BF a newborn - what counts as a feed?

[hotmama]

Dd2 is 11 days and I am exclusively bf.

I lasted 10 weeks with dd1, she was a sleepy baby and wasn't bothered about feeding and began to lose weight.

This time around I want to be more successful so have got myself armed with support from La Leche and info from Kellymom etc.

I am aiming for the recommended 8-12 feeds a day, but am unsure as to what counts as a feed - one boob/both boobs - how long etc.

Dd2 is feeding for about 15-30 mins per boob with a bit of a break in between of about 15 mins - but sometimes only has one boob. I often do have to wake her up/change her nappy etc as she would sleep if left - just like dd1!

Dd2 is sleeping O.K. at night - last night she woke at 2.30 had a feed for nearly an hour in total on both boobs - I then had to wake her up at 8 a.m. as my boobs were killing!

Dd2 was 9lb at birth went down to 8.3 but at day 10 was back up to 8.9.

Does it sound O.K. that she sleeps so well at night (stupid question I know) dd1 did this and I'm paranoid that I'm not feeding dd2 enough - hence what counts as a feed?

Any advice is gratefully received - you'd think 2nd time around I would be less worried! TIA!

[Kelly1978]

If you are feeding her whenever she wants it it should be fine. I think you might be worrying too much. Her weight sounds good, and some do sleep well at night early on, but you will prob find it doesnt last.

[lazycow]

Sounds fine to me.

Ds always fed for about 40-50 minutes in total (usually both breasts in that time). Rarely he took only one and finished after 20-25 mins. If so I just counted that as feed.

At 11 weeks old I think I generally made sure he had at least 5-6 feeds between 7am - 9pm. He then got at least one more feed before 11/12pm. He then woke at least once before 4/5am and then again at 4-5 am so got 7-8 feeds a day.

I may get my head bitten off but 12 feeds a day sounds a lot for an 11 week old (though probably fine a 4-5 week old). During growth spurts we usually got nearer 8-9 feeds a day - BTW- 12 weeks is usually a good time for a growth spurt so that may be coming up - just go with the flow for a few days and don't worry that she isn't getting enough.

If dd is gaining weight/doing enough wet nappies and seems alert/bright for short operiods (between sleeping and eating) she should be fine on nearer 8 feeds if that is all she wants. Obviously if this isn't true she may need more.

I only woke ds if it had been more than 3-4 hours (depending on what I was doing) since his last feed - but tbh after about 4 weeks old that was rarely a problem again

At night after about 4-5 weeks I stopped waking him after 4 hrs at night but he was waking himself by then anyway.

[VeniVidiVickiQV]

Sounds fine. I always fed DD and DS for as long as they wanted to, as often as they wanted to. I always offered both sides too.

You seem to be doing great

[hunkermunker]

Sounds fine to me - DS2 is 4 weeks old and sometimes has both boobs, sometimes only one - sometimes he's had both and wants feeding half an hour later (usually during the evening he cluster feeds), but he's been going a bit longer at night (fingers crossed!) so I figure he's stocking up.

[tiktok]

You can't really add up minutes at the breast and decide if an individual baby is feeding well.....hotmama, you need to take into account your baby's behaviour, weight gain and nappy contents. If they're all ok, then it really doesn't matter how long/often she is at the breast. Weight gain from what you say seems normal - if everything else is, then fine

[hotmama]

Dd2 is happily filling nappies so I know that there is nothing wrong there!

I think I am just a bit hung up re demand feeding. Dd2 would happily sleep for ages (just like dd1) but I didn't know any better with dd1 and let her sleep so I wake dd2 e.g. I intend to wake dd2 in the half and hour if she doesn't wake up herself - she was last fed at 8ish for about 40 mins in total from both breasts with a bit of a break in between. I don't intend to subscribe to the prescriptive timetable approach but know that true demand feeding with dd2 would mean not enough feeds - probably.

Dd2 seems O.K (although only 11 days old) is doing loads of wet/poohy nappies, seems to be gaining weight O.k etc - I know these are classic O.K. signs.

I think I am just carrying baggage re dd1 who went for 8.10 to 7.9 and took 6 weeks to get back to birth weight - she was never bothered about feeding.

I know dd2 is different and that it is early days, so probably just relax a bit as everything seems to be O.K?

[Jasnem]

Yes. Keep on doing what you are doing, and relax a bit

[iris66]

I think it's really easy to get hung up on bf if you've done it before and it's going differently. I'd echo Jasnem - cut yourself some slack honey
I'm demand feeding my 4 week old DS & he only feeds for about 10 mins (one boob) every 21/2-3 hours (but he tends to cluster feed for hours in the evenings) I was worried about this until I realised that he's put on an average of nearly a pound a week so far!
Sounds like your DD content enough - hope you can relax a bit and enjoy her a bit more.

[Nightynight]

yes, I agree. If she's filling nappies and seems healthy, shes almost certainly getting enough milk.

[sweetkitty]

I counted one day last week an DD2 (3 and a bit weeks) had 9 feeds in 12 hours, I never count the time but it's never more than 10-15 minutes on a boob, sometimes she has one sometimes both sometimes cluster feeds all evening, she wakes twice in the night for feeds too. In the last 2 weeks she has put on 1lb a week so I'm not bothered.

DD1 was a speed feeder about 10 mins one side only and I had to remind myself to offer her a boob every 3 hours as she never cried for food.

I think you are doing fine so far x

[lazycow]

hotmama

Sorry read your baby as 11 weeks not 11 days

I know everyone is saying relax - and by all means do but I know what you mean about demand feeding. Some babies don't demand much in the early days (my ds certainly didn't) and as this is your second it would be easy to let her just feed when she asks but that may result in her not feeding enough (as you found with dd1). I can understand the worry. As others have said though she is doing well now and as I've said I found that after a few weeks ds started asking more often so I began to wake him less often to feed.

He was still never a demanding baby in terms of feeds but as he thrived I just thanked my lucky stars this was the case

[hotmama]

Thanks everyone - you are putting my mind at rest! I will try to chill out a bit.

[Frizbetheexpansionset]

All sounds good to me too hotmama but just to let you know I did check in on you

[hotmama]

Just an update and a query.

Dd2 got weighed yesterday and is back up to 8.12, but had just done 2 huge poohs and was due to be fed. Mw is happy esp as I had a c-section and blood transfusion. Mw is coming back next weds - hopefully dd2 will be back up to her birthweight by then.

Do you think it makes any difference as to the weight at birth? As dd2 was 9lb does this mean she may feed more/less than lower birth weight babes?

Dd2 doesn't seem to want to feed much - I always seem to have to wake her - obviously unless it is the middle of the night when she seems happy to cluster feed !

[PeachyClair]

I don't think so, when DS1 was born small everyone said 'ooh he'll be hungry', when my nephew was born large everyone said- yup you guessed it- 'ooh he'll be hungry'...

I think it only makes a difference in that if a baby is smaller because of complications he might not have as much energy to suck, but even that could ditto if a baby was big because of, say , gestational diabetes.

So nope, imo not a jot of difference.