# 4 day old wanting to nurse all the time



## Georgetown HB Mom (Jan 14, 2008)

I have a 4 day old baby and she seems to want to nurse all the time. She will nurse for about 10 minutes on one side, then fall asleep and suck a few more times in her sleep. She will sleep about 20 minutes and then wake up and be rooting again. Is this normal behavior? She is having a good amount of wet diapers so I am assuming she is getting milk. I am exhausted though and wondering when she will fall more into a normal feeding pattern.

Lisa


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## artgoddess (Jun 29, 2004)

Cluster feeding is pretty normal for one that young. In a week or two she'll probably taper off and take longer breaks. Then she'll nurse a lot for 6 week growth spurt, 3 month growth spurt...

I'm so sorry about the lack of sleep thing. It's really hard I know.







: When she gets a little bigger you might be able to nurse when you two lay on your side.


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## averlee (Apr 10, 2009)

Looking back, it seems like my daughter nursed pretty much constantly until she started crawling! The first nursing position I mastered was side-lying, because it didn't hurt my sutures, and I often dozed during nursing sessions. I spent a lot of time camped out laying down, watching movies, having snacks.


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## lifeguard (May 12, 2008)

Definitely sounds normal in my experience - just wish I'd known it beforehand so I wouldn't have been caught so offguard. Do your best to get comfy (side-lying was difficult for me for a long time),have water, books, laptop, tv, etc. close by & just rest as much as you can.


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## blessedwithboys (Dec 8, 2004)

totally normal. your best bet for getting rest is to learn safe co-sleeping techniques ASAP. GL!


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## sparklefairy (May 21, 2005)

Is she pooping?


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## Georgetown HB Mom (Jan 14, 2008)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *sparklefairy* 
Is she pooping?

Yes, she is pooping at least a little bit with almost every diaper change.

Lisa


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## ShwarmaQueen (Mar 28, 2008)

Is she pretty calm? No fussiness, gasiness, spitting up, etc? If not, sounds like a normal newborn thing.







The first few months are tough, I know.


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## rn (Jul 27, 2003)

Sounds normal to me. Everything that everyone else said.

Also I wanted to add at 4 days old she is helping your body build up a proper milk supply. Her sucking helps your body create a supply and demand type of cycle, soon you will both be on schedule with each other.


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## staceychev (Mar 5, 2005)

Has your milk even come in at four days? I agree with rn that she's working on building up your supply.


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## Llyra (Jan 16, 2005)

Oh my goodness yes, it's normal and expected and an entirely positive sign. The worrisome thing, in newborns, is when they're very groggy, and it's hard to get them interested in nursing. Frequent nursing is exhausting for you, but it just exactly the right thing for baby. That frequent demand is going to stimulate your breasts to bring your mature milk fully in, which takes a week or two. It's also going to set the stage for a good full reliable supply in the long term-- up until a few months old, the supply is largely regulated by keeping your hormone levels high-- you need to nurse very frequently to have that happen optimally, especially at night.

Remember that nursing is more than just food, for an infant. It's comfort and security in a brand-new, often scary world. It's a re-connection with you when baby feels lonely or overwhelmed. It's a way for baby to reduce stimulation and wind down to sleep. It's incredibly rewarding for baby, because of the wonderful hormonal interactions that happen between you and baby when baby suckles. And it also helps your body to return to a normal, non-pregnant state.

If you're finding it wearing, it can help a lot to learn the side-lying position, so you can nap while she's nursing. Choose a flat, firm mattress for this, not a sofa. You do it by lying on your side, with one arm up under your head and one embracing baby. Put a rolled up towel behind her, (tape it so it stays rolled) to support her lying on her side. It can help to swaddle her, if her hands get in the way. Then you lie her at breast level and help her latch on. I found in the early days I had to latch mine on while still sitting up, and then ease down to a lying-down position.

Make sure there's no loose bedding near her that could get over her head, and then relax.

I can't imagine surviving the early weeks without being able to sleep through feeds. I would have gone completely nuts.









Learning to nurse while carrying baby in a carrier or sling is another skill you can start to work on, when you feel your energy coming back, and want to be up and doing things during the day. Baby can nurse until she's sleepy, and fall asleep right in the carrier, keeping your hands free and getting you up and about.


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