Worried about my newborn

[WildhoodChunder]

I had a nightmare feeding DD, now nearly 2, and am worried about DS who arrived 2.20 am today, please could you reassure/advise?

He fed for about an hour, 40 mins on one breast and 20 mins on other, a bit stop-start, between 3.30 and 5. Big pooey nappy at 5.30 He was awake from birth til 6.30, when he went to sleep.

Woke him at 12.30, changed nappy to wake him, lots of wee in it. He wasn't that interested in food but I got him to take the breast from 1.15-1.45 - 10 mins one side, 15 the other.

He went to sleep again about 2.45, slept til I woke him at 6.15, changed nappy - dry. Not bothered about taking breast again, without much persuasion - got him on at 6.30-6.45 on one breast, he protested strongly at being offered the other and seems quite windy. I think the horizontal position isn't comfortable for him as he's much happier upright - and has gone back to sleep like that.

When he decides he wants to open his mouth for breast, latch so far feels good, I'm getting afterpains and the sleepy hormonal feeling which suggests he is getting colustrum down. I'm worried he's not actively asking for food and that I am having to wake him to offer it.

It's a case so far of offering the breast, he recoils, I prop him on my chest and rub his back and then offer it again, and then he seems more interested, eventually. He does seem quite a windy baby. I'm hand expressing a few droplets first time it's offered so he knows it's there, and trying not to get frustrated/stressed he won't root for it when offered the first time. Because of my experience with DD I'm a bit panicky - however his soft spot isn't indented and his nouth is moist, although I'd be happier with another wet nappy too.

Is he getting on the breast enough? Can I trust him to wake up and ask for it or should I keep waking him every 4 hours or so?

Please don't stress, newborns can be very sleepy especially if you've had something like Pethidine.

He's not showing any signs of dehydration but if it was me I'd wake him at least every 3 hours during the night and day to offer the breast.

Make sure you've got the breastfeeding helpline numbers with you in case you want to phone for some support in the night.

Congratulations and you sound like you're doing a fab job to me [hsmile]

sounds like you are doing really very well.

What was your labour like? remember what you have been through he has as well so if it was a long exhausting process he too will be pooped! Ds1 slept loads that first 24-36 hours as did ds2.
I would go for every 2-3 hours but if you can I would go to bed with him and snuggle together he is very very new still and he is still learning.

I know it isn't easy with a 2 year old around but perhaps once she is in bed you will get chance to just get topless with the little man and cuddle, then he can show you when he is ready to feed?

Thanks, I'll wake him more often - I seem to make very lazy babies! I didn't get any drugs as hospital sent me home saying I wasn't advanced enough to have anything bar codeine and when I re-presented myself two hours later I was fully dilated and it was too late! Birth was straightforward and we did skin to skin for a good two hours, so odds should be with us, not that it helped last time... But at least when I can get DS latched on he has more clue than DD did on what happens next!

I had to wake my ds every 2-3 hours for at least a week!

The comfortable latch etc sounds very positive though :)

Actually, saying it was a straightforward labout, it was 25 hours from latent labour contraction starting so he may be tired - hadn't thought about it from his perspective...

He will be tired, bless him. Make the most of it while you can. I woke DD every 2 hours from 7am on the first morning. It was only after a few days that she cottoned on she could have it at other times too, that's when the long nights started.

Sorry, meant to say I woke her every 3 hours not 2.

New babies often are tired aren't they?

Having said that my third baby was so sleepy I couldn't wake him at all for a feed. It turned out he had an infection. But it doesn't sound like that at all as he is waking and feeding isn't he?

Yes I had a long labour with DS (no drugs) and he and I both slept for 8 hours as soon as we got onto the ward! Breastfeeding seemed to get established okay though. Remember newborns really don't need a lot to eat/drink in the early days, but I'd definitely be waking him every 3 hours (though I was told 4 is fine at night as long as you also feed if they wake up by themselves) just to offer a feed :)

Hopefully he will be a bit more alert when your milk comes in. In the meantime lots of skin to skin and cuddles.

Congratulations BTW :) how lovely to be snuggled up with a newborn on such a cosy, dark evening.

I don't think he has an infection, he's hard to wake but does eventually - there was a tiny bit of meconium in the waters so he was monitored for 12 hours for temperature, respiration etc so I would hope that they would have picked up anything like that. Thanks for the tip though, I'll keep an extra eye out for that.

And thanks for the tips on timings, I will definitely not let him go longer than 3 hours without a feed.

I think the above advice is very good and your lovely newborn is in all probability just a bit tired.

However don't forget that you're still under the care of your midwife and if you have any worries for whatever reason you shouldn't hesitate to phone to put your mind at rest.

Hope you've had a good night Wildhood.

Congratulations and well done. Just a bit more reassurance from me. DS and DD1 both slept a lot in the first few days following a long labour, epidural and forceps. DD2 slept less but I was only in labour 4 hours so this may have been why.

I think it is worth waking every 3 hours in the night too, as this is when more milk will be produced.

In between try to rest as much as possible to prepare yourself for when your milk comes in and he's waking up himself!

Wildhood, how are things after the weekend??

Wow, i think you are me! my ds now 13 days old, behaved exactly as you described at first. i ended up waking him to feed every 2-3 hours and when he woke up himself. he is now still needing to be roused sometimes, i want to make sure of my supply particularly as he is a fussy feeder. But is now mostly waking on his own for food (usually during the night i have to add).

i also had a terrible time trying to BF DD1 so i sympathise with the stress levels,. i don't have heplpful advice, just wanted to be a sympathetic voice. second getting real-life or phone help if you are worried tho - a lifesaver for us.

Just popping back to say thanks to everybody for the advice and support; after waking DS 3 hourly for feeds he cottoned on and cluster-fed like mad overnight for a few days - he seems to be a bit nocturnal but his weight at the five day check was well within acceptable limits, which was a huge relief, especially as DD1 had crashed by day 3. DS seems a much better feeder after a slow start - I can relax a bit now! :)