Please give me some tips for breastfeeding brand new baby on day 1!

[GailLondon]

My lovely son arrived in the early hours this morning. Please share a couple of tips to help my first day go as well as possible!

• he is having a lovely peaceful sleep and hasn't fed for 3 hrs now. Should I be thinking about waking him for a feed?
  

Any other first day advice welcome!

[GailLondon]

Not sure if my message posted correctly so sorry if this comes through twice!

My little boy was born at 4:40 this morning and seemed to give breastfeeding a good go around 7:30 am. He's now been sleeping peacefully for 4hrs, should I be waking him up for a feed?
No drugs used in the birth so he shouldn't be drowsy from that. Hate to wake a sleeping baby!

Any other top tips for the first couple of days?

[MehsMum]

I never knew about waking them up either, so I won't advise there.

As for the actual feeding, try not to get sore nipples. To help sore nipples, and to help avoid them in the first place, there are three things you can do:

1. Get a good latch (the midwives should have shown you)
   
2. Get the baby's tummy flat against yours (helps the latch)
   
3. Sit with your back as straight as possible - I used to sit at the head of the bed with my bum and my back right against the wall.
   

Enjoy b'feeding. If you do get sore, keep on through it: it's worth it in the end!

[Trooperslane]

Check with a midwife. Dd was v small and a bit shocked and we were told not to let her go more than 3 hours for the first couple of weeks

Congratulations!

[TheEagle]

Congratulations!

Snuggle DS close to you (skin to skin) as much as possible to encourage your milk to come in.

Lots of newborns snooze after labour and then they want to suck, suck, suck! This is their way of putting in their order for milk.

I probably wouldn't let much more than 3 hours pass between feeding.

Newborns have tiny tummies so really don't need large amounts in first few days.

Have a MW check the latch so you get off to a good start.

Enjoy snuggling your new squish and the KellyMom website is fab for info on what's "normal" in the first few days.

[Sleepyhoglet]

You need lanolin.sold in boots, amazon etc. Put on nipples religiously after every feed! Stopped them getting chapped or painful.

If your boobs get achy you may have a blocked duct. Express and hold hot shower head on painful area.

[BossWitch]

It. Will. Hurt. But don't worry - that bit passes! I had a good latch, no problems, nipples not cracked or anything and it still hurt like fuck for about a week and a half. But then it stopped hurting and was easy - still great 8 months on.

Experiment with different positions. Lots of pillows etc to prop you up. Try to (sometimes easier said than done!) find a position in which you are both comfortable! Relax your shoulders. Find something to use as a footrest if you are sat on the sofa etc.

Have water and a supply of snacks in reach. Sweet and savoury. Once your milk comes in and your baby starts hitting their growth spurts just sitting and feeding is shockingly exhausting!

Download an app to your phone to keep track of feeds - so much easier than trying to remember them!

Enjoy your lovely new baby!

[BossWitch]

Oh and don't worry if some feeds are really short and others long. My hv told me to remember that milk is all forms of food and drink to a baby - sometimes they are just a bit thirsty, or want a little snack, sometimes they want a full three course meal of a feed - all fine and normal!

[squizita]

If the visiting mw confirms they are healthy and not jaundiced you can let them sleep! They find birth tiring as I understand it, so perk up day 2/3.
My tip would be send Dp out for loads of (non alcoholic ) drinks as you'll be thirsty and dehydration can make it even more uncomfortable to go for a number 2!
I generally just offered whenever she cried/looked hungry with no expectations of a pattern at first.
I checked latch every time and gently corrected it so she'd learn it right.
Babies don't know night/day for a while so (I know this is tge opposite of what some advise!) try to have someone- close friend or family- around every day or 2 to facilitate you sleeping at odd times too. Eg if baby feeds all night then zonks mid morning a helpful hand to pop on the washing machine and keep an eye on baby means you can nap.

