That’s pretty typical. Some people recommend keeping them in dim light during the day so they open their eyes more often, which may make them more likely to sleep at night. It’s worth a try, I guess. My daughter did not sleep for long stretches, eventho she was a very sleepy baby. Her feeds would just take soooo long!
As M03 mentioned, she may have a poor latch. A lactation consultant will be a great help to you. Talk to your doc or the pediatrician about locating one. In the US most hospitals have them on staff. Mine would happily give me advice even two months after the birth. Anyway, for temporary relief try applying lanolin creme that comes especially for nursing moms. It’s supposed to help.
But let me tell you, feeding a newborn is really the most stressful thing I’ve ever had to deal with. It’s hard to tell when they are full. When they are just nursing for comfort. When they are sleepy, etc. As they get older, it becomes a little bit easier to differentiate, but with newborns it’s tough, and I was in a very similar position, just constantly feeding because when I took her off she would cry. My milk came in late so I would also supplement and we got in a habit of nursing and then taking 1-2ounces of formula afterwards. I’m not sure she really needed it. Sometimes maybe, but most of the time it was me misreading her issues.
Plus they fall asleep on the breast all nice and cozy and don’t want to sleep when you put them down. It makes everything very frustrating. I totally understand. After you’ve nursed her, try to give her a pacifier to see if she’s just nursing for comfort. I was really against them for a while, but they really are not problematic in most cases.
Breastfeeding is really stressful. DO NOT feel like you have to do everything like others tell you to. It works differently for each mom and each baby. Just try the different things people suggest to try to figure out what’s right for the two of you. There’s no magical formula. So don’t feel like you have to follow all of this.
Many doctors do recommend letting the child nurse as long as she will on the first breast (to make sure there’s a good balance of foremilk and hindmilk) and then cap it at 10-15minutes on the second side. But also remember, if she’s nursing, she needs to be latched properly, with her mouth pretty open to latch on well to your breast. When she’s sleepy and satisfied, she will continue to suck, but it’s softer and it’s comfort sucking. You can take her off if that’s all she’s doing.
Burping is pretty important, HOWEVER my pediatrician said that many BFing babies will not need to burp because they have a good latch and no air gets in. Mine always needs to burp. She also has reflux and so we need to burp her pretty frequently and keep her upright. Here doctors and nurses don’t recommend the shoulder burp too frequently. They recommend putting baby in a seating position, supporting the head/chin with one hand, and then leaning her forward and patting her gently on the back to get the air out. It keeps the stomach from getting too much pressure, which lessens spitting up.
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See above.
That’s very likely reflux, which can be just a minor issue. Burp frequently. And try to do more frequent feedings where she consumes less in one go. Let your doctor know.
As others said, swaddle her tightly when she sleeps. It helps them feel secure. You can get special swaddling blankets that fasten tightly closed, or you can just use a regular blanket (place like a diamond, fold down top corner for baby’s head, tuck one side around and then the other – there are probably youtube videos for how to do this best)
Being a new mom is tough, but it gets better as you and baby become more familiar with your new lives. 