keeping baby awake while nursing

[Googy]

DD2 is such a sleepy nurser. She is just exhausted, probably from the rough labor and all the complications we had. She will do one side pretty well, but then falls into a deep sleep and I can't wake her up to do the other side. With DD1 I would strip her down so she was a little chilly, and that would help her keep going. But DD2 is having temperature regulation problems, so I have to keep her double-wrapped up tight with a hat at all times. I've tried stroking her face and jiggling her feet but it doesn't work.

The problem is, because she has only taken one side she is not very full. She wakes up every hour on the hour to nurse. This is killing me, since I am going through a major recovery too. Any brilliant ideas for keeping her awake for both sides?????

[chrysalis]

i was told to keep sheamas awake too. i find myself having a really hard time doing that-sigh...................

[Grace24]

Gosh, if that stuff isn't working...

The lactation consultant at the hospital stunned my baby by taking off his clothes ("skin to skin contact") and putting him on a pillow and tickling him, then shoving my ENTIRE breast in his mouth... it traumatized us both so badly cuz it was unncessary (he was feeding just fine)...

But I'm thinking that might work?

It's so frustrating to be woken up so often cuz they can't finish a full feed. We have nights like that. I wish I could suggest something better...

My main trick is to walk my fingers up his spine... it gives him the shivers and jerks him awake, for a while... but once he's that sleepy, only daddy can truly annoy him enough to wake him up to do the other side.

[scheelimama]

At first, I would change Piper's diaper in between breasts to wake her back up. Now, she only nurses one side at a time during the night and is fine, she'll sleep 2-4 hours in between nursing.

[NaomiMcC]

I have the same response as scheelimama...so I just switch boobs each time. Half the time she'll empty both however...

[Curlita]

She will probably wake up a little more in the next week... she is still so new. Here are some ideas from our Breastfeeding 911 thread. Hope it helps.

Keeping Baby Awake to Feed

* Take off baby’s clothes so they aren’t too comfortable. You can even use a wet washcloth to keep him awake (sounds harsh, but I did this with Dylan).
* The grasping instinct and the sucking instinct are linked. Hold baby’s fingers and as s/he grasps your finger, s/he will also suck.
* Pull baby’s hand and arm up and away from their side. They will feel like they are being pulled away from the breast and instinctively start sucking again (courtesy of University of WA lactation consultants).
* Compress the breast while baby is sucking. Squeeze gently to express milk into their mouth, then release. This keeps the milk flow going and keeps them more interested in the project. (courtesy of University of WA lactation consultants).
* Is baby actually eating or comfort nursing? Watch his jaw and throat. You should be able to see a series of sucks and then a swallow. If baby is just comfort nursing, there will be a series of fluttering sucks, but no swallow.

[GinaRae]

At first it would take 1 to 1.5 hours to feed him because he was so sleepy. I would place him on one breast until he fell asleep, then change him to the other using diaper changes, undressing, laying him down (guess the cool sheets would wake him up), talking to him out in front of me, kissing his face, and different holds to stimulate him in between.

I kept everything I could need next to me in bed so I wouldn't HAVE to get up if I didn't need to. I had 4th degree hemorrhoids that had tears (my vagina had one tiny unstitched tear that didn't even come close to the pain in my behind) so I didn't need to move unless I had to.

Now at 17 days he will go down "for the night" between 9 and 11pm and sleep 3-4 hours then he feeds on one side every 1-2 hours after that. The 1-2 hour thing is tough sometimes, but I am grateful for the 4 hour stretch.

We also keep him awake as much as possible in the late evening and he would snack snack snack so that help him sleep the first few hours now.

BTW: Not sure what's going on with you, but take a ton of Vitamin C and the recommended dose of Vitamin E every day to help you recover more quickly.

[maisiedotes]

NAK
not that I am any expert but I find that if I tickle mairaed behind the ear it wakes her up and gets her sucking again. Also as a PP said, stripping her naked and tickling her feet has also helped.

But, I am the person having all the BF issues so you may be wise to ignore me.

[scheelimama]

Originally Posted by GinaRae

Now at 17 days he will go down "for the night" between 9 and 11pm and sleep 3-4 hours then he feeds on one side every 1-2 hours after that. The 1-2 hour thing is tough sometimes, but I am grateful for the 4 hour stretch.

We also keep him awake as much as possible in the late evening and he would snack snack snack so that help him sleep the first few hours now.

Man, even our babes were twins in a past life! Almost exactly the same pattern here, though it's usually closer to 10:30-11 before she passes out for the night.

[GinaRae]

LOL, if only you weren't in Savannah, muh dear!