Sleepy Baby?

[Amethyst Rose]

Ahh....my first parenting question. ;)

Okay.... has anyone else had problems with a baby that just won't stop sleeping? I've read that Quintin is supposed to be fed at least 8 times in 24 hours so that's at least every 3 hours, but he just won't wake up.... I have to force him to wake up, and then force him to stay awake long enough to eat, and as soon as he's done eating he's fast asleep again.
I only just realized that this is a potential problem, and was letting him go 4 hours between feedings, so I don't think he was getting enough (I don't think he's had enough wet diapers). So tonight I'm going to start waking him every 2 hours and hope that improves things.... I'm just worried as to why he would be sleeping that much....it doesn't seem normal to me....
Anyway, I just want to know if anyone else had this problem and can tell me if I'm worrying unnecessarily.

[Gwynyvyr]

Are you breast or bottle-feeding? I breast fed most of mine. They seemed to sleep longer and went through fewer diapers than the ones I bottle fed.

[Aglaia]

my middle son was like that at first when I was breast feeding him. The nurses told me to undress him a little and rub his feet to wake him a bit more so he would nurse properly. If you are concerned about him not getting enough milk - you could always express/pump and put into a bottle to monitor the amounts he is getting.

As for how much he is sleeping - I think they are all different, and it depends on how alert they are while they are awake and for how long they stay awake. If you are seriously concerned about it though, for peace of mind, I would suggest maybe calling your dr. or health unit.

And always trust your instincts - is what my mother used to tell me.

Hope that is of some help.

[Drisel]

You can also try tickling him just below the jaw line from ear to chin to encourage eating.

[Flar's Freyja]

Did you have drugs during delivery? Are you nursing and taking anything that could be passed through your milk? If the answers are no, then I wouldn't worry.

My middle son was like that, especially during the night. He'd wake up to be fed but go right out as soon as he got the nipple in his mouth. After one night of nearly setting the house on fire (thank gods for an awesome smoke alarm - it went off before the kettle that had boiled itself dry even smoked) trying to stay awake and another incident where he rolled out of my lap, I stopped getting up and just brought him in bed with us.

He's what, 3 days old? He'll probably become more alert any time and you'll be wishing he'd go back to sleeping!

[Faery-Wings]

yes, this is very common with babies, especially in the first week or so. Then they seem to wake up more and more. :)

My son, for the first week, would sleep all day and would not wake up no matter what I did- the undressing, the wet washcloths, tickling the feet. I would get him roused, try to start nursing him and then conk- he was out like a light. Then he'd want to nurse all night LOL

If I had to do it again, I think I'd let them sleep/wake/eat more on their own than me trying to control it according to what the ped said. I think we tend to second guess ourselves as new moms a lot, when I really believe that the baby will tell us what it wants and needs.

Good luck to you hon!

[DayDreamer]

Are you breastfeeding? I certainly hope so, as that is BY FAR what is best for the baby.

For all kinds of advice with BF questions, go to www.breastfeeding.com - those ladies have a LOT of information.

Also, if possible, find a lactation consultant in your area if you are having latch problems or other nursing issues. She can also give recommendations about "sleepy baby" syndrome. It's very common.

[VelvetBlade]

Hun, as a mother of 4, my best advice to you is to let the baby sleep! He WILL wake up when he is hungry. Trust me on that one. You may find that he takes more at each feeding because he's not eating as often. The only time you really need to worry is if he starts losing weight, but remember...all babies will lose a little weight initially anyway. Relax, and take your cues from Quintin!!

~AW

[Aidron]

I have to agree with AngelWitch.

Babies are far more intuitive than we will ever be, simply because they are pure and untouched by society's BS.

He obviously knows something you don't. Perhaps he is simply exhausted from the delivery and it took more out of him than it does most babies.

Not all babies are going to scream, cry, and pitch a perpetual fit, driving you to the brink of insanity and then nearly over that cliff. I didn't. I was a very quiet baby and I slept a ton. Of course I'm mentally unsound so perhaps it was all that sleep. :lol:

I really wouldn't worry. If anything, waking up him too often might interfere and teach him (we begin learning far earlier than most even imagine) that he is supposed to behave that way and thus he will begin waking up every 2 hours forever, and then, oh no, you're screwed. Not only will he be getting little sleep, but I doubt you'll be getting much either. :eek:

Still, what mother isn't worried if her baby doesn't do everything by the book. So, in that case, do a baby meditation. Sounds insane, doesn't it? :lol:

Go somewhere where you can have as much time (new mothers have so little, I know) as possible by yourself, or near him while he is sleeping and everyone else is away. Surround yourself with things related to him, such as a copy of his birth certificate, a blanket, things only he touches perhaps and has stored his newly formed energy in. Try not to select things others have bought for him as you may pick up on their energy instead. Place these on your altar or in a small circle around you.

