2 wk old and ?

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I am breast feeding my two week old and have been since day one.  Although this has never been an easy process, we are hanging in there because I have heard it gets easier... I would go for an hour feeding her and then an hour later she would be hungry again.  Pediatrician stated that she may be using me as a pacifier and to go between 2.5-3 hrs between feedings and feed about 15 min of actual swallowing on one side and offer the other side.  I have also been to a lactation consultant two times.  All state that things seem to be going well.  I cant figure out if she gets hungry in the day or if she is just going through typical fussiness.  She will take a nap for about an hour, maybe and wake up not happy at all.  I will put the pacifier in her mouth (recommended do to her love of sucking) and she will quiet down for about another 10-15 minutes.  All this is fine during the day, but she will not settle down at night unless she is in my arms sleeping and I end up falling asleep in the chair, etc.  Do you think she isnt getting enough food?  If not, do you have any ideas of things I can do to get her more settled?  Thanks for the help.  Parenting is so hard sometimes.  I just want to do everything right.

papagena

At that point, I fed DS on demand. I also feed from one side completely (as you get more of the hind milk that keeps them filled up) and then switched only after it looked like the breast was empty to see if he still wanted more.  I think he'd usually go about 2 hours or so usually, but not always.  2 weeks is so young - give it a bit more time.

I doubt the night time issues have much to do with feeding.  She should still wake up during the night to feed, but a lot of people have problems getting LO to sleep on their own at that age.  I'd just keep trying.  Can you have her close by in your room?  That helped us right away because (once he got his days vs nights figured out) once he started fussing at night we could instantly put a hand on him or shh to quiet him back down.  Again - 2 weeks is really early, she's still probably terrified that she has so much room to move around.  Have you tried swaddling at night?  Maybe a noise machine?  Good luck - I agree that parenting is hard!! It does get better, though. 

ncbelle

I would nurse her whenever she seems hungry.  Offering a paci at this early stage could mess with her latch and your supply.  It does suck in the beginning when it feels like all you are doing is nursing but it really, really does get easier as she gets faster.  And babies just fuss sometimes for no reason - hang in there!

med2663

Is she just fussy?  If you brush you finger against her cheek does she turn her head to try to latch onto something?  That's a sign she is probably hungry.  If not, have you read Happiest Baby on the Block or watched the video?  If not, I would suggest you check it out. Sorry if you already know all that. 

Ditto on the feeding from one breast until it is empty.  She could just be getting a lot of front milk, quenching her thirst, and not enough fat to fill her up.

Echowysp

I'd recommend feeding her on demand.  You will learn to tell the difference between her eating and just comfort nursing (one you will hear swallows, other no swallows and much shallower suck), but in the meantime, I'd just nurse her.  I wouldn't look at the clock at her age.

As far as at night, I'd try swaddling her.  They want to be close to you because this world is new and scary, so they tend to want to be held a lot.  Enjoy it, it goes away!

whitehead15

My DS was the same way at that age. ?He's gotten much better and I'm not feeding him every hour anymore. ?Swaddling has saved us at night. ?DS still only sleeps for 3 hours at a time at night, but without the swaddle, he wouldn't last 15 min. unless he was sleeping on us. ?

Keep your head up! ?It will get better soon!?