no idea what I'm doing!

[spunky84]

I had latching issues with DD so pumped all hours of the day and night.

Honestly, I have no desire to do that again nor can I really do it even if I wanted as it'd be too hard with DD and returning to school in about a week.

DS had issues staying latched. He, like DD, had tongue tie. We got it snipped right away. He latched once the next day and nursed for 40 minutes. After that he just screamed when I tried getting him to latch.

He had increasing bilirubin levels, so I just started pumping to help get more in him to try and get the levels down.

I kind of gave up on getting him to latch, but last Monday he started rooting, so I gave it a try.

I've been trying since. He only nurses for only about 10 minutes. I try both sides, so he gets in about 15 - 20 minutes combined.

He usually just falls asleep and I can't get him to continue nursing or to re-latch if he loses the latch.

He's very obviously still hungry as he starts sucking on his fist. We then bottle feed to get him satisfied while I pump to empty as much as I can.

I know bottle feeding afterwards is counterproductive to supply, but I feel like my supply will drop further if I don't pump afterwards, and I don't want him to starve if he's still that hungry afterwards. He still drinks 2 oz after.

I know he's getting milk when he nurses as I'm much softer afterwards (I just don't know how much).

Does anyone have suggestions? Is there anything I can do to help get him to nurse longer and be satisfied rather than needing to feed from the bottle after? It's be great if I could get him to completely nurse so I'm just pumping for when I can't nurse (while I'm in class).

 

[Kazy]

How old is your lo now? When my newborns fell asleep feeding I would take their clothes off to wake them up. And if that didn't work I would wipe them with a baby wipe to wake them up. I had to do this off and on for the first month so that they would take a full feeding. After a.bit it became more natural and wasn't necessary.
I know it is a huge job nursing a baby! It does get easier though if you push through it.

Also what happens if you only nursed and don't give the extra bottle? Does he wake up unsatisfied? He may be getting more than you think.

 

[angelandbump]

My first son was born at 34 weeks and very bad jaundice. Jaundice causes babies to be more sleepy and are harder to bf since bf requires more effort then ff. Like the lady said above, stripping the baby to try and keep them awake a little longer should help. I also used to rub the soles of my sons feet to try and stimulate him again.

The problem with BF is not knowing how much the baby is getting but this should be shown in babies weight gain.

What I also did was pump before a feed to get my milk flowing, then get my son latched then when he was too tiered to continue, he would be topped up with the expressed milk.

xx

 

[Lirpa11]

We had the sleep problem the first two weeks. I did as the other ladies said, stripped him down, changed diaper, moved his arms and legs around, and as a last resort wiped him down with a cool wash cloth. Sometimes tho, he just didn't want to eat and I couldn't force him.

As for times, my son always fed for 5-10 minutes max. Sometimes he would go to 15-20 And a couple times to 30+. He has put on 2lbs in a month so he is getting enough. However he did seem satisfied afterwards too. We haven't ever topped up with bottles.

Also my son was tongue tied and nearly two weeks before he was clipped. He still ate fine before and after though.

 

[spicyorange]

Strip both of you down for skin to skin and spend some time feeding that way, she might take breaks it fall asleep (tickle her feed to help wake up). Try not to offer the bottle because she could be suffering nipple confusion.
Baby's will almost always take milk from a bottle even if they aren't hungry so don't use how much she is taking from a bottle of indication she is really hungry. 15-20 minutes might be enough to get what she needs especially if you have a fast supply.
My lo often takes a feed, then takes another 10 minutes later, she just needs a break, her jaw gets tired.
Just keep at it and maybe see a consultant about your latch if that's still a challenge.

 

[spicyorange]

Ps you're doing great.

 

[noon_child]

My lo often takes a feed, then takes another 10 minutes later, she just needs a break, her jaw gets tired.
Just keep at it and maybe see a consultant about your latch if that's still a challenge.

there is also a hormone produced by the action of sucking that makes babies fall asleep, but it is processed by their bodies very quickly and seems to leave their system in about 15-20 minutes so they wake up again rooting.

This creates a little and often pattern which is very useful for managing engorgement and ensures high fat content milk and a good supply.