waking up baby to feed

path75 · December 2014

I am sure this has been discussed before but I couldn't find the thread. Due to jaundice I am having to put LO on a strict every 2 hour schedule. Unfortunately I can't always wake him. I have tried it all, stripping him down, skin to skin with no avail. Should I just give in and let him eat when he is awake. I try my best.

Mrw218 · December 2014

Did you talk to the doc about baby not waking up? Just ask if the 2 hrs slides a little bc LO won't wake is that ok? I don't think any of us wants to tell you it's ok to go more than 2 hrs.

Eora3 · December 2014

If there is a medical reason (jaundice), than you should be following the advice of your doctor. Wipe him down with an ice cold washcloth if you need to, rub the palm of his hands with the cold washcloth.

Think of the feeding as medicine. You wouldn't skip a dose of medicine because you are having a hard time waking him for it, same goes for a feeding in baby is under weight or jaundiced. It isn't easy, but it is necessary.

VMac1984 · December 2014

My baby is also jaundice. He's currently under the lights in the nicu. They have me feeding him every 3 hours. He is feeding pretty well, but he is super tired and I have to message the breast to encourage him to keep feeding. Personally, I think letting him get a good long sleep in would make him good and ready to feed when he does wake up. I'd check with your doctor, but the 3 hour schedule is working for us. He has only list 3% of his birthweight and us having regular wet and dirty diapers. I'd say if everything else is going well with baby, let him sleep. After writing that novel, I'm going to end by saying each baby has different needs, so just ask your dictor rather than comparing your baby with other babies. Good luck

JennieNeilan · December 2014

I was having a hard time waking my little lady in the night and the best things for me have been diaper changes (sometimes) or a cold washcloth wiped on her body. I feel like a jerk doing that but it works for us so if she's not going to wake, I'm going to be a big ol' meanie.

Serunatu · December 2014

The cold wash cloth helped me a lot!

hellopartyof5 · December 2014

A symptom of jaundice is having trouble waking the baby up. The more they poop the better they are. Make sure he eats, and if you're really having trouble waking him up definitely call your dr because they'll help you with a game plan.

path75 · December 2014

Thanks for the responses. I am breast feeding. I guess the lack of sleep being a FTM and wanting this breast feeding to not fail has got me kind of down. I will mention the sleepiness on my Friday appt. I know it is a symptom of jaundice. The nurse had tried to help me a bit when we were in the hospital. He was on light therapy at the hospital and his level got down to 10 so they released him. The pediatrician became concerned because he lost more weight and his level went up to 15 as of the follow up Sunday. We had another follow up Monday and it was up to 16 but he gained 3 oz back. Yesterday we had a third follow up and the jaundice numbers have stabilized. I told the pediatrician he feeds for about 20 to 25 minutes every 2 1/2 to 3 hours and she said it is not enough. Unfortunately we have seen three different pediatricians at the hospital out patient clinic since i don't have one selected yet. He fed 4 times in 6 hours earlier today with two of those sessions being 45 minutes long, the other two were 20 and 15 minutes. He latches well and seems to be feeding well. I did feed him about 1.25oz of formula after an hour of trying to wake him but began to spit it up so I stopped. I felt like I was forcing him to eat and I felt bad. I guess I just need to make sure I get 10 to 12 good feedings and not worry too much about the timing if he is sleepy.

Kmm1023 · December 2014

I would try to choose a pediatrian asap so you have someone consistent giving you advice. Good luck!

hellopartyof5 · December 2014

How are his diapers? That's really the important part. Are you getting a lot of dirty diapers? I'm sorry your stressed! I know when they brought it up with me that I may need to feed him formula because LO was losing too much weight I started crying. We actually didn't have to, so I can only imagine that the stress would get worse. Keep your head up and definitely pick a dr!!! Do you have any friends or family that can recommend one in your area?

rshamos · December 2014

We supplemented with formula until LO was better. I would BF then we would top him off with formula. It was the best thing for us bc it took the stress off of me, waiting for my milk to come in, and LO was fed well and got better. Pick a pediatrician soon and do what you need to in order to get your baby feeling better. To try to wake him up, try the cold cloth like pp said and try blowing in his face. It's harsh but works!

mgk207 · December 2014

I feel you! As a new mom who is sleep deprived, it is the most counterintuitive thing to wake up your baby to eat. Mine was also jaundiced, and it's now resolving. My doc wasn't quite as strict as yours about 2 hour feedings. She said 2-3, with one stretch of 4 in the night, as long as diapers were consistent. I don't have any additional suggestions for you, but know you're not alone, and this won't last forever!

path75 · December 2014

I had a couple numbers of pediatricians the weekend before I went into labor. We have had so many appointments I just want to make sure he was stable before I transferredhis records. I was more concerned with him being seen right away. He is only 8 days old so I know I need to teach him. The diaper changes usually work but today he fell asleep as soon as I started to feed. I had a wet wash cloth bathing him, stripped him naked, skin to skin, stood him up and talked but nothing was working. Guess I better get used to it. So far he is nursing about every hour 25 to 30 minutes so I think we will make it. Also he had 4 poppy diapers yesterday and two today. Hopefully I just need to get through the next few days.

Fossegirl1228 · December 2014

LO was jaundice as well and we had to wake to feed her. Feeding will cause your baby to have to poop/pee and this helps bring down their bilirubin level (I probably spelled that wrong)

kboyet · January 2015

Hang in there mama! We went through the same thing with our LO. I had to set my alarm and persisted until I was able to feed. I though of it like PP said- medicine for the baby to get better. My pediatrician said feeding him was the best thing I could do. I know it's tough. Sending positive thoughts your way!

VMac1984 · January 2015

misskilljoy said:

VMac1984 said:

Personally, I think letting him get a good long sleep in would make him good and ready to feed when he does wake up. I'd check with your doctor, but the 3 hour schedule is working for us. He has only list 3% of his birthweight and us having regular wet and dirty diapers. I'd say if everything else is going well with baby, let him sleep.

It really doesn't work that way. A baby's stomach is incredibly small. Missing a feeding doesn't mean that LO will eat more to make up for it at the next one, because there just isn't any ROOM for more than one feeding at a time in there. Missing a feeding means that baby misses a feeding, full stop, which isn't great if the baby is jaundiced.

Re: laxative effects, breastmilk makes my baby poop WAY more than the formula did. She was having trouble kicking the jaundice when we were supplementing with formula, then basically as soon as my milk came in and I was able to give her pumped BM for all of her feedings, the jaundice was gone very quickly.

Not suggesting skipping a feeding, just delaying it for and hour, max. She was feeding every 2 hrs, so I was suggesting that maybe spacing out the feedings would work. Just a suggestion based on what I've experienced. Like I ended in my previous post though- Dr. Would be the one to ask.

path75 · January 2015

Right now I have been feeding every hour and trying to keep him up the best I can. So far its working. He did nap earlier but I was able to wake him after a diaper change. Thanks for all your input. I guess this is a pretty common problem that will pass over time. I have only had one feeding that was late so that is progress and four poopy diapers. Hopefully tommorrow will be better.

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