2 Qs: Feeding Frequently, Falling Asleep While Feeding

[milk_truck]

Hello! I have a newborn daughter who is turning 6 weeks tomorrow. She seems to nurse frequently even at night. I heard that by this age, they should start nursing more during the day and less at night but my daughter nurses frequently day or night. Most nights, she nurses every hour or hour and a half so it makes me think that she did not really have enough to keep her asleep for at least 2 hours.

Also, she falls asleep while feeding and when I try to burp her, she will not because she is asleep. When this happens, she spits up while she is laying in her crib and this wakes her up. (This usually happens at night).

Has this happened to anyone and do you have any advice?

[AJsmommy]

6 weeks is prime time for a growth spurt so she is probably nursing more frequently to increase your supply. Go with the flow for now. I promise it does pass, just in time for the next "spurt" . I personally didn't have to deal with my DS falling asleep at the breast. He eats plenty !! I was told and have read that they need to take in a full feeding to get the hind-milk. A friend of mine kept a cold wash cloth next to her while she BF her kids and if they fell asleep too quick she would place that on their feet so they would wake up and finish. It made sense to me, I just never had to deal with it. Best wishes, Shannon

[@llli*sweetiejo5]

Welcome! Love the screen name. It is completly normal for your DD (dear daughter) to be nursing so frequently. Some babies start lasting through the night more around that time, but some do not. Your milk supply works on supply and demand which is why nursing so frequently is important in the beginning until your supply is well established. Breast milk is also quickly digested which is why they are hungry again so quickly. How often are you switching breasts or are you? Letting her continue to suck on one breast even after it seems to be drained will not only help increase your supply but will also ensure that she is getting plenty of hind milk, which is fattier and can help her to last longer between feedings. My DD started going on what I called feeding frenzies around 4 weeks where she would nurse for several hours straight. I thought that there was no way she could be getting anything out of there but she must have been because she started sleeping in longer blocks of time afterwards. But I am getting off subject- sounds like you are doing great. You must be very tired but hang in there!

About the burping- breastfeed babies don't need to burp quite as urgently because they swallow much less air. Most moms don't force it. But since the spitting up is a concern- you might try moving her to a more upright position after she is done eating-still cradled in your arm but where her back is straight. Her head will naturally tilt back some. This position never woke my dd and somehow the position would allow her to burp easily. It is worth a try!

[milk_truck]

Hi AJsmommy (Shannon), thanks for the reply. I will try that wash cloth thing next time. Being a new mom is definitely challenging.

[milk_truck]

Hi sweetiejo5. About the screen name, when my husband has my DD and he notices she's hungry, he would say, "let's go to the milk truck". Anyway, thanks for the advice. I sure am tired but I am not giving up. It is definitely tough but I do belive it will get easier. I will try your suggestion and will let you know if it works.

[milk_truck]

How often are you switching breasts or are you? Letting her continue to suck on one breast even after it seems to be drained will not only help increase your supply but will also ensure that she is getting plenty of hind milk, which is fattier and can help her to last longer between feedings. My DD started going on what I called feeding frenzies around 4 weeks where she would nurse for several hours straight. I thought that there was no way she could be getting anything out of there but she must have been because she started sleeping in longer blocks of time afterwards. But I am getting off subject- sounds like you are doing great. You must be very tired but hang in there!

Oh yeah, I usually don't switch breasts because my DD is usually done from one side. But the last few days, I notice that she would feed for a few hours too, just like what you called 'feeding frenzies'. This is when I would switch breasts. I would think she is done because she pulls away, then as I am holding her, she is not asleep as she usually would be, a few minutes later she gets fussy and wants more. This could go on for a while.

By the way, thanks for letting me know about the abbreviation (DD). I had no idea what it meant when I was reading the other postings.

[zoewmu]

You're not alone, let me tell ya. I'm having the same problem. My 3 1/2 week old DD will nurse on one side, fall asleep, let go, and once I move her away from me will wake up and kind of have an "oh, yeah, I was eating" moment and start rooting again. Then, we'll go to the other side and she'll do the same thing. Once she's done on both sides, and is sound asleep for 10 minutes or so, I go to put her in her crib, she'll wake up and start fussing. It's like as long as she's attached to me she can sleep, but the minute I put her down, she thinks she's hungry again. I never know if it's really time to go to sleep or not. And, of course, by the time we've done this a couple of times, I'm truly exhausted. We're using nipple shields and an apnea monitor, so cosleeping isn't really an option (the monitor company told me that cosleeping tends to set the monitor off because the monitor will pick up Mom's stats...and they were right). But, if I could, that's what I would do, cuz otherwise, Momma's getting no sleep. I don't know if it's really cluster feeding when the babe falls asleep but it's really frustrating. This morning, I was so tired, I let her sleep with me for the half hour before my alarm went off (whose idea was it to have a newborn and school age kids at the same time anyways!), and she fell asleep and stayed that way. I think she just wants to be with her Momma. And, when it was time for me to get up, I put her in her crib and she slept for another hour.

Anyways, I didn't mean to hijack your thread, I just wanted you to know that it seems to be a common concern. I'm hoping it passes quickly.

[divinedimension]

Hello! I have a newborn daughter who is turning 6 weeks tomorrow. She seems to nurse frequently even at night. I heard that by this age, they should start nursing more during the day and less at night but my daughter nurses frequently day or night. Most nights, she nurses every hour or hour and a half so it makes me think that she did not really have enough to keep her asleep for at least 2 hours.

Also, she falls asleep while feeding and when I try to burp her, she will not because she is asleep. When this happens, she spits up while she is laying in her crib and this wakes her up. (This usually happens at night).

Has this happened to anyone and do you have any advice?

My four week old does the exact same things. I haven't found any useful ways to make him go longer without eating OR to make him stop falling asleep without burping. Insofar as babies beginning to nurse less at night and more during the day, I think that's an old wives tale..haha.