as she is nursing every 2-3 hours, 20 minutes per side. She NEVER wants to eat that often. At 3 hours I am practically forcing her and she eats for about 20 minutes on one side only. She never wakes up hungry. I have to wake her, undress her to rouse her a bit and then she fusses forever before latching on. I know o am producing enough (I pumped 5-1/2 oz the first time I pumped), she is latching on fine I think and producing at least the recommended number of wet and dirty diapers each day. We don't have our first post hospital ped visit until later this week but I'm in tears everyday because while she seems to be ok, she is not eating the recommended times the doctor said. Anyone else have a child that feeds LESS frequently.

jmjacquemin

Having to wake a baby that age and try and force a feeding is normal. Most newborns are sleepy. If the time on each breast is a little shorter you should be okay. Aim for every 2 hrs during the day and 3 hrs at night till your follow up. Remember that it is from start time to start time. You can also try a cool washcloth on an undressed baby to help walk them up.

jess9802

Is there a breastfeeding support group or lactation consultant you could see before your next pediatrician's visit? It might be good for you to have a weighed feeding or two to make sure baby's intake is adequate even if the feedings are a bit shorter. I think it would give you some peace of mind and some support. If you find out that baby's intake is not what it should be, you should see an LC for intervention and/or check in with your pediatrician ASAP.

I had a sleepy newborn who wouldn't really latch much, and I ended up "nursing" (or trying to nurse), then supplementing with pumped milk, then pumping for 20 minutes for the first four weeks of his life until he really figured out how to latch and transfer milk. I would often change his diaper after the first breast to wake him up enough to take the second side, and use the cool washcloth trick. It was a rough start, but it all worked out in the end.

takmjs

My son, now 11 weeks, has never waken up as much as they say he should eat. I was worried about it initially, but I also think it sounds crazy to have them eat every 2 hours personally, since he would take at least an hour to nurse (including the burping and re-waking). That's only an hour of sleep he (or I) would get between every feeding. He often did and still eats closer to every 3.5-4 hours, about 6 times a day. I will say that he was always hungry whenever I did wake him up, whether it was at 3 or 4 hours, so I didn't have the fussiness before latch issues it sounds like you're having. I feel very much like I'm not the norm, though, so I know how you feel.