BFing - what to expect in the first few days? And then the first few weeks?

[HappyAsEyeAm]

How often should I be offering the breast to a brand new baby?

As they said in the breastfeeding workshop I went to whilst pregnant, "if in doubt, whip them out" :).
I basically offered it all the time when she rooted, when she cried, when she woke up, even when I still couldn't believe she could be hungry (she cluster fed A LOT!).
Good luck, it can be very tough going to begin with but it does get easier (make sure you have plenty of lanisoh on hand!)

IME a lot more often than you think would be necessary! A newborn baby's stomach is tiny so they don't need much but it digests quickly so they do need it often.. And remember its not just about food, it's establishing your milk supply, bonding, cuddling and feeling safe as well.

Forget the chores, ignore the clocks, pack yourself a big packed lunch and be prepared to sit and breastfeed sometimes constantly for about 6 weeks. That ought to do it!

All. The. Time.

HTH?

My Ex MIL who is well known for her little phrases for each & every occasion uttered

" to achieve gold top milk darling you just have to be like Daisy the cow & do nothing but graze the long grass & swish your tail"

so just sit & enjoy your babe & get anyone & everyone who comes through the door to put the kettle on for you & cut another slice of cake!

Oh & be prepared for VERY sore nipples at first, especially if they don't latch on properly, it's toe curling but perservere it is SO worth it.

Yep, DS is now just over 4 weeks old and gets offered the boob whenever he wakes up and especially when he is rooting or crying.

If he doesn't want it he won't take it so I'm happy to offer it just in case! He's putting on weight and we have plenty of wet and dirty nappies so this seems to work for us. We'll worry about routine at se later date.

u can also expect much sweeter smelling nappies :O ime ff babys poo stinks

If you want to put a number on it, which of course is tricky, the suggested number of feeds in the early weeks is about 10-12 in a 24 hour period.

That does sound a lot, but if you think how many times you eat or drink something- be it a main meal, a glass of squash, or a biscuit, then it would probably be around about the same amount.

Oh, and not everyone gets sore nipples, so don't worry about that too much.

Learn to lie down and feed asap. Then, you can stay in bed, turning over from time to time, reading/mnetting/watching TV constantly feeding or with the baby having a chance to. This will also mean you have a good rest.
Feeding all the time is normal, and good. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise, and having your baby skin to skin as much as possible is brilliant for both of you

OK! I didn't have a good experience with BFing first time round, and I think looking back that maybe I didn't put him to my boob as often as I shoud have or for as long as I should have. Though it did seem to me that I was constantly feeding, maybe I wasn't. I will keep offering!

fhdl34 - maybe you've come accross me I've used that one a few time's. It's true through you can feed to much but you can feed to little.

Have a read hear lot's of really usefull info on what to expect in the early days/weeks.

kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing/

That should have been 'can't feed to much but cna feed to little'

In countries where babies have unlimited access to the breast, who are carried in a sling and co-sleep they feed on average every 24 minutes day and night.