[squizita]

My dd was small and born suddenly but they advised as she sucked well she was ok to sleep up to 6 hours (not that she ever would to this day lol!). So just ask the mw.

[chocoluvva]

Lansinoh used to be great for sore nipples - brand name for purified lanolin as mentioned by another poster. Apologies if it's no longer called this.

Try to relax.

Congratulations.

[NewMumSept2014]

Definitely Lansinoh, lots of it as frequently as possible. Ignore everyone that says it shouldn't hurt if you're doing it right. For me it was really painful until nipples got used to it about week 3, but since then has been fab!

[TheABC]

If in doubt, whip the boob out. I don't think it is possible to overfeed a breastfed baby. Also;
-let down is a bitch for the first couple of weeks, especially as your womb contracts. It gets better, but always check the lat h if you are not sure.

• learn to breastfeed lying down. It's a lifesaver at night, especially when you are at the six week mark and sleep belonged to another lifetime.
  

-Don't be alarmed by the constant feeding. It's cluster feeding and your child's way of ordering in more milk as they go through their growth spurt. Your boobs will adapt.
-eat, drink, sleep, feed baby, wind baby, change nappy. Repeat. That's all that matters - housework can wait. If you can get out of the house (for your sanity), brilliant. But it's not necessary.
-look into slings. They are brilliant for keeping you mobile and your baby happy

• consider a safe form of cosleeping. I had the crib attached to the bed, so night feeds were a breeze.
  
• looking forward, I would really recommend breastfeeding beyond six months, if you are happy to do so. It's been brilliant with teething and the majority of my weight loss happened after my DS was "officially" eating solids. I also went back to work at eight months and the evening feeds really helped to settle DS.
  

Finally, whatever you do, congratulations on your new squish!

[squizita]

Oh yeah - no one tells you about the stomach "cramps" when the let down makes your womb shrink. The good news is its helping spring you back into shape.

[museumum]

I was told to wake my ds every four hours if he didn't wake himself. Also I found it easiest to feed lying down on my side the first few days.

[GailLondon]

Thankyou so much everyone! We have survived day one, nipples a bit sore but he's feeding really well in big 3hr cluster feeds followed by a 4-5hr sleep which seems to suit him fine so we are rolling with it!

[Bolshybookworm]

One more tip! Hopefully you won't need them, but if your nipples get a bit shredded and there is any broken skin, then nipple shields (from boots) are a lifesaver. I found that baby didn't feed quite as effectively with them on and they're a bit of a faff, but using them for a day or so gave my nipples a chance to heal and saved me from mastitis a couple of times. Hopefully you won't need them, but just in case you do!

[MehsMum]

Let's hope those long sleeps last! Enjoy them while you can!

[nutmegandginger]

The antenatal breastfeeding workshop I went to said that nights 2 and 3 (depending on when your milk comes in) are the worst. This was definitely true in my experience - the baby was hungry the entire time, there was no milk yet, and she was clamping on so hard and so often that it was really painful despite the latch being ok. But it got better really fast and it helped to know that it was normal and would pass. And be prepared for baby blues and weepiness when the milk comes.

Have a glass of water ready everywhere you feed (or have someone around to bring you one). I could go from fine to raging with thirst in seconds.

[GailLondon]

Thanks again everyone- this has been really useful.
It's been pretty much exactly as you said nutmeg, the initial newborn sleepiness has definitely worn off and he's turned into a 24hr boob monster instead! He's ready for some proper volume of milk so hopefully mine will be coming in imminently. Midwives are happy with the latch so we will just power through.

[Bolshybookworm]

Excellent! Persevere with the (what seems at the time like) constant feeding- he'll be getting your supply up. Get in the box sets and park yourself on the sofa

[chocoluvva]

Well done to you Gail.

If do you have unexpected problems - it doesn't sound like you will though - the La Leche League people are very knowledgeable.

And please remember that when our grans were new mums they weren't expected to do anything but feed and doze for three weeks.