Need Advice...

gothgrrl

LO just won't stay alert and then shows signs of hunger shortly after feeding...any suggestions for how to keep her more alert?  I do diaper change and sometimes strip her down before we begin feeding to help her keep her eyes open.  Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

shotzie

Tickle her feet/back,/ears, wiggle her nose, gently blow on her arm, touch a cool cloth to her feet/back/arm. Newborns are sleepy creatures, but you do want to make sure they're nursing enough. You can tell they're getting enough by their weight gain and number of diapers. Don't worry, in a bit, LO will be more awake for feedings.

88eve88

My DS was exactly the same way when he was younger.  I did everything you're doing, plus used a cold, wet washcloth to wipe his face and body while feeding, paused to burp, did diaper checks/changes in the middle of a feed, and did breast compressions.  

My LC recommended the compressions because she believed that if I squeezed, my milk flow would be faster and DS would swallow more before he got sleepy again.  HTH!  And she will "wake up" for feeds as she gets older ... mine did!

ETA: Oh yeah, and blowing on his face worked too.  

Sketchipyro

I am still having problems with my LO falling asleep while eating. I just started changing her diaper in the middle of feeding her. Since she's hungry to begin with, she doesn't need the diaper change to help get her going. Once she starts falling asleep, I change her diaper and that seems to help stimulate her to eat some more.

Towards the end she lazily suckles. I originally thought she was still hungry because when I'd end the bf session she'd be fussy or show some signs of hunger. I have learned though that she's using me as a pacifier and is just sucking to be soothed. I started offering a pacifier if she does this so I don't spend over an hour nursing her and to avoid nipple damage. If she is still truly hungry, she completely refuses the pacifier and I feed her more.

SuperGreen

Ditto PP suggestions.  I also found jiggling my boob in DS's mouth to be effective.  In the early weeks, I also offered one breast until he fell asleep, changed him, and offered the other breast.  The changing was usually enough to wake him up so that he'd feed on the second breast. Like PP said, your LO will be more alert to eat soon.  This is perfectly normal newborn behavior.