how soon after birth will baby want the first feed?

[acharmofgoldfinches]

We are expecting our first baby in the Spring, and wondering how quickly he or she is likely to want to feed after arriving? Do they need to recover a bit first, or is feeding part of that process? We will be formula-feeding so I'm wondering about having bottles ready made up, or whether there will be time to do that once we've all taken a breather...

Its worth remembering the OP may not be able to offer her baby colostrum. Babies do tend to feed quite soon after birth. You can offer the bottle While youre skin to skin so you still get that lovely experience. As others have said it should be a tiny amount that little one feeds, they are likely to need feeding very little and often in the first few days so some parents find ready made formula milk easier than powder initially.

Thanks everyone for your help and advice - I will get some of the little bottles so we're ready as soon as the baby is!

Unfortunately I'm not able to breastfeed. I work in farming so I know exactly how nourishing a mother's milk is, particularly the colostrum - but this baby is a miracle as it is, so I'm not going to beat myself up about the things I can't do, and just enjoy the things I can .

I just want to say I second finding out what the hospital policy is. I had no plan about feeding really apart from for some bizarre reason I didn't want to change formula if dd got used to one particular brand in hospital.

I'm not in the UK and here they help with bf to and promote it but also provide formula too but you have to prepare it yourself.

In my case I had complications after emcs and couldn't hold dd for the first 8 hours but tried feeding straight away. I had to top up every feed with formula and had packed ready made formula to help.the hospital use aptamil, and they don't sell it ready made here so I had some bought over but it helped. Dh fed dd before I'd even held her and it didn't bother me in the slightest!

After 10 days and lots of problems with bf I switched to just formula and I think having other people help me with feeding helped my recovery.

DS1 wasn't interested for hours, to the point that the midwives were urging me to feed him before he starved.
DD1 also wasn't bothered, but as she was a porker no one seemed worried about her. I went for breakfast myself instead.
DS2 fed instantly (as in, clamped straight to the boob by sheer determination before they'd even cut the cord) and is still a greedy bugger.

Be prepared for anything -- and yes, never stress about the bits you can't do. They find plenty of other things to keep you busy...

DS had a little root and suckle straight after being born then nothing for 18 hours- I had to wake and actively feed him. I had a long first stage of labour followed by a short, hard second stage during which I had Diamorphine (sp?) so the mw said that will have made him very sleepy.

I'd get some of the little bottles and talk to the hospital, although be prepared for a bf lecture. I'd always planned to bf but asked if I should bring in some f just in case and was told that they didn't discuss formula as the were a breastfeeding hospital. You have absolutely the right attitude-do what you can and enjoy your new baby.

I'd also call your hospital and ask. What one hospital offers seems to be very different to another. I would also have it clearly marked on your notes that you will be ff and the mention it to the MW when you are in labour so you can have a bottle on standby in case the baby comes out starving.
I'd also discuss with your DP/DH is you have firm views that you want to do the first feed or want him to or anything like that.
DC1 was a 48 hour labour with epidural and eventually yanked out with forceps whilst I was being prepped for a c section. She wasn't breathing when born and, although they got her breathing within a few minutes, she was quite dozy for a few hours and had her first feed after about 4 hours and that was, in retrospect, a pretty poor attempt which only lasted a few minutes.
DS was born 29 mins after I realised I was in labour, was wiped over, put of me for skin to skin and headed straight for the breast and started feeding enthusiastically straight away.

Mine was hungry 5 min after! Although she was breastfed we'd bought ready made sma in sterile bottles just in case - Tesco do themy.

Mine was taken to SCBU as a precaution after being delivered by C-section and by the time he came back an hour or two later he'd been given a bottle of formula already. He was quite small (6lb 3oz) and appeared in distress during labour so it might have been that they were keen to feed him asap to keep his strength up, or maybe he started asking for it, I'm not sure!

Thanks again everyone, I have learned so much from just this one thread!

I will talk to the hospital (we're booked in to a midwife-led unit) about their policy, and I will also pick up some of the bottles. HIPP no longer make theirs, they do ready-mixed formula in a carton) so I will get some SMA; if we have some ready then we're sorted whether baby starts to root (I love that word) instantly, or needs to "come to" a bit first. Even though I won't be bf we will definitely be doing skin-to-skin for the first bottle (and many subsequent ones) it sounds quite amazing. I can't wait .

Great! Do check with the main ward as well in case you end up there for some reason.

Skin to skin is great, whether you bf or ff. Might be worth bearing in mind that some newborns find a naked nipple pretty tempting and can be amazingly skilled at rooting for it. If that isn't a problem for you, that's fine (even if the baby has a bit of a suck it won't affect your milk coming in, that happens anyway). If it is, for whatever reason, just keep an eye out !