2 day old not feeding

[KMidd]

Hello. I was wondering if anyone could give me some advice. My SIL had a baby boy, 7lbs 8oz on Tuesday morning and he wont latch on at all apart from 5mins this morning. He didn't feed until yesterday when he took a syringe.Have mentioned skin to skin contact, expressing, rubbing some milk around his lips. Was wondering if anyone else had any advice? He was a natural birth with no complications, he is also very sleepy. Thanks.

It's good you are concerned and supportive to your SIL, OP - hope the midwives are, too.

Babies do sometimes take a while to get going with feeding, and need some help to make sure it happens. While he is not latching on, he must have colostrum, expressed by hand, and given by spoon or syringe, and this needs to happen often, both to ensure he does not dehydrate and to prime her milk supply.

Can she snuggle up with him and keep him close all the time, so she can respond to any sign he is stirring? She needs to resist any manhandling of baby and/or breast, with several people 'having a go' - this can put babies (and mothers) right off.

Hope things soon work out.

Thanks tiktok for getting back so quickly, there was pink blob in his nappy yesterday and my MIL said the midwives said it was probably hormones but I'm worried it might be a sign of dehydration. Will mention about using the spoon/syringe often and resisting manhandling by others. Thanks again.

She needs ot try at the least sign of interest. Maybe after she bathes when she is more relaxed and the atmosphere is warm and snuggly. Short feeds aren't uncommon as long as they are fairly frequent. Perhaps it would help her to speak to a BFC for reassurance if the mw isn't due around. There is a risk of a sleepy, non-feeding newborn developing jaundice which in turn makes them more sleepy but expressing to allow him to use a syringe or spoon may help get him over this stage and promote her supply.

KMidd - hopefully to reassure a little, expulsion of urate crystals in boys and girls can take form of a pink blob in the nappy and is common shortly after birth.

I think dehydration can make it more likely/prolong it so follow tiktok's advice on the syringe front and tell SIL to keep on at midwives if she's worried. Usual signs to look out for are greyish skin that's slow to 'spring back', sunken fontanelle, lack of wet nappies, lack of engagement.

I find that even if you have loads of advice, nothing really teaches you better about nappies than experience. When I had my DS1, on day 1/2 MW asked how many wet nappies he was doing a day and I said 'about 5' - she looked horrified. Knowing now what a 1-pee nappie looks like next to a several-pees nappy I could have avoided this as he was definitely doing more than 5; I just didn't change him after each one.

On the 'he is also very sleepy' comment - newborns are sleepy things (except invariably when you want to be having yours). While being floppy can be a sign of issues I'd say that as long as he engages in some form when he is more perky (e.g. looking at you, or lights) it's probably normal sleepiness. Mother's instinct is powerful so SIL will probably know if baby is in danger.

Good suggestions here - but by the time a baby is really looking dehydrated (grey skin, dry nappies), you are in quite serious territory :(

Yes, urate crystals can be a sign the baby really does need more feeding (it's not a sign of actual dehydration, at least that's my understanding).

Good maternity units would be very concerned about a non-feeding baby on day 2 - not panic stations, but definitely action needed.

Presumably she could also self refer to maternity unit if she is concerned.