Will Not Breastfeed Enough Throughout the Night - Wakes up Hungry in 1-2 Hours

Goodness, girl! She is a tiny baby. Her stomach can only hold a few ounces. For a breast fed baby, she sounds perfectly normal to me!! Welcome to the sleepless nights of Motherhood!! :) It will get better, believe me. I breast fed all three of my kids. The first few months were Hell, but by three months of age or so, they slept through the night. Just remember, every child is an individual, different from the rest, and she may have set her own schedule. Good luck, dear!

L.~
As a mom who is nursing her third, I can feel your plight. Much of what you read will tell you that breastfeeding infants should nurse every 4-5 hours. It's just not true. Especially at such a young age, they may need to nurse every hour. BUT keep in mind this is only a small part of your child's life, and it will end as she gets older. I can't encourage you enough to keep with breastfeeding. It is hard, especially if your formual feeding friends begin to talk about sleep through the night! Just remember that it is so worth it for the health and well being of your child. If you haven't already, get in touch with a La Leche group in your area. They can provide you with some really great support.
Best regards,
S.

Totally normal. Don't give up!!! Your giving your baby the best gift of all.

You can try tickling the babies' feet and rubbing her hands to get her to suck.

They crave the closes that breastfeeding gives them. My guess is she is craving you more than the milk!!!!

there is nothing you can do but time. babies are on ther own schedule. i think when they get to aobut 4 to 6 months you should start putting them on a schedule. i promise it gets better.

Diaper changes and removing clothing are both good for keeping her awake. I generally saved the diaper for after the 1st breast. You might also try a different feeding position. You might consider whether she is having trouble w/ gas or something like that inducing her to eat less - maybe putting her on an incline when you put her back down? Is she swaddled tightly? Are you using a pacifier? It could just be that she's not waking because she's hungry but because she's conditioned to get up during the day and is just having trouble settling in for longer periods and just needs a little something else...what happens if you don't feed her? If I recall, as my daughter got to be a little older, I did let her sleep a little longer at night and by 9 weeks or so, I know she was sleeping at least 5 hours at a time at night. As long as you're waking her up every 2-3 hours during the day and getting her full feedings each time and she's having enough wet diapers, I think she's fine & you might consider helping her get back to sleep rather than feeding. I made sure her last feeding was around 10pm when I was getting ready to go to bed anyway & that gave me the first 5-6 hours of sleep uninterrupted. Check out "on becoming babywise" for more suggestions. We had fantastic success with it. Good luck!

She may be going through a growth spurt. My daugher is 4 months and she did that when she was around a month old. I felt like I was nursing ALL DAY LONG!! Good luck! It should end soon.

I actually think thats normal for a newborn. My son woke up every 1-2 hours for at least the first 2 or 2 1/2 months. At about 3 months he woke up every 3-4 hours. I know it's very trying, but you are doing a great thing for your child. Good luck and congratulations on the new baby girl!

The breastfeeding specialist nurse at my pediatrician's office instructed me to try to keep my son awake for at least 10 to 15 minutes on each breast. Feeding him every 2-3 during the day and every 4 at night... being the goal (as a newborn). Of course, they can go a little longer as they get older... I can't remember exactly how that goes.

It would make me feel terrible to wake him up sometimes, and he wouldn't wake up sometimes, but it did seem to help him get his days and nights straighted out.

i went through the same thing. all warm an snuggly next to mom's breast puts the baby back to sleep. i would strip my son down to his diaper, even taking his socks off. he wouldn't get cold, just cool enough to wake him up. good luck!

When she wakes to eat, turn on a lamp, change her diaper - make sure she is really awake - don't swaddler her until after she eats. If she is less sleepy, she will eat a little more.

I had the exact same problem with my newborn. I'd undress her down to her diaper so she was not cold, but not warm either, and this helped a little bit to keep her awake. I'd also burp her sitting up (rather than on my shoulder) and she'd wake up a bit too. While she didn't sleep through the night until later, she did sleep a bit longer when I did these things because she'd eat more. Hope this helps.

I know some people say not to do it, but I did everything I could to get my baby to wake up and take in a full feeding during the night. He still woke to eat every 2 1/2-4 hours, but that's better than 1-2! I would nurse him on one side, then change his diaper (which he hated, but it had to be done, so might as well use it to wake him between breasts!), then nurse him on the other side. Sometimes I would rub his feet and arms to get him awake enough to finish eating. Since your baby is 4 wks, be encouraged that things are likely to get better soon!

I've raised 3 very healthy breast fed girls and I never, never, never woke them to feed them. Unless the baby is a premie, a child will wake up when they are hungry. My advice would be to make sure the child is good and awake before you begin breastfeeding during the night. I would let the girls cry until they were good and awake and then I would change their diaper and use a cold wipe on their butts. I know this sounds mean, but the baby wakes up because they are hungry and then they are not fully awake when mothers try to feed them and then they fall asleep before they are done which causes them to wake up more often because it doesn't sustain them as long.

