Help! 10 mins feeds through the night! : (

[loub]

 
DS is a v sleepy feeder. he's 4 weeks old and hasn;t got any less sleepy. I am using all the techniques during the day to make sure he gets what he seems to need. This means that at every feed he is changed after 10 mins (when he first falls asleep) then winded after another 10 mins and finally I put him in his basket. He will usually wake for another 10 mins. I do not think it is slow let-down or any problem as such, just the hormones knocking him out. Not sure though! The main problem with this though is the night feeds. Last night he woke at 1, 3, 5 and 8 and only fed for 10 mins at a time. I do not think he is snacking or habitually waking, but rather that he is only getting foremilk so is waking hungry all the time. The prob is that I am too tired to do all the rousing tricks that I use during the day, plus I do not want to confuse his night and day by being loud and doing nappy changes in order to make him take a full feed  What should I do as he is waking me all through the night!!  The only thing I can think of is topping him off with ebm but I am a rubbish expresser..

[~ Vik ~]

Hi loub

Your little guy is so very young!  It's quite normal for them to fall asleep while feeding when they're this young - they're warm and cozy, all nestled in with mama, and the hormones in breastmilk are quite powerful and make him (and you!) very sleepy.  It sounds like you're doing great during the day at keeping him awake and interested, but I completely understand why you don't want to go to such great lengths during the night!  Here are a few ideas that might keep him interested in a longer feed, without confusing his day/night or jumping through hoops to keep him up

Increasing stimulation:
Rub or pat the baby's back or walk fingers up and down spine
Gently rub the baby's hands and feet
Increase skin-to-skin contact
Wipe forehead and cheeks with a cool damp cloth
Circle the baby's lips with a fingertip
Express milk onto the baby's lips

Keeping the baby interested:
Make sure the hand supporting the breasts keeps the weight of the breast off the baby's chin
Use breast compressions to keep the milk flowing
http://www.bfar.org/compression.shtml
Switch breasts as soon as the baby begins to lose interest
Burp the baby between sides
Nurse using the football hold rather than the cradle hold
Massage the baby's crown in a circular motion while nursing

(from http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63428.0)

Using some of these techniques might help keep him interested for long enough to take a fuller feed.  And time will be a remedy too - as he matures a bit his sleep patterns will organize better, he will be feeding more efficiently, and you will all hopefully start getting more sleep

HTH!
Vikki

[~ Vik ~]

Forgot to mention too that there is a growth spurt around 4-6 weeks.  Has he been waking so frequently for a while, or is it more of a recent development?  Here is some more information on that if you're interested:  http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=66001.0

[loub]

Thank you v much, have just been able to get on and read the reply. We had an awful night last night, he woke me every hour and I could not get him to feed for more than 5 mins even tho he seemed so hungry when he woke   

I will definitely try those methods you suggested. To clarify, I should not do the nappy change as it will wake him too much and signify 'This is day time!'?     He does actually seem to have a good grip of day and night as he never needs ssh-patting or anything at night so I don't want to mess it up but equally... 

[~ Vik ~]

(((hugs))) for the rough night, you must be exhausted!

Diaper changes can be very stimulating for los, so I usually recommend changing only if he's poopy or soaked through. The reason being that you want to keep night feeds as low key and boring as possible to help distinguish between day and night.

Having said that, if your ds is so sleepy that he's not taking proper feeds and is thus waking every hour, a little stimulation may not be a bad thing! If a diaper change wakes him enough to take a better feed and he still settles ok afterwards then go ahead! You might get better sleep overall.

At this young age, hunger is definitely driving some of the wakings, but I wonder if there's something else? Gas pains, too hot/cold, too dark/bright, etc? Have you read:
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=52878.0
http://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=141660.0

what do you think?