• In some very specific instances, a nipple up. Your baby may be more likely to breastfeed breastfeeding, they should settle down shield may help your baby get positioned onto after a few hours. If you are unable to wake fairly quickly. the breast. However, nipple shields should be them for a feeding after 6 hours, call your used only if your health care professional or pediatrician for advice. If your baby seems to want to feed a great breastfeeding specialist recommends it and deal, be sure they are latched on to the closely monitors your breastfeeding progress. If your baby is still having difficulty latching breast far enough and that you are not setting • Continue to try to put your baby to the breast on by the time they are 1–2 days old, they time limits on how long they nurse on each for a short time several times a day. Do this may have a problem that can be resolved side (see “How often to feed your baby,” page 19). when baby is calm and not frantically hungry, with the help of a lactation consultant. For babies 2 months and older, many experts to maximize your chances of success. You will “MY BABY IS UP ALL NIGHT” recommend that you wake them every 2–3 need lots of support to continue this, so don’t Babies often have their days and nights hours during the day for feedings and let hesitate to call for help. And take heart: it’s mixed up at first. When in the womb, and them wake you on their own schedule at common for women to have challenges mother is up and walking, it is like being in a night. This may encourage baby to with breastfeeding. hammock. They sleep most of this time eventually sleep more during the night than Baby concerns. Sometimes it is your baby when you are pregnant. How often does your during the day. who has a problem that makes it difficult for baby suddenly seem to become active when them to latch on to the breast, even if you you lie down to sleep? Another recommendation is to give your seem to have “perfect” nipples. One of the baby the message that night is for sleeping. It is rare that women cannot produce most common problems is that newborn Many parents find the first or second night Make night feedings “strictly business.” enough milk for their baby. More often it is babies are very sleepy. They are kept tightly home with their new baby difficult. The Keep the lights low and talking and playing the simple, correctable details of swaddled in blankets, often with pacifiers in same baby who seemed to sleep all the time to a minimum. Change baby’s diaper, feed breastfeeding that lead to a low milk supply their mouths, yet we expect them to wake up in the hospital now seems to be awake all them, and put them back to sleep. Remember or to your baby not taking all the milk that is and eat! night! This is temporary. The only to always place your baby on their back, as available. Sleepiness may also be related to your baby’s environment your baby knows outside the recommended for all healthy infants. need to recover from labor and birth. Or womb is the hospital and, although your home is probably quieter and calmer, baby WEIGHT GAIN perhaps you had medicine or an anesthetic needs time to adjust to it. You cannot spoil If your baby has any problems such as not that may temporarily make your baby your newborn by picking them up when they feeding often enough, sucking incorrectly, or difficult to waken or be uninterested cry. Baby will likely make the transition to being extremely sleepy or excessively fussy, One of the most common in feeding. home more smoothly in the security of a or if they are sick, it is possible they are not problems is that newborn Even though your baby needs to recover parent’s arms. getting enough breast milk. Consult your babies are very sleepy from birth, try to wake them to feed at least pediatrician for an evaluation and a weight 8 times in every 24-hour period, to make It may seem that your baby wants to check a couple of days after you return home sure they get enough breast milk. If you keep breastfeed every hour during the night. This from the hospital. If you are worried about baby with you, perhaps skin-to-skin, and commonly occurs just as your milk supply is how much baby is eating, take them in early stimulate them every hour or so to wake them increasing and your baby is making an and ask for help with a breastfeeding plan. adjustment. With cuddling and frequent 26 27