Newborn help

[dirtyhipegirl]

please help, I haven't slept, and am getting frustrated. my one week old is nursing perfect during the day. She eats at least every couple of hours with no problem. She is latched on good and she has gained weight. But then every night so far she wants to eat without stop. If she falls asleep, she immediately wakes up looking to eat more. Then she gets frustrated and starts pulling on and off my breast. It seems like it's not coming out fast enough for her maybe? By around midnight every night my nipples hurt and have turned to mush and then she gets frustrated that she can't latch on. Then around 3 she falls asleep. What is going on? During the day she does so good.

[PatioGardener]

She's 'cluster feeding' Mama, and working hard to increase your supply. It's normal (and actually a good thing for your supply). And she'll probably start to feed more often during the day today or tomorrow - usually there is a growth spurt around 1 week.

I'd keep working on her latch - especially in the evening. You need your nipples to be healthy not mush!

[dirtyhipegirl]

thank you

[PatioGardener]

I know it is so much easier to say than to do, but when your baby sleeps can you nap too? Forget anything else you were planning to do around the house - for these next few weeks you really need to focus on feeding baby, feeding yourself and sleeping whenever you can!

[dirtyhipegirl]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener

I know it is so much easier to say than to do, but when your baby sleeps can you nap too? Forget anything else you were planning to do around the house - for these next few weeks you really need to focus on feeding baby, feeding yourself and sleeping whenever you can!

I need to do this. It is so hard to let everything else go.

[haurelia]

Originally Posted by dirtyhipegirl

I need to do this. It is so hard to let everything else go.

Let it all go for now! Your sleep is paramount, especially because you're still healing from birth and getting your milk supply established. We get stressed without sleep, and stress hormones are no good for milk supply.
What she's doing is normal. But, it's also biologically normal for mama to need maximum rest now too. So, all you need to do is eat, drink, nurse, sleep, pee. Maybe shower. If folks want to come "visit the baby" give them a job to do while you nurse and rest with your babe.

Your milk supply will soon catch up to your babe, until the next growth spurt happens and things change again. One thing I've learned with mothering a baby is that just as soon as one stage makes me frustrated, it changes to something else. Hang in there, and keep at it.