Very first days of breastfeeding

[Fishpond]

I'm hoping to EBF as long as possible and will be having my baby in a US hospital - less emphasis is placed on breastfeeding and rooming in as in the UK.

How do you know if anything's coming out in the first few days, as I know it's meant to be colostrum? If baby sucks and sucks and doesn't get anything, are they going to get upset and refuse breast? How long does it take for the milk to come in and for you to feel 'confident' about it?

I'm only 4 weeks in but I know I noticed definite changes in my boobs and baby's nappies. First couple of days boobs were same as during pg and baby's poos were dark. On the 3rd day my boobs were hard and engorged and day 4 they went down again but baby's poos were mustard yellow. I was in hospital for 4 days because of haemorrage but I felt confident when I left and have been fine since.

hi Fishpond

You may find this fact sheet helpful.

It's about getting bfing off to a good start and it written by a Canadian breastfeeding 'guru' called Dr Jack Newman (loads of other great stuff and video clips on the site too ).

You may not even see any colostrum, but it will be there- you just need to trust your body to make it. Your baby will only need a teeny amount at a time-roughly 5-10 ml (that's a teaspoon). Feeding frequently in the early days will comfort and nourish your baby and ensure a really good milk supply in the future. It will also encourage your milk to come in.

Skin to skin is great and expect your baby to want (and need) to be held close to you in those early times.

Confidence obviously varies from person to person, but there are certain signs that you can look out for to see that the baby is feeding well. They are www.unicef.org.uk/Documents/Baby_Friendly/Forms/mothers_breastfeeding_checklist.pdf

Hope this helps and good luck with everything.

You've already had brilliant advice, so I won't repeat what's been said. I would just add that I found BF really painful in the beginning (as did many of my friends though not all), please don't panic if this is the case it does get easier. I left hospital without much confidence but did keep going and all went well in the end.

Maybe find someone who has already done bf who can reassure you that you are doing a brilliant job (even if it just an email or a quick chat on the phone), it can be hard work but that doesn't mean it isn't working. I read all the books which were helpful but didn't prepare me for finding it hard work, it was friends who really got me through.

Look up how to express by hand. If you're worried you haven't got anything (which you will definitely have!) then you can see for yourself. Have you seen tiny bits of yellow stuff on your nipples ... That's colostrum :) - it's visible in pregnancy too. But really don't worry - it all works the way it should. Focus on getting the latch right.

Hi fishpond,

Crikeybadger has given you fab advice and good links. Kellymom is also a great source of information too (you could start here)

My DD did not latch on for over 3 days, so I had to hand express small amounts of colostrum for her. I think that she was sleepy due to the drugs I received.

Newborn babies do not need large amounts of milk, rather, they need tiny amounts of colostrum...I think that I was very fortunate that I was not pressured by hospital staff to offer my baby formula. There was no sense of panic, no mad dash for a bottle because my DD wasnt latching on. We just persevered and my DD and I eventually got the hang of things after 3 days. (I should add that my DD only lost 8% of her body weight, was healthy and full term, though she was slightly jaundiced) In the meantime I fed my DD colostrum via syringe and cup. I was managing to express between 5mls and 10mls at a time.

My biggest advice would be to ask for help. Don't be afraid to call for a midwife if you are struggling. I buzzed everytime we tried to feed in the first couple of days and I struggled with positioning etc. Not sure what local groups you have, but I would also say that its a good idea to find out about what supports there are local to you. I attended a bf group weekly, and it was a fantastic sourse of support, some time out of the house and an opportunity to have a hot cup of tea!

Put you baby to your breast frequently, do not time feeds or try to space them out.

If you have any pain get help. A tiny change to your position can sometimes be all that is needed to improve things if you have pain.

Re. confidence - I was the only person in my family to have breastfed beyond a few weeks and my confidence was low at times due to other people questioning us constantly so I have to admit that I loved my DD getting weighed to make sure that she was getting enough. Thing is, I knew she was getting plenty - there are lots of signs other than weight gain - lots of wet and dirty nappies, periods of alertness etc. I think that the most important thing is to have faith in your body.

I realise that I am rambling a little now and there are others who are fat more knowledgeable then I am...its good to read up on breastfeeding in advance so you are doing the right thing looking for info...I knew absolutely nothing about breastfeeding which resuted in lots of worry at every hurdle...I now wish that I had known about cluster feeding, growth spurts etc!

Good luck and come back any time - the support I got from mumsnet was invaluable.