This is my first time breast feeding and I'm starting to get a little fustrated.
My baby is 9 days old, I've been BF'ing her since day one, but also supplementing 1-2 times a day with formula. I think the main issue is that she is not staying awake long enough to get full. She goes on the breast and will feed for about 5 min then fall asleep. I take her off and 10 minutes later she is up and still hungry. I don't know if she falls asleep because she's not getting enough? Also, it's so difficult to wake her up after she falls asleep or keep her awake while she feeds.

Any advice?

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Aw, you have a beautiful family! Congrats on your new little one and your decision to breastfeed this time around!

My first piece of advice is stop supplementing. It is affecting your supply - every time your baby is taking that bottle is a time the boobs don't make milk and don't know to make more. Newborns nurse a LOT. Their tiny tummies are about the size of their tiny fists, and breast milk is very quickly digested (much faster than formula because it is a perfect food for their tummies), so a breastfed baby will feed more often than a formula fed baby. Nurse nurse nurse nurse! The more stimulation your breasts get, the more milk they make and the happier baby is. If you must supplement with formula, then pump during the times your baby is eating the bottle so that your boobs don't slow production.

One way to combat a sleepy newborn is to change her diaper right before you nurse her, leave her in just her diaper and tickle her feet every so often. That's what I did with DD#1 and it worked.

I know it seems like she's eating all the time now, and she just might be, but it does get better in just a few weeks. You're also going to go through a big growth spurt in a few days, so be prepared for her to want to nurse even more often for a couple of days.

mama, you're doing just fine!

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I have a sleepy baby too. She is impossible to wake for feedings. I've tried the getting down to the diaper and tickling her, wiping her in places with a cool cloth....NOTHING works. I've seen 3 different LC's and have another appointment for Friday. It's been confirmed I don't have many milk ducts and have a low supply. I'm taking herbals and pumping after / in between feedings, but she's losing weight and I've been giving her formula. Honestly, I'd rather not starve my baby because I have no milk for her.

But yeah...I have a sleepy baby too.

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Jenny- how frustrating!!! Im so sorry. I hope the herbs work for you. Make sure you are also drinking a ton of water and eat eat eat. It will help with your supply. I hope you eventually will be able to not supplement.

Carisma- My babies would do the same thing...who wouldn't your warm and smell good and its is sooooo comforting to be right up against you, and your mommies milk tastes so yummy...its like a natural seditive....You could try feeding her, then when she falls asleep change her diaper and leave her in just her diaper. Then when she falls asleep again, burp her and talk to her try to wake her again and put her to the breast again. But if none of this works just know this will pass and she will be awake in no time and you may actually miss your sleepy little baby!

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Patty 37
DW Julie 40
"domestically partnered" since 1994

a huge ditto to everything that kara said. in general, breastfeeding works on a supply and demand system, the more often you nurse, the more milk you'll make for the baby.

how often is she actually nursing?

how many wet dipes is she having a day/ how many bowel movements?

assuming you've had no breast trauma and no medical conditions that make bf difficult, the best rememdy is to ditch the artificial milk, and only nurse to build your supply.

i agree with patty's advice too, to nurse first, change the dipe, then put the baby back on the breast to encourage a longer "tank up" lol.

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the first rule is feed the baby. if you have a medical problem making it next to impossible to only feed breastmilk, then it sounds like you are doing what you can. good luck. what did they do to confirm the ductal problem? have you had breast surgery, or some trauma to the breast tissue when you were younger?

which herbals are you using? (i'm gonna guess probably a fenugreek, goat's rue and thistle combo- how close am i?) are you by chance close to the bf clinics run by dr newman? has your lc recommended domperidone at all?

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