Is it a big deal if a newborn baby is sleepy and eats less milk? What should I do if my newborn baby eats less milk?

What should I do if my newborn baby eats less milk? Parents are always worried that their baby eats too little and grows too slowly. Today, I will give you a detailed introduction on whether it is a big deal if my newborn baby is sleepy and eats less milk. When babies are young, they have to eat and sleep desperately to grow up quickly, but sleeping without eating is also a problem.

What to do if your newborn baby eats less milk

Every baby has a different appetite, and the specific amount of milk they eat varies from person to person. There is no fixed amount standard. As long as the baby is in good spirits and grows and develops normally, it means that the baby is full. How much milk a newborn baby eats, new parents can refer to the following:

The appropriate amount of milk should be adjusted for newborn babies according to their weight, 30-60 ml each time, 6-8 times a day. Later, the amount of milk can be gradually increased according to their digestive ability, until the baby is one month old, the amount of milk is 90-120 ml each time, and the frequency is reduced. If the baby cries for milk, the mother should still feed the baby.

In addition, new parents who adopt artificial feeding methods must also learn how to make milk. There are two specific methods:

1. Calculate by weight: Since 8 pounds of fresh milk can make 1 pound of milk powder, when mixing, add 7 times the weight of water to 1 part of milk to restore it to milk. However, it needs to be weighed, so this method is not very practical.

2. Prepare by volume: Since the apparent density of milk powder is 0.5-0.6 g/ml, the ratio of milk powder to water should be 1:4, that is, one level spoon of milk powder plus 4 level spoons of water. In fact, pay attention to the packaging of milk powder, where you can find the amount of milk powder for different months of age, the preparation method, the number of daily feedings and other related matters.

Is it a big deal if a newborn baby is sleepy and eats less milk?

Mothers all know that they should breastfeed on demand. When babies are hungry, they often cry loudly and tell their mothers: "I'm hungry! I want to breastfeed!" But sometimes babies don't cry or make a fuss when they are hungry. At this time, you should be alert to hypoglycemia.

Low blood sugar damages the brain

Since the human brain needs glucose for energy, hypoglycemia will cause a lack of energy in the brain. The earlier hypoglycemia occurs, the lower the glucose level in the baby's blood, and the longer it lasts, the more likely it is to cause damage to the central nervous system, which may lead to permanent damage to the central nervous system such as mental retardation and cerebral palsy.

Hypoglycemia is most closely related to insufficient lactation

From birth, babies can no longer rely on the umbilical cord to obtain energy from the mother's body, and need to feed themselves to maintain their body needs. If the baby does not eat milk in time after birth, or the interval between feedings is too long, the energy supply is insufficient, and the body's glycogen reserves need to be used for energy. This is a consumption of the body. The glycogen reserves of newborns are limited and cannot be maintained for a long time. If the baby can no longer eat milk, once the glycogen reserves are consumed, the baby's blood sugar can no longer maintain a normal level, and hypoglycemia will come immediately.

Low birth weight and premature babies are more likely to have hypoglycemia than full-term babies because they have less glycogen reserves. Babies born by cesarean section are more likely to have hypoglycemia than babies born naturally, which is related to the long fasting time of the expectant mother and the intravenous drip of normal saline rather than glucose injection during the operation.

Babies with low blood sugar are more "well behaved"

Newborn babies often have no characteristic symptoms of hypoglycemia, and even if mothers see it, they don't think it's abnormal. For example, if the baby is very quiet or sleeps very "steadily", the mother would not expect that this abnormal "good behavior" is a sign of hypoglycemia. If the mother observes carefully, she may find that the baby is listless, pale, sweating, and has a poor response to stimulation. Some babies also have fatigue, poor feeding, muscle weakness, respiratory arrest or acceleration, convulsions, etc. Therefore, if the baby does not cry, it does not necessarily mean that he is not hungry. It may be because of low blood sugar that he does not have the energy to cry.

Should I continue feeding my baby when he/she falls asleep?

1. The stomach capacity of a newborn is small, and the milk in the stomach can be emptied in about 3 hours. Newborns are not as good at "crying for feeding" as older babies. Sometimes when they feel sleepy, they can sleep hungry until dawn. Therefore, for newborns, they should be fed on demand during the day, and at night, it is better to feed on time, with a feeding interval of about 3 hours.

2. If the baby falls asleep and obviously has not eaten much, you should gently wake the baby up and let him continue drinking.

3. As the baby grows older, his appetite will gradually increase and his sleep time can be gradually prolonged. When the baby is 3 to 4 months old, he only needs to be fed once at night.

Is it serious if your baby is sleepy?

Most newborns can sleep a lot, but there is no need to worry. Usually, a newborn baby can sleep 16-18 hours a day, or even more, but the continuous sleep time will not be very long. Because the newborn baby has a small appetite and the mother's milk production is also low after giving birth, he will not sleep for a long time after eating and will wake up to look for the next meal. The mother will just think that he eats too frequently and pray to God that he can sleep longer.

But some babies are very sleepy. It seems that if no one disturbs them, they can sleep forever and rarely wake up to feed. This may lead to adverse consequences and require the intervention of the mother. What may be the reasons for this?

The impact of anesthesia and analgesia used in caesarean sections. Mothers who undergo caesarean sections need anesthesia during the operation, and usually use an analgesic pump for a period of time after the operation. Some babies are more sensitive to these drugs, which may cause drowsiness after birth.

Disease influence. For example, the baby mentioned at the beginning of the article eats less milk after birth, which leads to less bilirubin excretion and higher jaundice levels. When jaundice is high, the baby will be more sleepy and wake up less to feed, which forms a vicious cycle.

Insufficient intake. Although newborns are born with dry food and water, it does not mean that they can live without food or water. Mothers should still breastfeed frequently, use small meals to replenish energy for the baby, and stimulate themselves to secrete more milk. If the mother does not try to breastfeed at all, and just waits for the milk to swell up, the baby will not be able to hold on. Insufficient intake may make the baby not even have the energy to cry, and the body will become weak and sleepy.

Too much external stimulation. The environment is too noisy, the baby is constantly teased, etc., which may make the baby feel: This stimulation is too strong, I can't stand it, I have to shut up quickly! As a result, the baby hypnotizes himself to avoid more external stimulation.