Breast feeding

valeriecruz

FTM here and I'm really starting to feel sad about my little one not taking to my breast. She will nurse for an hour and unlatch herself. So I'll lay her down and she will sleep for maybe 30 mins. I've been giving her formula and she will sleep for 3 hours. So I'm just confused as to why she's not sleeping when I nurse her?

kjjellybean

Have you tried pumping to see what amount your producing? My LO is 1 week old and requires supplemental formula twice daily due to premature birth. He usually takes 35-45ml of formula and I am producing much more then that. Is tour LO falling asleep at the breast? I have to keep my little guy stimulated so he doesnt sleep. Good luck.

valeriecruz

My LO is 1 week as well. I pumped a little more then 2 oz. Yes she falls right to sleep and I will tickle her and wake her till she eats for at least 15 mins but she still won't sleep for long and it makes me worried. So I give her the formula she eats about the same 2 oz and but she is able to sleep.

Lalala2326

Formula takes much, much longer to digest than breastmilk which is part of the reason why babies will often sleep a little longer on formula. Newborns also often require waking up multiple times a lot to get a full feeding in. If your LO is just latched but not really sucking for most of that hour, she might not be getting much. You want to try and keep them actively sucking until your breasts soften and it seems like they have gotten enough. Then if they want to comfort nurse for a while, they can do that (it helps build milk supply even when they are getting very little). With a formula bottle, you know they are getting the whole thing, there is no comfort nursing, so their tummies get full faster (particularly if you are not doing paced feedings). Breastfeeding is tough, and babies often want to nurse frequently and long periods of time. This is normal and its what helps build your supply. You can't really compare what your baby does breastfeeding to what they do when they get formula because they are completely different delivery methods, what they contain, and how they digest. If you want to breastfeed, just keep baby feeding 10-12 times a day, and try to keep her actively sucking for a good portion of that. If you are giving formula bottles without pumping (even after breastfeeding for an hour), your supply will suffer, and its going to make it much harder to continue long term. Its supply and demand, so you gotta make sure you are telling your breasts they need to produce that much.