Question
Is it serious for newborns to feed often and not sleep?
Answer
Frequent feeding and a lack of sleep in newborns can be due to indigestion or overfeeding. The baby was 23 days old and was born via cesarean section, and was discharged seven days later. Initially, the baby slept throughout the day and night, very well-behaved. Since the breast milk was insufficient, milk was temporarily purchased from the hospital. Concerned about malnutrition, formula milk was switched on the ninth day. After switching to formula milk, the baby immediately started vomiting and crying, which lasted for a day and a night. Since then, the baby has slept less during the day. Thirteen days later, the baby’s stools began to show milk curds. Starting yesterday, the baby no longer sleeps during the day and needs to be held for feeding. The baby falls asleep while suckling for a while but wakes up after ten or so minutes and wants to feed again. Due to insufficient milk, an additional 40 milliliters of formula milk or boiled water is needed. The baby’s belly is bloated, making a gurgling sound, and today the baby has had nine bowel movements, with yellow stools that are sticky. Since yesterday, there has been a gurgling sound in the baby’s nose, resembling a stuffy nose, and it’s easy to choke while feeding. After feeding, holding the baby upright to burp causes the baby to spit up milk, which is then swallowed by the baby. What is swallowed are air bubbles, sometimes forcefully expelled. If breastfed exclusively, both nipples need to be fully emptied for the feed to be considered complete. An effective feeding session should last about half an hour, and the baby’s urine and stool should be observed. If there is little urine and stool, it indicates that the baby is not adequately fed.