The others are right that this time will pass, just be patient and do not feel guilty after trying the suggestions that myself and the other mothers have given you if you decide to give the baby formula. If that works there is absolutely nothing wrong with it. You have to remember that you have to take care of yourself along with the infant and if you are tired from lack of sleep you will not be as patient with the baby. Something different works for every family, however, please do not let anyone make you feel guilty for supplementing with formula.

Good luck!

I had the same issue with my son for the first 8 weeks. My doctor told me that some babies are 'snackers' during the night. They want to eat just enough to take the edge off their hunger and then go back to sleep. He said it was something you have to just let them grow out of. Luckly enough he started lasting 3-4 hours after 8 weeks. Good luck!

Your milk may not have enough of what she needs. Talk to the doctor and see if he or she has any advice. Sometimes a suplement works and the problem goes away. If not you will need to try formula. Is your child gaining weight and is the child progressing for the age?

I second what Subrenia wrote. I have breastfed two healthy happy babies. Both of them ate constantly at that early age. They digest the breastmilk to much more quickly than formula, because it is exactly what their little bodies need. I did however have both of my babies in bed with me which made it easier.

Rest whenever you can, be patient and keep the faith. This will get easier!

That depends on a few factors.

1. How much is she eating during the day (how often and how long?)

2. What is her normal daytime "routine"?

3. What have you tried to keep her awake for a full feed at night?

4. Is she spitting up "a lot"?

5. Does she act like she's in any type of pain?

At four weeks, I'd expect her to be feeding for 10-15 minutes a side (unless she's VERY efficient, and some are), every 3-3 1/2 hours. If so, then she would likely wake up once for a middle of the night feed. She should also be nappping for at least 1 1/2 hours between feeds.

If she's having problems spitting up a lot, or seems in any type of pain after meals, she might have some reflux.

Just some ideas to think about. Good luck.

This is normal. Breastmilk is mostly water so doesn't last long. My twins ate every two hours. I started supplementing with formula for the middle of the night feedings and that held them a little longer than breastmilk. I pumped after I fed them. But during the day I felt like all I did was sit and nurse all day long!

Also, my brother had triplets. They would also eat every two hours and fall asleep during feedings (they were only bottle fed). You'd have thought we were cruel wiping their faces with cool cloths, tickling the bottom of their feet to wake them up so they would finish eating. (All doctor sanctioned so they'd get enough).

Most important, don't stress out. Y'all will be OK and it will get easier! Promise!

My youngest took about 8oz every 2 hours at first (boy, was I tired, and amazed she wasnt bigger than she was!)As she gets a little older, she'll start to sort all that out - breastfeeding is exhausting business! The only other thing you could do is offer some stimulation - tickle her cheek/feet, have a light on, play with her a little, etc. Good luck :}

That is what my daughter did also --- it's just part of the whole wonderful world of a new baby. It's exhausting for us, but until they are 4 mo (or your dr. says so) when they want to eat, let them eat!
My daughter was up every 2 hrs, nursing, for the first 1 1/2 months and boy was I exhausted. . . all I can say is to take a nap when the baby does--- even if the house needs cleaning!

Congrats!
R.
www.athomecareermom.org

i always just slept with mine when they woke up. i started them in their cribs, then moved them to my bed when they were ready to eat. that way they could eat frequently, and i could sleep.

I think many of us had that problem. What I did- and I don't really recommend it, was leave the baby in bed with me and when he woke up, I was right there. However, this can be dangerous so I am not necessarily recommending it. It worked for me because I had a huge bed that I could partition off and I was able to do this in a safe manner.

Otherwise, L., you will just have to give it time. You can try waking her up when she passes out but sometimes that doesn't work. I even tried squirting more milk in his mouth...but eventually it won't be a problem at all.

Good luck. Oh, and try to refrain from using formula at night just to get some extra sleep. It is highly inferior to your own milk but I suspect yo will get a lot of advice to do this. This is just a short stage that will pass and when you look back on a bottle-free, formula-free infancy, you can be very proud of yourself.

L.,

It's entirely normal for a baby this age to nurse every one to two hours. Breast milk digests more readily so they do get hungry before those on formula.

What I did with my 2nd and 3rd children (who unlike their older brother did not sleep through the night) was to nurse them to sleep or before they were put down for the night then not wake them up. When they did wake up hungry I brought them to bed and nursed them lying down. That way I fell asleep and didn't have to worry about them falling out of my arms when I was so exhausted. They didn't often get burped but it didn't seem to affect them. After about 8 weeks they didn't need to nurse every two hours which was a big relief.

Hang in there...you're doing fine!

K.

