OMG, please help me?

Question

My baby will be 1 month old on the 27 of august, this is driving me crazy, I cant get anything done, I cant even wash my @ss sometimes, she will start feeding on a 4 oz bottle, for example at 3:00 pm, and it will be 7:00 pm sometimes, seriously and she still hasnt finished, she will feed ten minutes, stop go to sleep for 5 or ten minutes wake up again and this is driving me crazy. I live alone and have no help, and I cant breastfeed for other reasons, please give me some suggestions this is driving me insane. What can I do for her to suckle completely throught the whole 4 oz and for her to be full?

Answer 1

Try keeping her awake. You can do a lot of the same things that a breastfeeding mom would do with a sleepy baby. Tickle her feet. Make circles on her forehead. Talk to her. Undress her so she isn't too hot. Keep the lights dim as babies will close their eyes to block out bright light and then that makes it easy to fall asleep. Change her diaper and then give her some more of the bottle. Try putting her in a sling so that you can get stuff done. She may sleep better on you in the sling.

(WOW.....all the answers about this are SO HELPFUL! NOT)

DO NOT prop the bottle. She could choke. And babies NEED to be held to help them grow and develop properly.

Also.....
Is she jaundiced? This can make babies really sleepy and hard to keep awake to feed.

Answer 2

OH brother!!! Don't listen to those who are saying "where's the dad, or you shouldn't have had a baby out of marriage" What pricks! What if your hubby died in Iraq or something? Some people are so rude! Anyway, about your question - here's what I did for my boys when they were little and wanting to eat every 5 minutes. I would mix their formula, and then get plain rice cereal - and when they first started I'd add about 1TBSP of cereal to a 4 oz bottle. I cut the nipple on the bottle slightly bigger (or the evenflow bottles have a stage 3 nipple that works great) and try that. The baby may not eat a lot, but they will get fuller, and the food will last longer. Pay close attention when you first start to make sure baby's tummy isn't getting upset or it doesn't constipate. You can always add less, or more as needed. by about 6 months, I would add as much cereal as I did formula to the bottle, but be careful not to let it be your excuse for not spoon feeding when the time comes. I also found that this helps baby to sleep longer at night so you can get some rest as well.

Best wishes! and don't listen to the ignorant people out there....be the best mommy you can be!

Answer 3

Although feeding on demand is ideal, in this situation it sounds as if your baby is snacking - just taking a little milk here and there to "top up", so she's never really hungry.

I would try to get her to go longer between feeds, so that she works up an appetite - then she will take more in one go, will be satisfied and should sleep for longer.

To delay feeding, try soothing her in other ways. Go for a walk with her. Rock her in your arms and sing. Use some "white noise" like a fan - that constant humming will often soothe a crying baby. Do anything you can think of to distract her besides giving her a bottle.

Once you start doing this, you break the cycle - she has one good feed, sleeps well then goes longer until the next feed... by which time she will be hungry again and will take more milk... and so on.

Good luck, I'm sorry some people chose to answer your question so unhelpfully.

Answer 4

Hello. I am definately NOT an expert but I do have two girls. Age 6 and 2. I tried breast feeding on my oldest and only lasted 9 days. My hubby worked overnights (and still does) And I was suffering SERIOUS postpardom depression.
If she is only drinking a small bit and dozing off and then waking up and drinking a little more to doze off I will assume she is only sucking to comfort herself and is not actually hungry. And because she is having little snacks she is not getting hungry enough to finish her bottle. I believe a baby at her age could drink 3 or 4 oz for sure.If she is fussy or whatever and you are thinking she is hungry just try holding off. I know it is very hard especially when you are tired yourself...you just want her to be calm.
You can always try a pacifer for her to suck on. Make sure you buy the smaller one though. The age is printed on the packaging( 0-6 months)There are also a few different types of nipples on pacifers so don't give up if your baby doesn't like it the first time. Try to get one with the same kind as her bottle. Some people disagree with pacifers, Trust me I had a hard time deciding with my first baby. The docotors at the hospital assured me there would be no 'nipple confusion'or what ever else people will tell you. It won't rot there teeth or cause them to have braces in the future....etc.
Next you can try to give her a bath or even push her around the house in the stroller. My youngest wouldn't take a pacifer at all so I would strap her on my chest in a Snuggley and vaccum my carpet.She loved the sound of the vaccum.By then she should be hungry an may drink more so she can feel full and go longer without needing more.
If the problem is not that she is getting fussy but just falling asleep when you feed her then I will tell you what the hospital told me when I was struggling through breast feeding. Don't wrap her up in a blanket or swaddle her in close to your body. Take her socks and that off and you can rub your finger up the bottom of her foot to wake her up.They also gave me a cool cloth to rub across her cheeks and forehead to keep her alert while drinking.If she started to doze I would pick her up to my shoulder and try burping her.

