too lazy to eat

[Csara]

we've been having a tough go with breastfeeding so far. my son is always sleepy and can barely stay awake to eat but then gets fussy when i put him down after a feeding. so, he wants to try again and the same thing happens. he will latch on and off, on and off forever. it takes him sometimes a good 30 minutes to latch on correctly and then he doses off after a few minutes. it doesn't seem like he is sucking effectively. i feel like i'm spending my entire day (trying) to feed him. i am worried he isn't eating enough. he hasn't gained weight in 4 days, but he hasn't lost any either so i guess that is a good thing. he is finally off the phototherapy as of today but i have to go back to the pediatrician tomorrow just to make sure his number doesn't spike without the billiblanket.

anyway, back to the feeding. he has a horrible latch. just can't seem to get it right. my boobs let down so many times but then he doesn't eat and i'm afraid i'm going to lose my milk supply. we've given him 2 oz. of formula once a day for the past couple of days....trying to help him gain weight. don't know, but don't think it's caused nipple confusion although he does seem to have an aversion to mine sometimes.....

it's like he's looking and looking for it, but then doesn't seem satisfied to have found it. and he gets fussy after a while on the breast and goes to suck his fingers.

not sure what i'm asking here, just posting to see if anyone has any advice or have had a similar situation.

[KeelyKay]

Have you tried pumping for a few minutes before nursing? Maybe one of the silicone nipple shields? Maybe he's just having a hard time getting your nipple in a good position to latch correctly? It sounds like he's doing exactly what G did. You're a great pacifire, and he's perfectly happy to doze and nurse, but he never really got enough to do any good. I don't know that any of this really did us any good... I think he finally just grew into nursing (after a month of crying on my part), but it might help you .

A few tricks G's pedi suggested:

Pump for a few minutes (5ish max) to get your breast ready. He may be an impatient eater and wants an immediate letdown. It will also encourage the nipple to protrude enough for him to get a good latch.

If you get anything while pumping, put a few drops on his mouth to get him ready.

Put your pinky finger in his mouth before nursing, (nail on his tongue) and once he starts to latch, pull your finger out and down just a little to pull his tongue out over his bottom lip. He may not have his tongue far enough out while nursing to be effective at it.

When he's nursing, gently scratch the soles of his feet with your finger nails. It will annoy him just enough to keep him awake (it wasn't enough to annoy G, I had to have a cold wet wipe).

[Deana]

well... I had a similar situation when Nicole was born. She had a terrible time latching on and when she did, she would suck a little bit and get all nice and comfy and then fall asleep (and then of course, I would fall asleep too). I tried all of the "wake up" tricks, but she wasn't having it.
Our overall problem was getting a good latch. We would spend so much time trying, and then she would just be too tired. Plus, my milk took a long time to come in, so she would suck and not get much. I have heard different opinions about nipple confusion - that they do confused, that they don't get confused... I had an LC (with Ella) tell me not to worry about nipple confusion.
All I can say is, hang in there, and do what works for you and your family

[IUgrad02]

I'm no expert on this, but I have to throw out there that you might want to really look into the pros / cons of the nipple shield before you get one; my best friend cursed the day she tried one of those b/c it made BF so hard for her in the longrun. Her nurse in the hospital gave it to her to try for some reason, and her son liked it. Well, that's good, but then he would NOT eat w/o it, and she said it seemed to prevent him from getting much milk even though he was latching on well, and she felt like her milk started to dry up due to the inefficient flow. She bawled over that thing. My sister also told me to stay away from them, for a similar reason. I didn't use one though, so I can't speak from direct experience. Did anyone else use one that could touch base on this? Just wondering. I just thought I'd throw it out there. I'm sorry I can't be much more help, though. GL.

[HeavenLeigh]

No advice, just hang in there. I know it's hard when you're worried about your baby not getting enough to eat.

[shan]

K used me as a pacifier for two months. She would latch on, but the she would fall asleep. It drove me nuts!! I hope that he starts cooperating for you soon. I had to strip K down to a diaper and tickle her to keep her awake.

[B'sgirl]

B was just like that and it drove me nuts. I used a shield for about 3 weeks, but it didn't help a whole lot. I did have an oversupply on one side that B hated so that didn't help any. I ended up pumping him bottles during the day and only nursing him at night, and when he was 3 or 4 months old I gave up nursing altogether and put him on formula. It was easier for me to give him a bottle because then I didn't have to lift up my shirt, unhook the bra, do it back up, and five minutes later do it all over again. Sometimes I just wouldn't bother hooking the bra back up, if I wasn't going out.

Good luck, C! I know it must be frustrating for you!

[Csara]

Ok, well we are doing better with the breast feeding but now that is all he wants to do all day long. He wants to be held and eat constantly which is total deja vou since Jax was the same way. I have two saving graces this time though. 1. My peanut shell sling - Jett loves to be in it and my hands are free. and 2. He sleeps amazingly well at night (knock on wood, crossing fingers, etc. etc.) I am extremely exhausted though and feeling very sore (boobs and downtown). Need to rest more!!!

[jana]

Lol! I'm glad that Jett likes his sling and I'm OH so glad he's such a wonderful sleeper! You SO deserve a good sleeper! Go take a nap!

[Csara]

well every day changes. last night was not so good - he was up about 3-4 times and just NEVER seems satisfied after eating. he seems to always be looking for my breast and well, after a while, nothing comes out. I have given him a bottle today after 3 feedings. I am trying to help him gain and definitely don't want my supply to dwindle, but I honestly can't keep up with his demand. I know the whole supply/demand thing, but it's not working. I don't know if I'm dehydrated, too tired, getting sick or what....maybe all of the above?!?! but all of that in addition to his lazy latch and lazy eating habits (eat for 5 mins, fall asleep, wake up and eat for 5 mins, go back to sleep, etc.) seems to definitely be affecting my supply.I'll see how he is doing on Monday at our 2 week pedi appt.