our 1 month newborn keeps falling asleep on the breast. Should she exclusively pump?

Question

My wife is considering exclusively pumping to make sure our baby gets enought to drink/eat..becasue she constantly falls asleep on her breast. The lack of knowledge if she is getting enough food is also stressing my wife bigtime. Any suggestions? The baby seems to drink better with a bottle. We use advent newborn size 1 nipple.

Answer 1

If exclusively pumping and bottle feeding will make your wife feel better and leave you both ensured your daughter is getting enough to eat, then I don't see any reason not to do this. It will certainly be good preparation for leaving your daughter with a sitter for Mommy's and Daddy's night out.

Just make sure she is burped well and completely before laying down.

Answer 2

It is normal for babies to fall asleep at the breast since it is naturally relaxing. The best way to tell if the baby is getting enough is by checking for six nice wet diapers in a 24 hour period. Here is a really wonderful article about how to tell if your baby is getting enough:
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/04enough_milk.html

Some ways to keep the baby awake while nursing include doing breast compressions (squeezing the breast to encourage the baby to keep sucking), burping or changing the baby and then going back to nursing, undressing the baby so she feels a bit chilly, and nursing skin-to-skin with mom.

Exclusive pumping can certainly be done but in the long run it is a LOT more work than breastfeeding and I think for many people it results in less satisfaction with breastfeeding and may lead to early weaning. I would personally try to avoid it whenever possible.

I would recommend calling a La Leche League leader in your area or a lactation consultant who can take a look at how your baby is nursing if you are still concerned about getting enough after reading the article by Dr. Newman that I mentioned above.

Answer 3

In the beginning I used to have to blow on my baby to keep her awake while nursing (I preferred this to the cold wet cloth the hospital suggested. She's startle so badly that it just seemed downright cruel.) If we were having a really tough time I'd feed her while she was wearing nothing but a diaper. It got to the point that she'd hear me take a deep intake of air and she'd start sucking away again so she wouldn't get blown on.

Pumping isn't a bad idea because then you can give the baby an occasional bottle too and give Mom a break, but I wouldn't want to do it exclusively... I know some people do, I found it's a hassle to pump though. It takes twice as long to pump it and then feed it to the baby, you're constantly washing and sterilizing all those little breast pump bits and every time you have to throw out an unfinished bottle you want to curse after how hard you worked to get it out of there.

I DID pump once a day though so I'd have milk on hand for my hubby to feed the baby (I froze much of it because we'd only give her 2 bottles a week. We use Avent bottles too.) I pumped for awhile for her cereal too when she started on that at 6-months.

The other benefit to part-time pumping is that you start to get to know if it's been a certain length of time between 2 feedings or if your breasts feel a certain way, how much milk is in there and it (for me at least) is a huge confidence booster to know how much the baby is getting. (Keep in mind too that babies are generally more efficient than pumps so they are often getting even more out that you can express with a pump.)

This is my first baby, now that she's a busy 11-month old she only nurses for about 4-8 minutes per side 4-5 times a day. I have to constantly keep reminding her to keep going by changing positions or saying "Do your eating please" (that I've said to encourage her right from the start. It seems to get her back on track.)

We've been through lots... a couple plugged ducts (ouch!), the odd little minor nursing strike... and all the other distractions that come part and parcel with her learning new things that she'd much rather be doing than eating (rolling, sitting, standing, crawling, walking), but we're still going strong with breast feeding.

If you have to pump to keep going with it, then of course I'd say pump. Congrats to you and your wife for persevering and doing such a great thing for your daughter!

Take care!

Answer 4

When a newborn suckles, it is very relaxing to them. Naturally, it soothes them, and they're going to fall asleep.

It's not really possible to tell how much breastmilk a child is getting unless you pump and measure. Your wife should take some comfort in knowing that your child is getting enough to eat, and will release the nipple when they are full.

If she feels better pumping and being able to measure how much your son/daughter is getting, then have her do that. As long as the baby is gaining weight, then everything is fine. If she can breast-feed exclusively until the child is 4 months, that's even better. Enjoy your new baby!

Answer 5

Exclusively pumping is a LOT of work compared to keeping the newborn awake. Undress the baby before she nurses and touch/tickle/rub her constantly to keep her awake.
If the baby is gaining weight, the baby is eating enough. If she wants to know if the baby is eating enough, weigh the baby.
The baby has to learn how to drink from the breast. Introducing the bottle so early may have made it difficult for the baby to learn how to nurse. It's easier for the baby to drink from the bottle--the milk just drips out--when nursing the baby has to use her mouth to bring the milk out. If the bottle isn't an option anymore, the baby will nurse more effectively.
Another thing to consider is whether she is nursing the baby when the baby is tired. If she nurses the baby AFTER the baby sleeps instead of before naptime, the baby is less likely to fall asleep.

Answer 6

If she is getting enough food, she will be gaining weight and having wet and dirty diapers.

There are things she can do to keep the baby awake. The very first one, which not a lot of people think of, is NOT to nurse in a brightly lit room! Bright lights make baby shut her eyes to tune out the bright light....and this makes it easy for baby to drift off! Nurse in a dim room instead!

