how do you know when your baby is not well?

Question

my daughter is 12 days old and today she seems a bit distant she has slept alot and her feeds are shorter, she keeps lathing off my breast after about 10-15mins when yday she was feeding for about 30mins at a time every hour or so! and today if i dont wake her up she proberly wouldnt of woken up to be fed! help! im reali worried as i dont know wats wrong! i have phoned the doc and waitng for a call back! am i just being paranoid or am i right to be concerned? any advice would be much appreciated! i am a 1st time mum and dont no wat to expect! thanx x

Answer 1

Congratulations on your new baby! When my baby was just weeks old, he would only nurse for maybe 10 minutes total, and I had to wake him to feed quite often. I understand how you may be a little paranoid. It happens to me still and my baby's 3 months old. My sister has a 3 week old and he would nurse for about 20-30 minutes and then just last week she was talking about him only eating for about 8 minutes total and then falling asleep. I wouldn's worry about it. Unless she is extremely fussy or has a fever- I'm sure she's fine. Babies grow very fast in the first couple of months. Remember how tired you were during pregnancy? It's hard growing so fast- wears you out! Good luck!

Answer 2

Babies, especially newborns, go through rapid changes in their schedules. This is related to the changes they go through as they grow. I am a big believer in a mother's instinct. It has served me well for the 28 years that I have been a mom. When something seems "not quite right" than you are right to be concerned. However, don't worry needlessly at first. Take a "watch and see" approach. If your daughter seems a little different than normal, some things to watch for are fever (taken rectally, an infant's temperature over 100.4 F necessitates a doctor's call), un-consolable crying, lethargy (not able to be woken up), and excessive spitting or vomiting. Babies and children go through periodic growth spurts and sleep extra and/or eat extra for a few days. It is normal, but any concern you have as a mother should be taken seriously by your baby's doctor. My gut feeling is that your baby is fine and I am sure your baby's doctor will return your call soon.

Answer 3

Newborn breastfed babies normally feed every two hours but when going through a growth spurt may feed every hour (like your baby yesterday) This will then be followed by a period of heavy sleeping where the baby may even have to be awakened to eat.

I believe the first growth spurt should happen about 10-12 days then another at about 3 weeks.

If she is not running a fever then I wouldnt worry too much. It really does sound like a growth spurt.

Answer 4

Babies sleep a lot, and they change all of the time. But you are not being paranoid, it's ok to care about your baby. You did the right thing calling the doctor, but since the baby is not crying I wouldn't worry about her being hungry, they will let you know. Good luck!

Answer 5

My best advice is listen to your mommy instinct. You will know when your baby isn't quite right. You were exactly right by calling the doctor.

I know the advice is kind of lame, but it's true. You can't always use what signs others have gotten from their babies because they are all different. Just trust your gut!!

I hope she is ok.

Answer 6

I think she is ok, maybe your are producing more breastmilk now, and she needs less time to get full, if she is eating and has 6 to 8 wet diapers, then she is fine and tired. god bless

Answer 7

His face will not look uplifting or full of joy.

Answer 8

WHEN IT ALWAYS CRYS FOR NO REASONS