Is my newborn feeding enough?

[midori1999]

Baby is 4 days old today, born Monday afternoon.

We are still very much learning with Breastfeeding, trying different positions to find what suits us best etc. I'm a bit sore, but that seems to be improving and I can cope with that.

What is bothering me a little is that I don't feel she is feeding enough at all. Since my milk started to come in yesterday she's been mainly taking much shorter feeds of about 5-10 mins, although yesterday afternoon/last night she did feed for 3 longer sessions of 30-45 mins and fed on and off for an hour late on. She also only took 12 feeds (taking the 'hour on and off as one) in the last 24, most of those 10 mins or less. Her last several feeds today have been 3 hours then 20 mins apart, but all 3 feeds only 5 mins each. I've tried latching her back on again, but she's not interested.

She has a (mainly small) dirty nappy at each feed and although it's sometimes hard to tell, she's doing wet nappies too. Her poos were mustard coloured yesterday but are more greenish again today. She's does seem quite windy, but not hungry.

She'd already lost 240g yesterday, so I don't really want her to loose any/too much more. Any thoughts please?

It sounds like things are going well. this may be useful info for reassurance. I assume your community mw is happy?

Enjoy your new baby

To test a disposable nappy for wetness, drop it on a hard surface like a table or the floor and listen for a thud. Compare this to the sound of dropping a new unused nappy. Disposables are very efficient at hiding small quantities of wee visually but you may be able to listen for it.

Otherwise Kellymom (link above) is great for info on what to expect in the early days (and beyond), waking a baby for feeds, signs of the baby thriving etc.

(Me again)

Kellymom has a feeding log for the early days that you may find useful. There's another for weeks 2-6 too.

I wouldn't worry about timings - some are very quick, some take ageees.

What to look for to know they are getting enough- atleast 3 poos a day, breasts get softer after a feed, swallowing sounds or watch the jaw muscle clench and some content periods.

Some weight loss is normal, I'm sure you know that. When she is finished one side do you offer the other? And once she's finished that you can offer the first again. And again...

Also you could try laid back feeding so she (and you) can doze and feed here.

Nothing in your post is worrying or unusual, midori....what does the midwife say?

Thankyou for the replies and the link, it was very helpful.

The midwife has only been once as I had to stay in hospital for two days post delivery. She is coming again tomorrow and will weigh the baby again. so I'll have a chat with her.

I've been looking on the LLL site and am wondering if I may have over supply? I wondered if that would explain the change of stool colour from green to yellow then back to green again as my milk has come in more, plus the windy baby and short feedings? Plus a few of the other signs listed on the LLL site. My breasts have felt very full/engorged today, but I'd thought that was just completely normal asy milk came in?

I don't ever offer both breasts in one feed unless baby has fed for a while on both sides. There's always lots of milk left in the breast after a feed, although they are obviously emptier/softer than at the start of the feed. Is this the right thing to do?

I'll see what the midwife says tomorrow.

My milk came in with a flood on day 4 or 5 (a worrying few days as he dropped weight!) - I had engorgement, he had very short feeds in comparison to the days before, and I'm sure the poop changed (which it did on and off until he was on solids at 6 months - the foaming poo was particularly weird..)

I too generally only fed from one side unless he seemed particularly hungry and I now have a strapping 10 month old (who still loves his milk... 6 times a day...)

An expert will know, but I think it's just going to be everything settling down and finding the right levels.

If the baby comes off one side, I would offer the other. I'm not sure about oversupply though - maybe it's worth calling one of the helplines and talking it over with someone?

I think you are over-analysing a bit....everything is just settling in at the moment, and while oversupply can be an issue when it makes a quick appearance in the early days, it usually resolves itself very soon. Good practice is to offer both sides, following the baby's cues. Most women don't have to 'engineer' feeds/sides/times as long as they are feeding a healthy baby to cue.

Hope the midwife assures you all is well.

It sounds as if your baby is just a very efficient feeder and is able to get all the milk out very quickly. Agree with others - you are looking for problems that don't exist. It all sounds like it's going well.

Thankyou. I might well be over anylising things, I just can't remember my breasts being so engorged or painful when my milk came in with my other children. They are very lumpy and sore/swollen in between feeds. I'm taking paracetamol, I will ask midwife about ibuprofen. Not sure if I can take it anyway though as on heparin and seem to remember it's contraindicated.

Baby does seem contented, so will see what her weight is doing today. I think it's the colour of the poos that is bothering me mainly.

If she's not feeding for long and i offer the second breast, will she be getting enough hind milk? Midwife said offer the same side at the next feed if she only fed recently/for a short period of time?

Baby has put on 80g since Thurs afternoon and the midwife who came today checked her latch and said it was fine etc. She said not to worry about the poo thing if she's doing plenty.

So, yes, I was worrying about nothing. I think because I gave up BF my boys and always felt sad about it and later wished I'd carried on that I was so well prepared for it to be hard and be feeding constantly that it is actually much easier than I expected. (not that it is easy, just not so bad)

Thankyou.

It's volume of milk removed that i) makes babies grow and ii)establishes bf

The vast majority of mothers do not need to engineer access to or intake of hindmilk, still less worry about whether the baby is getting it or not. Midwife's suggestion of using the same side again after short or very recent feeds is ok, but no need really to be concerned as long as both sides are being used often :)

Keep an eye on the lumpiness, for sure, but without thinking of problems all the time :)

Poo colour can vary a bit in the first week - she's only 5 days old. The revert to a slight greenish tinge means nothing, really :)

You don't need to worry about making her get the hindmilk - milk from an empty breast is fattier than from a full breast rather than the milk switching at some point from from foremilk to hindmilk. As long as you offer both sides frequently you can trust the baby to sort it out - just swap sides whenever she seems done with the first side (coming off/falling asleep/stopping swallowing etc). You can go back to the first side again after she is finished with the second if you think she might be still hungry.

Better to be worrying over nothing than not worrying over something.

I found it very patronising to be told this when I was worring but... Relax, Enjoy your baby