Help! Newborn won't sleep and wants to eat constantly! - Infant Care (up to 18 months old) Message Board

baby#2 · 05-04-2006, 08:14 PM

I am going insane. I am breastfeeding and have tons of milk. I am feeding my 1 week old every 2 hours or less and he won't sleep very well in between. After her comes off the breast he is in la la land for a few minutes and then when I go to put him down he starts rooting again and fussing. It eventually ends up in a full our scream and I try nursing again. He takes it and drinks a bit but then falls asleep. Then the whole routine starts over again.

I am going crazy. He is screaming his head off right now and I just had him down for about a 5 min nap from his last feed. I don't know what to do. My lactation nurse said I have tons of milk and when I was there yesterday she sat with me through a whole feed and he was an angel and passed out right afterwards for several hours. I don't get it.
Has anyone else had problems getting a schedule or some kind of routine with their newborn with breastfeeding?

lrguyer · 05-04-2006, 08:21 PM

My 5 week old son does the EXACT same thing. People criticize me for feeding him so much but he is just ALWAYS hungry!! He rarely goes longer than 2 hours between feedings. Dr. told me that as long as he is actually eating then he is probably hungry....I have started using a pacifier to hold him off a little longer. It works sometimes. It helps him to suck for a bit and drift back off to sleep for a little while longer. It doesn't gain you too much time but when he is eating that often, every few minutes helps! Good luck!

shelliam · 05-04-2006, 08:24 PM

If he is full and starts rooting after a full feed I would try a pacifier. Some babies are just "sucky" babies and need to comfort themselves. If you nurse him everytime he is hungry and everytime he comfort nurses you will go crazy . It does get better though hang in there. BTW when my babes were 4 weeks and under they nursed every 2 hours but this meant started feeding at 1:00 finished 1:25 maybe longer for DS and then fed again at 3:00 so I might get a hour and a half on a good day.

FLAngel · 05-04-2006, 09:38 PM

My dd is now 7 months old so those days seem so long ago, yet I remember them all too well. Nursing was very painful for me for the first couple months and my dd was a comfort nurser. I remember it felt like I was nursing every minute.

There is probably a couple things going on... Number one, baby is probably doing some nursing for comfort. And number two, since you are feeding on demand he is probably not getting his fill when he nurses as he is drifting off.

My lactation consultant and doctor recommended a couple things. #1. only allow 15 minutes of nursing at each side per feeding. #2. if baby falls asleep do what you can to wake him back up (take off his clothes, rub his cheeks, etc.) until 15 min on each side it done or he actually pulls away before drifting off. #3. try a pacifier between feedings ("The Happiest Baby on the Block" DVD provided some very helpful tips on getting baby to take the paci).

Feeding every 2 hours is not atypical at that age though. But he will probably sleep more soundly and for longer stretches if you can help him stay awake enough to really fill his belly.

Good luck! It will get much, much easier before you know it.

oh.. and pay attention to positioning. Try to get set up exactly as you were at the consultants office. It is amazing how simple little things like that can make such a big difference.

BioAdoptMom3 · 05-04-2006, 09:44 PM

He may start doing a lot better now that your milk has come in. After you feed him try having him sleep in a different position or place other than flat on his back in the bassinet or crib (if that is indeed the way you have him sleeping). Most babies do not sleep well or for very long like that and a change in position or place can be nothing short of miraculous! Try him on his tummy if you are comfortable with it, propped on his side, in his carseat or swing with the headrest (you can put the carseat right in the crib), swaddle him or sleep with him. I can almost guarantee that while he probably still won't be able to go more than three hours without a feeding at this age, you will get a lot more sleep in between feedings than you are getting right now.

Nancy