Advice please, 5 days in and worried...

[AbiAbi]

I had my little boy 5 days ago, and am starting to get a bit worried, which hasnt been helped by just seeing a really useless MW, grrr! (sorry I know they do a hard job etc, but she didnt answer any of my questions and has left me really confused

He's been breastfeeding well; BUT there has been occasions (9pm last night and 2pm today) where despite him being clearly hungry, and me offering him my breast he has refused it. In the end I gave him formula both times which he readily took, but I am worried about WHY he refused it.

He fed today from both breasts at 7.30am, 9am, and 10.30am, but when he woke at lunchtime he wouldnt latch on, and then went back to sleep, and then at 2pm was crying and getting hungry, but wouldnt latch on at all, and just kept screaming. Is it possible I am not producing enough milk for him yet? I have just tried to express some and I am only producing colustrum I think still, and only a very small amount, is this normal for 5 days? Am I expecting too much, or should I see the MW tomorrow?

Sorry for the whinge, x

[thisisyesterday]

hmm he is maybe frustrated?
do you wait for him to cry before offering breast?
i found with ds3 that i had to get to him before he cried otherwise he would quite often do what yo have described and just cry and scream and refuse it point blank.
I remember one awful day when he only had one feed in 24 hours

so, my advice would be to watch him carefully, feed him when he wakes/whimpers. or at least offer even if he doesn't take it. crying tends to be a last resort for a hungry baby, they show several different feedng cues before they get to the crying stage, so if you can get him before he reaches that it might be better?

your supply should be ok if you are feeding him frequently, i would expect your milk to come in soon though, you;ll know when it does because you;ll probably feel very full and maybe "engorged"

[HalfMumHalfBiscuit]

Can you speak to another midwife? Or is there a breastfeeding group in your area? La Leche are good. They helped me with DS.

Try phoneline or email

My DD is 2 weeks and today turned away from the breast but I think it was wind. She cried a bit then came back onto the breast.

Best of luck

[tiktok]

AbiAbi - there could be a lot of reasons why your baby refused. A good midwife would discuss this with you

It's a good idea to feed before crying, I agree.

Please discuss with a good midwife the quite serious risks to breastfeeding if you introduce bottles at this stage, and she should also discuss expressing with you too - yes, you need to see the midwife tomorrow

Meantime you can talk to a breastfeeding counsellor - hope things look better soon