Baby keeps licking lips and sucking hand even after being fed!

[Biddylee]

My LO is 4 weeks and today it seems like no feeding makes her content. So she'll come off the breast, sleep, then awake and suck her fist or suck her collar or stick out her tongue - I'm not sure my nipples can cope with her sucking away all evening (plus I don't always think she is getting any milk anyway!!)

Anyone experience this or got any ideas how to solve it? I've thought about possibly introducing a pacifier.

 

[veganmama]

sleep for how long?

 

[Biddylee]

Usually a short period - like ten minute - I've been putting her on the breast again however she will fall asleep again and then if moved, awakes and sucks hand.

 

[Leeze]

she might just be exploring her world. my LO used to do this and she started self-soothing at about 10 weeks by sucking her thumb which is great because a lot of the time she can settle herself to sleep now. Is your LO getting other naps during the day - it might otherwise be overtiredness if the naps are mainly about 10 mins long x

 

[veganmama]

you should wait until you see her in deep sleep before moving her. they are easily awakened when in light sleep

deep sleep signs = fists unclenched, weak limbs

 

[octosquishy]

My LO was sucking his hands in the womb

Up until we introduced a passy (his hands just weren't enough for him anymore) he sucked on his hands non-stop, regardless of being hungry or not. Pretty much any time that he's awake, or asleep even, he has that passy in his mouth. I doubt that she's really hungry all the time, it's probably just self soothing sucking like stated above

 

[Novbaby08]

mine does this, and usually is STILL hungry lol. might be a growth spurt

 

[victorial8]

May be a growth spurt x

 

[Menelly]

I'd vote cluster feeding/growth spurt too. Just making sure you have enough for the upcoming days!! Mine has been cluster feeding since noon yesterday.

 

[LaRockera]

My LO does this too and I always take it that she's hungry- because she's moving her mouth wide open and searches frantically and moves her head here and there. Sometimes the pacifier works but most of the time she will spit it out- which means she can't be fooled if she wants to be fed. She also clusterfeeds and wakes up at about 30min intervals and wants to be fed again and again- four times so far she has spit up an amount of about a spoonful- and depending on how much she's eaten I'll either offer her a breast or my mum/husband will try and rock her and play with her for a while (apparently she can smell the milk in me so she will fuss if I try to sooth her while she demands to be fed).

I suppose clusterfeeding is normal, but I'd also think it depends on how long it lasts. It's normal to have clusterfeeding evenings, or even sometimes whole days, but if it happens constantly I'd consult a pediatrician?

 

[Biddylee]

Well the LO has chilled out a bit today - still sucking the hand a lot (and I'm sure she might have made herself sick by sticking the fingers in too far!). She's been sleeping alot too so I've been trying to make sure I'm feeding her whenever she's awake. BTW hoping it's not a growth spurt - she'll be too long for her sleepsuits!

LaRockera: I have the smelling of milk problem too - I can't smooth her without her starting to root. I need to get my OH to hold her - she is so going to be daddy's girl!

 

[LaRockera]

LaRockera: I have the smelling of milk problem too - I can't smooth her without her starting to root. I need to get my OH to hold her - she is so going to be daddy's girl!

Yeah, that's typical. Like one of my buddies here said, we're the buffet, so what they primarily want from us is feeding.

I discussed this with other mommies though, and it appears to be normal. For some reason, many a time everyone else is capable of putting your baby to bed but you.

 

[The Alchemist]

My lo has been wanting to feed like this for the last few nights. She's only a week old too. She'll wake up to eat, pull herself off the nipple, and fall asleep like a drunken sailor. She looks knocked out, so I'd set her down. Thirty minutes to an hour later, I hear her lip smacking and sucking on her hand. It was hell last night. I practically didn't sleep at all.

 

[Menelly]

My lo has been wanting to feed like this for the last few nights. She's only a week old too. She'll wake up to eat, pull herself off the nipple, and fall asleep like a drunken sailor. She looks knocked out, so I'd set her down. Thirty minutes to an hour later, I hear her lip smacking and sucking on her hand. It was hell last night. I practically didn't sleep at all.

Has anyone told you about the baby arm gas gauge?

When a breastfed baby starts eating, their hand is clenched, up near their face, fist tight. As they feed, their arms start going down their sides, like a little gas gauge. When their arm is near their chest, they're half full, for example. When their little arm is relaxed, fingers open, all the way at their side, they're usually full.

Now, Kesslie falls asleep "half full" all the time. If I try and put her down then, she wakes up 30 min later cranky and thinking she's starving to death, but it's my fault for putting her down half full. If I persist in tickling her, waking her up, changing her butt, etc and make sure she gets all the way full before I put her down, I get 2-3 hours out of her.

