Julie,
When I see a sleepy newborn with no stools and a weak suck, usually it turns
out to be a hungry, 'slow to get started breastfeeding' baby.  If the baby is
impossible to rouse and appears to be less than adequately hydrated, I finger
feed ebm to the baby in it's sleep.  I am good at doing this gently and
without choking the baby...stimulate the rooting reflex to get into the mouth,
stimulate the palate to stim sucking, and only deliver milk while baby is
sucking.  Usually after giving an ounce or two, baby perks right up an hour or
two later, and we can get him on the breast.  After that they seem to do fine.
 My theory on this is that if a kid reaches the end of their resources before
they learn to bf, they just get weaker and sleepier, and if you break the
starvation-weak suck-no food-weaker suck cycle, they do okay.  Of course,
sometimes there is a weak suck at the root of the cycle instead of just a
learning failure.  This will be evident when the baby does not improve after
getting some calories.  Then I work with the suck (better support and
positioning, a better latch, some stimulation if neccessary).
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  NYC  [log in to unmask]  (Bummed out because a
mom I saw yesterday quit last night...has a todder and a tongue-tied baby.)