When you're ready go into the alpha state (If you don't know how, that's another story, so just ask ;) ) and visualize him. Simply ask him if everything is okay, does he need anything, does he want anything, stuff like that. He should be able to tell you most of what you need to know. Of course, that's not always the case, so if you see anything in your visualization wrong with him, such as black spots in his aura, patch them up using visual methods make sure he is safe.

When you're done I'm sure you'll have a bit more information than you would have thought you could obtain from somebody who only drools and sleeps. :lol:

[DragonLove]

I agree..let sleeping babies sleep. They will eat when they are hungry ; )

[BethieRose]

Well, I don't agree with letting sleepy babies sleep. Not when they are that young. If you're having trouble feeding him at least 8 times in 24 hours, you run the risk of him getting dehydrated. If you're nursing, you also run the risk of not establishing a good milk supply.

Here are some links for you to browse through.

http://www.incitefulmamas.com/breastfeeding.htm
Written by a lactation consultant. Scroll down on the page, there's a heading "Why is my baby so sleepy?"

http://www.breastfeeding-basics.com/html/waking_a_sleepy_baby.htm
"Waking a sleepy baby" Explains why a baby might be sleepy, what do if your baby is sleepy, and why it's important to do something about it.

I hope these help. I can find more if you want more information about this, or any other breastfeeding issues that come up.

[Amethyst Rose]

Thank you all for your your advice and reassurance that it's very common to have such a sleepy baby. I do agree with BethieRose, however, that it's not good to just let the baby sleep when he's this young. All the research I've done so far says that many newborns simply don't know to wake up when they're hungry, so we have to teach them.
Oh, and yes, I'm breastfeeding, so establishing the milk supply is definately a priority.
Thanks again, everyone :) I just needed to know that it was normal :).

[Semele]

LOL!! I knew you were going to be getting a variety of answers here!!

As a pediatric nurse, let me give you the guidelines that we go by for the new babies. If the baby is a preemie or having failure to thrive then they strongly recomend waking the baby every three hours to feed. They should take 45 to 60 cc's at each feeding, which is harder to measure when nursing. Alson, once you get them on this schedule they get used to it very quickly. Trinity spent just enough time in the NICU to get used to this schedule.

For Quinten and most healthy term newborns eating every three to fours hours is fine. We always wake them up before five hours has gone by. That is for both bottle and breatfed babies. They used to tell you to let them sleep, but kiddos can easily have a drop in blood sugar which will lead to them being more lethargic and dificult to wake up, so they need to eat on a failry regular schedule at first. In time he will start eating more at each feeding and can go longer between fdgs.

If you are concerned about him taking enough milk in at each session you can offer him a little supplement afterwards just to see if he is still hungry. You can offer pumped milk or formula either one. The lactation nurses usually teach cup feeding now to prevent nipple confusion in babies who may have a difficult time latching on. If he is latching on well then he probably wouldn't have too much of an issue with nipple confusion.

They do tend to get very comfortable when snuggled next to Mom, so it can be challenging to keep them awake. Try to keep him unwrapped and stimulate him a little by rubbing his feet or back. If he is falling asleep try to change his diaper in the middle of the feeding to get him awake.

It sounds like you are doing a great job. If I can help you with anything, don't hesitate to ask. Good luck and enjoy your new life!

[Autumn]

I agree with everything Semele has said but want to add two thoughts. 1. does your little guy have a wakefull period where all he does is nurse? If it lasts more than than 3 hours he's cluster feeding which is ok, I presume your milk is in... 2. If you want to confirm a wet diaper take any scale that reads in ounces (baby scale, postal scale or food scale, weigh a dry diaper and then weigh wet ones...a pint's a pound the world around...so an ounce of wt is a fluid ounce of pee. Is he pooping? Is he jaundiced? that can make them sleepy too. another good site is this http://www.lalecheleague.org/