Newborn sleeping too much? worried!

olga1311 · September 2013

Hi all.

My newborn (4 days old) sleeps ALL the time. We wake her up every 2-3 hours to nurse and get changed and she often would fall asleep while nursing. We get maybe half hour - hour of total awake/alert time from her. Our LC said she needs to nurse for 15 mins on each side but sometimes she gets so sleepy after only nursing on one side, its impossible to rouse her and get her to take the second breast. She lost 10% of her body weight by 3rd day. I am just really worried that something is wrong with her. We have an appt with our pedi in a week but I figured I'd ask here if anyone had a similar experience? I just want to make sure my DD gets all nutrition she needs to grow and develop. So far today she had 4 poopy diapers (poop is turning into seedy yellow which I think is good right?) and only 1 wet diaper that I could see.

PrimRoseMama · September 2013

DS was (and really still is) a very sleepy baby. As long as LO is eating and you have enough wet/dirty diapers then I would let them lead the way. In the beginning they are VERY sleepy. If you are concerned though, listen to your gut and talk to your pediatrician. It can never hurt.

kklee0710 · September 2013

DD was very sleepy in the beginning and lost 10% of her weight.. She had jaundice and when we met with a LC she said part of why she wasn't eating enough and slept after feeding for a short time was because she wasn't getting enough calories. If you think it's not right definitely check to see if you can see the pedi sooner. It can't hurt!

csspencer · September 2013

I'm still pretty new at this but...LO lost 12% of his weight by day 4. The pedi figured my milk hadn't come in, but did notice his poop was beginning to turn to seedy yellow, but he wasn't getting enough milk yet. Basically he was too sleepy to eat because he wasn't getting enough food. Once my milk came in, he gained 5.5 oz in two days. He still sometimes falls asleep nursing, but the pedi says that's normal with newborns, they sleep a lot. Just burp him mid feed and stir him up some to finish feeding. From what the ladies on the breast feeding board have said as long as he had enough wet/dirty diapers, things are ok. Sometimes LO won't nurse for 15 mins, but he's gaining and has plenty if dirty diapers.

mommabmb · September 2013

csspencer said:
I'm still pretty new at this but...LO lost 12% of his weight by day 4. The pedi figured my milk hadn't come in, but did notice his poop was beginning to turn to seedy yellow, but he wasn't getting enough milk yet. Basically he was too sleepy to eat because he wasn't getting enough food. Once my milk came in, he gained 5.5 oz in two days. He still sometimes falls asleep nursing, but the pedi says that's normal with newborns, they sleep a lot. Just burp him mid feed and stir him up some to finish feeding. From what the ladies on the breast feeding board have said as long as he had enough wet/dirty diapers, things are ok. Sometimes LO won't nurse for 15 mins, but he's gaining and has plenty if dirty diapers.

This was out experience to a T. It did take 8 days for my milk to come in.

kelseyjohnston · September 2013

This sounds like my son! He slept a lot and even now (he is 2 weeks old) he only feeds off of one breast at each feeding, but for about 20 minutes. He eats every 2 hours or so. He lost an entire POUND by the time he was 4 days old. Our pediatrician calmed me down and said it was completely fine, that he was learning about his "plumbing" haha. My son even went 2 days without a poopy diaper and the pedi said it was probably just because my milk hadn't come in yet. Of course, by day 5 my milk came in and things got SO much better! He eats longer and more frequent and he has at least 8 poopy diapers a day!

Hang in there mama, it'll get better with each day

hsneed21 · September 2013

Our little guy is almost 3 wks old and still sleeps like crazy! he stays awake for awhile and then gets cranky until he falls asleep. he will wake to eat, but then mostly sleeps. It is very normal for little ones. Everything you do wears them out. Enjoy it while it last.

TheyCalledHerKate · September 2013

My newborn slept a ton too to the post where I was worried but since she was having trouble gaining weight I did wake her after 3 hours to eat if she was still sleeping. She is much more awake now that she's 4 months but still a great napper! Some babies just need more sleep than others. If
You are not getting enough wet and dirty diapers per day you need to start waking for feeds.

LittleNugget93 · September 2013

My DD was the same way. She lost 6% of her body weight by the 2nd day. Not only was she incredibly sleepy, we also had breastfeeding problems. I would keep her in a diaper while nursing. When she stops sucking, count to 10. If you get to 10 without any sucking, start to tap her to wake up or blow on her head. Also, you could keep a wet washcloth on hand to bug her when she falls asleep. I rarely did that because her reaction made me so sad. Haha.

Some babies are just more sleepy than others.

I would only start worrying if her wet and dirty diapers decrease.

MommyAmes2 · September 2013

Babies do sleep a lot, but if you feel something isn't right, see the pedi.

My LO was very sleepy, she was jaundice. She lost a lot of weight in the beginning too. She is now almost 7 weeks and is 8.5 pounds (gaining nicely now).

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Newborn sleeping too much? worried!

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