Pay attention to the arms! (I have pictures of this phenomenon if you need them... I learned this from my lactation consultant, and it's helped me a LOT.)

 

[Tink81]

My lo has been wanting to feed like this for the last few nights. She's only a week old too. She'll wake up to eat, pull herself off the nipple, and fall asleep like a drunken sailor. She looks knocked out, so I'd set her down. Thirty minutes to an hour later, I hear her lip smacking and sucking on her hand. It was hell last night. I practically didn't sleep at all.

Has anyone told you about the baby arm gas gauge?

When a breastfed baby starts eating, their hand is clenched, up near their face, fist tight. As they feed, their arms start going down their sides, like a little gas gauge. When their arm is near their chest, they're half full, for example. When their little arm is relaxed, fingers open, all the way at their side, they're usually full.

Now, Kesslie falls asleep "half full" all the time. If I try and put her down then, she wakes up 30 min later cranky and thinking she's starving to death, but it's my fault for putting her down half full. If I persist in tickling her, waking her up, changing her butt, etc and make sure she gets all the way full before I put her down, I get 2-3 hours out of her.

Pay attention to the arms! (I have pictures of this phenomenon if you need them... I learned this from my lactation consultant, and it's helped me a LOT.)

What a good tip

 

[debsiek]

snap!

 

[kosh]

My lo has been wanting to feed like this for the last few nights. She's only a week old too. She'll wake up to eat, pull herself off the nipple, and fall asleep like a drunken sailor. She looks knocked out, so I'd set her down. Thirty minutes to an hour later, I hear her lip smacking and sucking on her hand. It was hell last night. I practically didn't sleep at all.

Has anyone told you about the baby arm gas gauge?

When a breastfed baby starts eating, their hand is clenched, up near their face, fist tight. As they feed, their arms start going down their sides, like a little gas gauge. When their arm is near their chest, they're half full, for example. When their little arm is relaxed, fingers open, all the way at their side, they're usually full.

Now, Kesslie falls asleep "half full" all the time. If I try and put her down then, she wakes up 30 min later cranky and thinking she's starving to death, but it's my fault for putting her down half full. If I persist in tickling her, waking her up, changing her butt, etc and make sure she gets all the way full before I put her down, I get 2-3 hours out of her.

Pay attention to the arms! (I have pictures of this phenomenon if you need them... I learned this from my lactation consultant, and it's helped me a LOT.)

great advise!

EDIT:does this work for a 2-3month old baby too or just for early newborns?

 

[The Alchemist]

Wow! That's so interesting....yeah that wiuld be great if you could send over the pic/info about this. I have never heard of this before. That is really good to know. Thanks for the advice!

My lo has been wanting to feed like this for the last few nights. She's only a week old too. She'll wake up to eat, pull herself off the nipple, and fall asleep like a drunken sailor. She looks knocked out, so I'd set her down. Thirty minutes to an hour later, I hear her lip smacking and sucking on her hand. It was hell last night. I practically didn't sleep at all.

Has anyone told you about the baby arm gas gauge?

When a breastfed baby starts eating, their hand is clenched, up near their face, fist tight. As they feed, their arms start going down their sides, like a little gas gauge. When their arm is near their chest, they're half full, for example. When their little arm is relaxed, fingers open, all the way at their side, they're usually full.

Now, Kesslie falls asleep "half full" all the time. If I try and put her down then, she wakes up 30 min later cranky and thinking she's starving to death, but it's my fault for putting her down half full. If I persist in tickling her, waking her up, changing her butt, etc and make sure she gets all the way full before I put her down, I get 2-3 hours out of her.

Pay attention to the arms! (I have pictures of this phenomenon if you need them... I learned this from my lactation consultant, and it's helped me a LOT.)

 

[Menelly]

Okie, here's pics. Warning: You will see boob.

This is Kesslie with an "empty tank":

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/Shalia/emptytank.jpg

Kesslie "half full":

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/Shalia/halffulltank.jpg

Kesslie at full:

https://img.photobucket.com/albums/v132/Shalia/fulltank.jpg

I have no idea if it works for 2-3 month olds... I just went off what the lactation consultant told me, and she didn't tell me how long it went for. Seems to work every time though! If I wait till her arm is relaxed at the side before trying to put her to bed, she sleeps really well. (Except cluster feeding days... but that's to be expected!)

 

[missangie]

menelly, that is awesome! thank you for posting the pics. Now that I think about my baby and his feedings, he always starts with his hand clenched and right by his face so now Ill have to pay attention to what happens as he is eating. THANK YOU!