Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Flip

Original poster

breastfeeding 1st day help

17 replies

suzi2 · 19/08/2006 08:49

My friend gave birth to a wee boy yesterday afternoon, fairly traumatic labour I think ending in a foreceps delivery. Anyway, she has since been texting me with her breastfeeding worries. Last text was last night but I didn't get it until this morning. She fed him at 5pm yesterday - a short feed. But at midnight last night he hadn't taken more and was just interested in sleeping. Not sure how things were overnight - have texted her back.

Basically, how long can that 1st feed last him? The midwife on last night she said was horrid so I would suspect she's getting formula pressure if he hasn't had more!

OP posts:

Enid · 19/08/2006 08:52

oh god they are all very sleepy for the first couple of days

then they wake up and feed constantly tell her not to worry

Frizbe · 19/08/2006 08:54

Enid's right, both dd's here slept for a good 12hrs after birth, then fed like troopers until my milk came in, then they went to every 3hrs for the 1st 6 weeks.....she won't be worrying soon enough.....

threebob · 19/08/2006 08:58

I fed ds at around 6pm and didn't get any more hassle from mw until around 10am the next day. We stripped him down and tickled his feet and he had a nice feed - once everyone buggered off and left us to it.

notasheep · 19/08/2006 08:59

ditto enid-they need a massive sleep to get over the birth

Original poster

suzi2 · 19/08/2006 09:02

Thanks guys - that's good you all said that as that's what I told her! Haven't heard back but hopefully she's got better support there now.

OP posts:

hermykne · 19/08/2006 09:04

suzi2, hopefully your friend had the baby nearby and has skin to skin contact, when the baby akes she should cuddle them up to her and offer the breast, hopefully that horrid mw is off shift and she gets a decent one for encouraging her and ensuring her latch is correct.

FrannyandZooey · 19/08/2006 09:13

My ds slept for about 12 hours after a nasty forceps birth and I just left him to sleep it off - the midwives were furious

It took him a few days to get the hang of breastfeeding and I had to discharge myself against advice because they didn't want to let me home until feeding was established, but I knew I could not get it sorted out until I was in the peace of my own home. Ds did get jaundiced, probably from lack of proper b/f in the first few days. However we got through it and he soon got back to his birth weight and then promptly shot up the chart as he was such a greedy boy

ja9 · 19/08/2006 09:14

just second what others have said - my ds was really sleepy after he was born. he fed for a tiny bit but then not again for hours and hours. when he did feed the next morning it was hard to keep him awake.

we went on to bf for 20mths...

one thing i couldn't believe in hospital was how little encouragement there was from MWs to persevere with bf. they were giving out bottles left right and centre.

Original poster

suzi2 · 19/08/2006 10:06

Just heard back from her. He hasn't latched on for a feed - disinterested and not opening mouth wide. But she expressed colostrum twice during the night and gave him that. So it looks like she's keeping his energy and sugar up nicely and hopefully today he'll perk up a bit more and get more interested.

OP posts:

MarsLady · 19/08/2006 10:13

Cranial Osteopathy may be a good idea. The baby has had a traumatic delivery and that may play a part in the lack of feeding. Whereabouts are you? There are often free clinics so perhaps you could google for her to see what's about.

That said.. it can take a couple of days.

Does the baby show any interest in her breasts/nipples? Has he licked at them at all?

MarsLady · 19/08/2006 10:14

Oh and tell her well done for expressing and feeding him. Best thing she can do.

Laura032004 · 19/08/2006 10:24

Expressing colostrum is a good start. Tell her not to get discouraged if there doesn't seem to be much. I expressed for DS2 when he was in special care, and was only getting a couple of ml's at a time (half a small syringe full!). They said this was great, as some people get literally a couple of drops in the early days. Has she had advice on how to hand express? I thought I couldn't do it (bf DS1 for 22m), but when showed correctly, it was easy.

Best wishes to your friend

Original poster

suzi2 · 19/08/2006 10:47

I'll let her know about the colostrum amount thing. Once she's home I'll mention the cranial osteopath thing. I see an osteopath regularly who does mostly cranial work and she is great. She saw my DS when he was about 12 wks old and really helped his tummy/bowels/excessive windiness. She checks him over most times that I'm in now and gives him the odd tweak. I only wish she had seen him in those first 12 wks when he was colicky! So I will recommend her.

OP posts:

Original poster

suzi2 · 19/08/2006 22:21

I've just had an update from my friend. Her little one has been taken to SCBU as he is having breathing problems - thought to be an infection. She said that's why he hasn't been feeding - I'm not sure how much he has had. She understandably sounds very tired and upset. But she also mentioned that he was likely to need formula and that has upset her too as she really wanted to breastfeed.

I have no experience of feeding a baby in SCBU or with breathing difficulties at all. Can any of you advise as to the best way for her to maximise their chances of successfully breastfeeding? How much would she need to express to get her supply going for example? Any words of wisdom appreciated.

OP posts:

MarsLady · 20/08/2006 01:20

I'm pretty sure that she can express so that when they bottle feed him he gets expressed breast milk (ebm). She's to make sure that she is heard. If she/the hospital don't think that she's got enough breast milk she should ask about the milk banks where they store ebm (expressed by other mothers... but still breast milk). Tell her I'm thinking of her and hoping that all goes well.

Poor baby. Hope he's out soon and the infection is sorted.

Another thought... even if they do give him formula there's no reason why she couldn't continue to breastfeed. She can express and freeze her milk. As long as she's expressing she'll keep her supply up. She needs to express regularly... about the times that baby would feed, be it 3 or 4 hourly. hth

vickyplus3 · 20/08/2006 02:22

My twin boys went into SCBU after an emergency c-section and fortunately the mws fed them through tubes so they didn't get nipple/bottle confusion. I expressed colustrum for them and eventually got them onto the breast within three days - never looked back.
I felt very strongly about breastfeeding and insisted on seeing the lactating consultant in the hospital to ensure I was doing it right. Best of luck to your friend, remind her she is in charge of her little one and the staff should fulfil her wishes as much as possible.

charlieropersmum · 20/08/2006 11:15

My ds really struggled to latch on to feed for the first 36 hours after a traumatic ventouse birth. I messed around trying to give him formula on a teaspoon in hospital. In the end I gave him a huge bottle of formula, he slept for 8 hours and woke up with the strength to breast feed. We haven't looked back since and he's been exclusively breast fed since the 3rd day of his life. Tell your friend not to worry, if she keeps trying to feed the baby it'll get there.

Flip