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Waking a
Sleepy Baby
Babies are
often sleepy during the first week or so. They may not awaken
often enough to feed. Remember, newborns need to eat 8 - 12
times in every 24 hours or once the feeding has begun, they may
fall asleep again. Here are a few suggestions for waking your
baby. Some work better on certain babies than others. When one
stops working try another.
Undress the baby to his diaper to cool him off slightly
Rub and
massage the baby in various spots:
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Top of
head
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Bottom of
the feet
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Up and
down the spine
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Across the
belly
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Up and
down the arm
Change
position of the baby from cradle hold to football hold and back
again
Change the
baby's diaper
Talk to the
baby
Try adjusting
room lights up for stimulation or down so the baby can
comfortably open his eyes
Apply a cool
washcloth to the baby's head, stomach or back. Do not let the
baby become chilled. Premature infants chill more easily than
term infants.
Lactation Education Resources, Bethesda, MD
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