This is completely normal at her age. Try undressing her at night when you feed her if she starts to fall asleep before she is done (you will be able to tell because your breasts will still feel full). This should help wake her up to finish. My son had this same problem and we just started joking that he was hit with a nap attack (somehow helped me to think about this garfield reference in the middle of the night). Unfortunately, even if she finishes she will probably continue to eat about every 2 hours at night for at least a few more weeks.
If you don't already, I would suggest keeping her in a bassinet (or pack-in-play with a bassinet insert) next to your bed until she is down on only a couple of feedings a night. This made it a lot easier for me during those early fequent middle of the night feeding since I could just lay the baby back in bed and roll right over myself and go back to sleep.
Hang in there, it will get easier!

hey L.,
me again... so don't worry this is normal too. but what you are doing is training the baby to wake and snack often. see if you can get hhubby to tend to her at the break through wakes and cries. what i mean is that set her to only eat every 4 hours and then see if you or preferably he can soothe her back to sleep every time she wakes in between. you may have to build up to the 4 hours by adding 30 mins to what you are already doing. it will be hard and you will have some broken sleep as you try to get up and soothe her back to sleep without feeding but it wil be worth it later not only for your sleep but also for your milk supply. (no cosleeping at this time if you are cosleeping with your baby you will be extremely restless and the concern for accidebts goes up.) so after you m ake it to 4 hours between feeding for a week or 2, ...well start to add anothe half hour each so that you get more and more sleep..... eventually she will go a full 6-8 hours before waking to eat. and i personally know this seems hard.... but it really works... my 15 mo old still wakes every few months and says "ba ba" in the middle of the night... i soothe her back to sleep and she is good until time to wake. don;t forget that what you are currently doing is training her to wake so often for a snack.... the goal is good sleep and well that means weaning from the all night snacking....i'll be praying for you. so again best wishes, -mb

In that poor, sleepy haze of yours, are you remembering to burp her well overnight? Are you burping her in the same way as you do during waking hours, or are you doing a half-asleep diagonal-baby pat of some kind?

If she's not getting totally burped, she's not as full as she thinks she is.

I read another response that concerned me, about feeding her only every four hours. She is not waking for any other need than hunger at this age. Don't feed her less often than every 2-3 hours. "Getting her on a schedule," especially at this age, is dangerous business (it can also dry up your milk). Babies have such tiny stomachs. My nutritionist mom says as adults we shouldn't go more than 4-5 hours without at least a snack! So we should not expect a newborn to go four hours. Hydration also becomes an issue.

(On that note, it could be that she is hot and needing more fluids, thus the brief feedings - she could be using them to hydrate.)

Hang in there. You are so close to getting to that point where everything sorts itself out. Of course, there will be the appx. 6-week growth spurt...just be ready to spend all day nursing for a few days when that hits!

If you need more support, check out a local La Leche League meeting. They're so helpful. They also have a website, and I hear they have forums.

L.

The nurse at the hospital taught my husband some ways to wake the baby before she ate. He would often wake our babies for me, but I usually tried the techniques myself during the night. Some of the things to try.....first, make sure that the baby is really awake and wants to feed, not just slightly waking and trying to go back to sleep. Our babies stayed in their own rooms. Sometimes, by the time I rolled out of bed and stumbled into the baby's room, she would have fallen back to sleep. If they really do want to feed, change their diaper, unswaddle them, possibly wash your hands with cold water and massage the upper thigh, behind their ear and the base of the skull. These places seem to stimulate the baby. I would either do some of this while I was nursing or, if the baby was falling asleep, I would take them off and the breast and really try to wake them. Good luck!

This is completely normal, but it will even out as she gets a little older. Babies go through growth spurts at 2, 4, and 6 and 12 weeks where they will want to do nothing but eat around the clock every hour or two. This is their way of telling your body to make more milk to satisfy their increased need. Breastfeeding works on the principle of supply and demand. The more the baby demands, the more supply you should have. Count the number of wet and dirty diapers, at least 6 wet and 2 dirty a day, to make sure what goes in is coming out. You may get some sputters and fussiness as your milk supply goes up and then evens out. You also may notice that your letdown is a little faster or harder than normal. This will even out in a few days as it's a sign that your supply has increased to meet your daughter's new and increased needs. It sounds like you're doing a great job. Hang in there, it does get easier. Also having her in the bed with you at night makes it so much easier to deal with those round the clock feeds. Just make sure you keep the bed made with tight sheets and uncluttered with things like throw pillows, dolls and heavy blankets and you'll be just fine. Keep her between you and your husband or get a bed rail to keep her from rolling off.

Hi L., I'm Kat and am 27 with my firts child who is going to be 6 months. My baby had to be in the hospital for 11 days after she was born, so it was really hard to breastfeed her. But I did not give up and i love it now. It's healthy for her and cheaper for us. Anyway, what i had to do was wait a little bit for her to wake up more. She would start to make noise and I would jump up and get her just so she would fall asleep in my arms. Try taking a cold or cool washcloth and rub her face to try to wake her up. God bless and good luck.