Newborn advice, is it usually like this?

[TheBeanpole]

Hello

DD was born yesterday morning, and is a little 5lb 10oz. Despite a rather precipitous delivery, we did manage skin to skin and a first feed, and she latched on both sides. We had another short feed a few hours later and then she conked out and I couldn't wake her enough to feed, she just wanted to sleep for about 6 hours. Midwife helped me hand express into a syringe and we got some more into her in the afternoon. They wouldn't discharge us because of the feeding, but she has perked up and been more wakeful overnight and now seems to be looking for the breast, but getting either very wound up which is stopping her latching as she is crying or getting her hands in the way, or taking the nipple but not sucking much. She is napping in between and not screaming for food. Blood sugar yesterday was fine.

I'm getting contradictory advice fom the midwives, from 'she must have 30ml of colostrum in 24 hours' to 'don't worry some just don't feed much in the first 24 hours'

Any advice for getting more into her? Or do i not need to stress and it will get easier when milk comes in.? Is it normal for little babies to struggle a bit more- she is very small for both our families? I seem to be surrounded by babies who are feeding like pros.

I'm basically not sure how much I should worry...

Thanks!

Hi all

Thanks- and a request for a little bit more advice. We're about to go home- we were kept in a bit longer due to jaundice, but that's now on its way out. I did supplement with 30ml aptamil the 2nd night, which seemed to help as she is now latching- am not sure how efficient she is being, but my milk has come in and she is burping and has milk in her mouth. I really don't like giving it to her though.

However, she has lost 7.5% of birth weight, which I understood to be normal, the paediatrician has only 'let' us leave on a promise to 'top up' every bf with 30ml formula for at least next 24 hours. She said that my milk ' may not have enough calories' which I understand to be likely nonsense. I'm ok to do this if it gets us out, but am also able to hand express 40ml at a time so surely that is better? Otherwise it feels like I am stuffing her with less dense formula and she is less likely to want the breast. She's only got a tiny stomach...

One of the midwives also told me off for cup feeding the formula because 'if she can suck she should from a bottle' and ' you all worry about nipple confusion'

Any thoughts? I feel a bit like they are trying to pathologise her...might be the hormones though.

Topping up with breast milk rather than formula should be fine, although I wouldn't have thought topping up was necessary at all with that weight loss! The calorie thing sounds like nonsense, as does the advice to bottle rather than cup feed.

Well, the idea of breastmilk not having enough calories in this situation, or cup feeding being a 'problem' both sound like people who don't know enough about breastfeeding to be giving out advice.

So I'd discount them and find someone you trust to check things with. Are you at home now, or leaving in the morning? Can you speak to the lactation consultant for example?

I don't know enough to know if you 'should' be topping up, but I know enough to know that the stuff they are going on about indicates they don't know much either!

We're at home now. I have a different lactation consultant through my NCT group who has offered a visit, so will call her in the morning. DD just had a great feed- strongest latch so far, plus 30ml ebm, and is currently in a bit of a milk coma, so I think she'll be fine- she also tried a bit of cluster feeding today. 'Poor quality milk' sounds like the nonsense my mum was fed in the 80s...it kind of looks like pure fat. Aptamil looks like...skimmed milk. I'll probably give it a go if I don't have enough ebm for the next couple of days.

I'm a bit disappointed in the hospital tbh. They're supposed to be 'baby friendly' but had a midwife trying to shove my nipple in dd's mouth while she screamed and then all this confusing advice.

I think talking to the NCT lactation consultant is a great idea. She may or may not recommend topping up, but at least someone properly in the know can help you decide.