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Author Topic: Still falling asleep while nursing - almost 6 weeks old!  (Read 2101 times)

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Offline KMET

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Still falling asleep while nursing - almost 6 weeks old!
« on: March 14, 2008, 11:33:47 am »
My ds is almost 6 weeks old and he is still falling asleep while nursing. I have tried everything to keep him awake - undress him, massage his hands, tickle his feet, read to him, sing to him etc., but nothing works. It is starting to affect the length of his feeds and thus his sleep and general routine. Is it still normal for him to be so sleepy while feeding? Any advice or input on when I might expect this to stop?
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Offline hlatreille

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Re: Still falling asleep while nursing - almost 6 weeks old!
« Reply #1 on: March 14, 2008, 14:28:32 pm »
Are you breastfeeding?  If so, yes, it can be pretty typical at his age to keep falling asleep....I know it's frustrating hey!!  My DS was a sleepy baby too and would take as long as an 1hr-1.5hr to nurse.  It too started to affect his sleep since by the time I changed him after feeding, put him to bed, he would only be sleeping for maybe an hour before his need feed was due.  I tried all the things you did and nothing ever really worked, maybe try burping or walking your fingers down his spine.

The reason he is falling asleep could be due to a couple things.....when you breast feed, you release oxytocin causing babies to become sleepy.

Maybe your let down is too slow and he is getting bored and falling asleep.  Unfortunately, you can't really control either situation if these are the causes. 

I ended up stopping BF and going to the bottle (for other reasons).  Things dramatically improved...
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Offline elmarie

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Re: Still falling asleep while nursing - almost 6 weeks old!
« Reply #2 on: March 14, 2008, 16:04:34 pm »
Here is some additional info and a link to help you with keeping your new born awake during a feed..

HTH

EX
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Offline Emma-Rose's mom

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Re: Still falling asleep while nursing - almost 6 weeks old!
« Reply #3 on: March 14, 2008, 17:03:17 pm »
My lo is 8 weeks as STILL has the same problem. It's not uncommon for babies your age to be sleepy heads. It STILL takes my lo 40 minutes to nurse b/c I'm constantly having to wake her. I even "pretend" to change her diaper, in addition to all you do. Try a wet, cool but not cold washrag you can pat your dds face with. Also, have you tried breast compressions when your little one stops sucking? My lo was still gaining weight even though she was sleepy. Just keep doing what you are doing, and as long as he's making progress in weight, don't worry.

Emma's mom
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