Baby not interested in feeding!

[lucywiltshire]

DS2 arrived yesterday afternoon and is not really interested in feeding. He last fed before breakfast and since then has been happy to sleep. I know I should be feeding him every few hours but if he really isn't interested what do I do? I can't force my boob into a mouth that doesn't want it! He seems absolutely fine so should I just wait until he is ready for milk or do more to force him to? I have tried changing his nappy, removing clothes, expressing drops of colustrom etc to entice him but all to no avail :-(

[smellysocksandchickenpox]

about 3.5 hours max during the day

I had the same with my first, was awful because whenever I asked any HCPs how long I should let him go between feeds, they'd say "no no no, no routines, feed on demand", but my LO didn't demand probaby down to a combination of jaundice and pethedine during the birth? I dunno.

I found BF peer supporters the least helpful sadly because whenever I asked about timings they'd get on their anti-routine high horses!

anyway we settled on waking every 3 hrs during the day, and allowing one 5 hr stint at night

was hard though - we did all the things you're doing, nappy change/strip and back on. Just keep it up. LOTS of skin to skin'll help too, do you have a stretchy sling? that way the LO can always smell you, these are good for newborns: www.victoriaslinglady.co.uk/

and co-bathing is good for feeding, the bath wakes the baby and the warm water helps your supply

we got there in the end, LO gained weight well and we BF for over a year

[IndianaMoans]

I think you need to be encouraging him to feed. At this early stage he needs feeding for energy, or he will just sleep. At least that's what I was told. Keep offering, doing skin to skin if possible. It is tricky when you've got a sleepy baby, it's a viscous circle as he won't feed if he's not got the energy but won't get the energy of he's not feeding. And feeding often will help establish BFing. Good luck and congratulations!

[smellysocksandchickenpox]

sorry, link fail: www.victoriaslinglady.co.uk/

[Abigail9580]

A massive congratulations!!!

I think I would wake him up every couple of hours and be a little forceful at offering, pretty much popping boob in his mouth and giving it a squeeze, and see how you get on. If your still worried I maybe tempted to syringe some. I know they are suppose to go through that sleepy stage aren't they, so I guess it's that. But if not feeding much and your still worried ring your mw. Xx

[domesticslattern]

Congratulations on your new baby!
That sounds like a very long time without feeding tbh...I`d definitely keep up with the attempts to entice him, holding him close skin to skin as much as possible and maybe calling the mw for advice. I know babies sleep more on day two but eight hours is pushing it methinks.

[TripleRock]

Congratulations!

Tiny babies do need to feed often, 8~12 times in 24 hours.

He may need reminding and waking to nurse in the early days, keeping him cool, delayering, nappy changes, tickling feet and cheeks. I second the suggestion of syringing some hand expressed colostrum too. Have you been shown how to hand express?

Also whats he done in the way of nappies today?

[MajaBiene]

Lots of babies do just want to sleep in the first 24 hours, but I agree with the others that you need to start waking and getting some milk into him now.

[lucywiltshire]

Thanks everyone. He has just fed, finally. Not hugely interested but stayed on for a good 20 minutes. I hope he stays awake now for the rest of the evening so I can do lots of feeding x

[TripleRock]

Good luck, hope things are going ok

[lucywiltshire]

DS2 has just had posterior tongue tie snip and also has a stubby tongue which is likely to make bf very difficult. We spent last night in hospital as he had lost too much weight and was dehydrated. I am desperate to lose weight and desperate for him to put it on!