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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Breastfeeding Advice please - newborn

8 replies

loubaby1 · 04/01/2011 20:54

DS was born yesterday! I'm so pleased to have him here but am not sure I'm feeding him right. I can't tell whether he's hungry or not, when he cries and I try and feed him he falls back asleep before I can or will only feed for 10 mins before sleeping again.
I'm worried this is because he's not getting any milk from me or this will mean he's not eating enough. We were told to wake him every 3 hours to feed but sometimes this is not possible, others he seems to be hungry every 40 mins but only feeds for 5 mins!

Any advice welcome!!

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jollyma · 04/01/2011 21:05

Congratulations. He is still very tiny and will be inconsistent with his feeding for a while. Try to feed him whenever he seems to want to or gets grumpy. Ten minutes feeding is very tiring for a newborn! As he gets older his feeds will get longer and further apart. He is only taking small amounts of colostrum so dont worry about quantity, you'll notice when your milk comes in, you'll feel like jordan! Its easy for me to say but the most important thing to do is relax and try not to clock watch.

jollyma · 04/01/2011 21:07

How many nappies have you changed today? Did they all seem wet? This is usually a good clue.

Tryharder · 04/01/2011 21:28

Feed as often as possible - forget routines or schedules. Ignore that 3 hour thing - it's crap. Work to the principle that the more he feeds the better. At this stage, you cannot feed too much. Just let him feed and nap and get rest yourself in the process. I think I spent the first 5 days of DDs life in bed with her with DH bringing me drinks and meals and magazines.

If you are concerned about the latch, get advice from your MW or contact any of the bf organisations. And get over to the bf threads on here, there are some posters who are experts and offer great advice

Greeninkmama · 04/01/2011 21:45

Congratulations from me too. Honestly, the best thing you can do is to respond to your baby and feed as and when he likes - however often that is (and it can be a LOT). The three-hour thing is if you have a very sleepy baby that you need to wake up - so it is not relevant to you.

Just make sure you are resting as much as possible, drinking lots of fluids and eating well.

ChunkyPickle · 04/01/2011 21:55

Congrats!

Remember he has a tiny, tiny tummy too, so apart from all the knackering sucking, he's also full very quickly (and then there's digestion, which always makes me sleepy, let alone a newborn )

I didn't realise my milk would take so long to come in (nearly 4 days) so I was worried I was starving the poor mite - he lost 10% birthweight, but had put it all back on a week later so don't be overly concerned if that happens. Just keep feeding as often as he wants and all will be well :)

Tgger · 04/01/2011 22:24

Hello! Congratulations!

Keep trying to feed when he's awake, little and often. They are often quite sleepy for the first couple of days, then find their appetite and want to nurse, nurse, nurse. This is when you may think you don't have enough milk, but you will have enough, you just need to keep feeding at this point and the milk will come in- it's supply and demand.

Definitely recommend a book like NCT "Breastfeeding for beginners" as BF is not as simple as we are made to believe!

It's quite normal to have a screaming baby on day 2 or 3 when your milk hasn't quite come in and the baby is starving- this is nature's way so don't reach for the formula just keep nursing and it will all come good.

Enjoy and congrats again!!

WelshSara · 06/01/2011 00:16

The colustrum your producing now is laden with calories and is enough to sustain your little one until your milk comes in. It really is liquid gold. Until then, follow her cues and feed her when she demands it. Keep a sharp eye on her nappies and providing they are still wet, then she's fine. It's when babies nappies are dry that there's concern about possible dehydration, and that's when the 3 hourly feeding routine needs to kick in.

BTW, to wake a sleepy baby for a feed if necessary, do a nappy change and vest change.

Rest as much as possible, sleep when she sleeps. You've just completed a marathon event and it's important you replenish your energies for breastfeeding. Eat and drink lots of good fluids and CONGRATULATIONS!

runningrach · 07/01/2011 23:34

If your baby was full term and healthy he will have plenty of fat reserves and not need much else for the first few days. The initial nursing is all about establishing your supply and providing small amounts of colostrum. Just encourage him to suckle, feed him when he wants to be fed, and don't worry if it's not as frequent or more frequent than anyone else tells you it 'should' be.

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