I hope this works for you. Some people may suggest putting baby cereal in the bottle so she can stay full longer but please don't do this. The baby could easily choke. People told me to do it and that it worked for them but its not worth the risk of having your child choke. A baby should only have cereal from a spoon when they can use their tongue to push the food to the back of their throat to swallow. Usually 5-6 months old.
Good Luck... Sorry such a long answer!!!

Answer 5

See if your community has a lactation consultant. Most hospitals do, and the service is free. They can help even if you are bottle feeding your baby. They know all the tricks there are and can monitor your baby's weight to tell you when the problem becomes serious.

The first three months are the hardest for new parents. If ever you deserved to slack off on something, now is the time. Do as little (other than taking care of your baby) as you can get by with. You are entitled to it. Sleep and shower when the baby sleeps. Try to get her on a regular sleeping and eating schedule.

Also, see if you can get some help. Taking care of a baby is hard enough with two parents. Doing it by yourself is an enormous challenge. Do you have some friends that would be willing to just hang out with you (even though you haven't showered)? Can they run some errands or watch the baby while you take care of stuff?

Answer 6

4 hours is a long time to eat one bottle. I question whether this is legitimate.

If it is, it sounds like she's "snacking" instead of actually eating. First, you shouldn't let a bottle sit out 4 hours like that. Give her about 20-40 minutes to eat it, and then throw the rest away. Try buying faster flow nipples (stage 2 or 3). In between feedings, give her a pacifier, which will satisfy her need to suck, and may explain why she's hanging on to that bottle for so long.

This can be a trying time of a baby's life (for the mom), but it DOES get better. Try getting a baby sling, so that you can carry her around with you. Also, it's okay to leave her to cry for a few minutes while you take a quick shower or run to the bathroom. You can put her in a bouncy seat or on a blanket on the floor or in her cradle to watch her mobile. These things might keep her entertained long enough to keep her from crying while you get something quick done. You'll be a better mom if you take 5 minutes for yourself each day.

Answer 7

Dear Triple Cherry - you have my sympathy. You must ask for some help, from a relative, friend, neighbour or health professional, so you can get some rest, for your baby's sake. I think a check up for the baby would be a good idea, to see if there's any medical reason why she drinks so slowly. Now some obvious things, but just in case! Check the nipple on the bottle to make sure it isn't too small, or blocked. Tilt the bottle down slightly so that the milk will flow without an air lock developing, and remove it from baby's mouth now and again to release any vacuum which may have formed. Try gently tickling the sole of baby's foot if she goes to sleep while feeding, to wake her up again. I do hope this helps, and wish you the best of luck!

Answer 8

She is eating until she is satisfied not full and falling asleep. She will most likely be this way for a month or two longer, her little tummy isn't very big. Keep in mind she isn't very old yet, she is really a newborn.
I think momma2 has some good ideas that you could try. In the mean time try to be patient for a little while longer. This too will pass, it is a matter of time. A year from now you won't hardly remember this time.
Please remember right now you have a very important job, your a Mother. Try to make sure you have some time out, even if only for an hour or two once a week, this will give you time to refresh yourself.

Answer 9

The first 3 months are the hardest but remember they are not this size or age forever. Do you have a case of post partum depression perhaps? As far as washing your @ss I thought that comment was not right and your baby is number one right now not you. You are the mother to be there for your baby's needs and all of them. You can wipe your @ss when she is asleep. As far as feeding, you have to keep her awake and feed. Maybe you need to feed her at differnent times when she really cries for it perhaps then she will really eat it all at feeding. Schedules dont always work at this age, you just feed them when you know they ahve that cry for hunger and you will know it! Good Luck! It WILL get better. then you will look back and MISS these days of being so close during feeding times when they are startijng school and no longer really need you per say. then you will cry again. I wil pray for you. :) Oh and I read on here to prop bottle! NEVER dot hat as baby can choke! Get a sling that baby can sleep in with you wearing it so getting your other things done will be easier.

Answer 10

Hi,
I'm really sorry that you're going through this! I know it's frustrating -- especially when you're not even able to care for yourself properly. My advice is to keep your daughter awake as she feeds. If she begins to fall asleep while you hold the bottle, tickle her lips with the nipple of the bottle to get her to open her mouth again. You might try changing her position (switching arms, propping her up differently, etc.), rewrapping the blanket she's in, changing her, etc. Any of these activities may be the trick to keeping her awake for a few more minutes so that she can finish a meal.

Newborns tend to be very sleepy little creatures and they don't always have the ability to stay awake long enough to do a full feeding. But, if you keep her awake to get a few more sips in, I think you'll find that she'll sleep longer -- allowing you to get some well deserved rest yourself!