Tickle baby's feet.
Undress baby.
Change her diaper between breasts.
Use a cool, wet cloth on her face and neck.
Rub your finger in circles in the middle of her forehead.
Talk to her.
Do breast compressions while nursing to help keep the milk flowing.

Call your local La Leche League Leader for FREE support in person! For a young baby, the Leader may even be willing to visit you at home.
http://www.lalecheleague.org

A bottle is TOTALLY different than the breast. With a bottle, the milk just pours out into baby's mouth and she has to work to STOP the flow of milk. With the breast, baby has to work to get the milk out. If baby doesn't work, no milk comes.

A baby this age should still be nursing about every 2 hours around the clock, at least 8-12 times per day. Usually about 15-30 mins per feeding. But WATCH THE BABY and not the clock! Any time the baby seems to be asking, feed her.

Answer 7

This is OK as long as she gives the baby the Breast often enough to eat. They get a little down and crash out, sometimes the baby will even feed a little as they sleep. Using a breast pump is OK, but, most the women I know, found it an expensive item they found more trouble to use. It just easier to get the baby to latch on and pig out. In public if you do this correct with a small light towel, she can actually cover the baby and no one ever knows what she doing. Most think the baby sleeping. Believe me, many people trip, most never know, unless they told, just like here, they would never known had I not said. My son never used a Bottle. He was breast fed until he started drinking from a small glass and eatting a little food from what we had.

Answer 8

there's nothing wrong with falling asleep on the breast especially at such a young age. ..i would say it was normal, you know snuggling, having something to eat, all warm with mom......my baby would always fall asleep after a few minutes of feeding. i'd give him alittle caress on the cheek to get him going again or switching sides would wake him up to feed again.sometimes he wouldn't wake and i'd just put him back to bed until the next time he woke up to eat. (which was in a couple of hours anyway. - him being 1 month old and all.............) don't worry about the baby not eating enough - you've got a bottle going sometimes too . it's ok for some feedings to be a little more or less than others. your baby will let you know if they are hungry.

Answer 9

All of my babies fell asleep at the breast when eating. Here is what I did with all of them. When the baby first starts to cry to be fed I would change the baby's diaper which helps to wake them. Then feed atleast for 10m or so on the first breast. Then change the diaper again. Mainly because my boys used the bathroom at each feeding but will also wake them back up. Then I would feed them on the other breast. If the baby goes to sleep then you need to wake the baby. Uncover whatever to get the baby to wake up. A LLL counselor will tell you the same thing. To check to see about how much eating then just count diapers and times in between each feeding and amount of feedings daily. Call the doctor to let know the amt of each and they will tell you what is best for your baby. Each baby is different and each will eat when they want to. Believe me the appetite will pick up.

Answer 10

Less air gets in the stomach when breast feeding but if the baby eats better from the bottle, go a head and pump the milk. This way you know how much the baby is eating and then you can help out with the feeding which is important for you and the baby. Congrats on the new arrival!

Answer 11

You may need to awaken and stimulate baby to breastfeed longer or more often if baby:
Is nursing fewer than eight to 12 times per 24 hours,
Is falling asleep too early in the feeding (before at least 10 to 15 minutes of good active sucking on first breast),
Is not gaining well (at least 6 to 8 oz. per week),
Has fewer than four good-sized stools per 24 hours (this is not a problem if weight gain is good),
Is jaundiced.

To keep the baby nursing actively
for longer at the breast
(baby was nursing less than 10 to 15 min.):

Work to Improve Baby's Latch
When baby takes more breast over the tongue, he/she gets more milk with every suck (and you may also be more comfortable). To cue baby to open wide, align baby nose to nipple and allow baby's chin to touch the breast lightly. Wait until baby opens WIDE, like a yawn. Help baby on farther with a gentle push. Baby should latch off-center, so lower jaw is as far as possible from the base of the nipple. Open wider, on farther.


Use Breast Compression
(credit to Jack Newman, MD):

1. Until baby is nursing better, support the breast throughout the feeding (don't let go!). Hold the breast with thumb on one side and four fingers on the other. Keep fingers and thumb well back from the areola.
2. Watch baby's nursing, looking for movement in the ear/temple area. When this movement stops (baby is just nibbling or pausing for longer than 5 seconds), compress the breast--not so hard that it hurts, but firmly enough to increase milk flow. Baby should start sucking actively again as the milk flows faster.
3. Don't release the breast! Keep compressing until active nursing stops again (watch ear/temple area), then release the pressure. If baby doesn't start sucking when the pressure is released, wait a short time before compressing again to give the hand a rest.
4. Before compressing again, shift the hand holding the breast to a slightly different area of the breast. Repeat until compressing and releasing no longer causes active sucking, then switch to the other breast.



Do Switch Nursing
(watch the baby, not the clock):

1. When breast compression no longer works to keep baby active, break the suction, and take baby off the breast.
2. lay baby on a firm surface until baby is rooting and agitated.
3. Put baby to the other breast.
4. Repeat, using breast compression and switch nursing as many times as needed until they no longer work.



Other things to try

1. Use a different nursing position. Sometimes a different angle can give a better latch.
2. Change the baby's diaper. Another way to rouse and stimulate baby between breasts.
3. Gently give baby a foot massage while nursing. A helper can do this more easily.