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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Advice on breastfeeding a very big newborn, please

23 replies

PrettyCandles · 16/10/2006 16:02

Ds2 was born on Sunday weighing 11lb. What can I expect? Does being so big mean that he needs more feeding, or that he has the resources to go longer between feeds? I know that birthweight is no guide or predictor of future weight, but I'm concerned that I will come under the "he hasn't regained his birthweight so you must give him formula" pressure that happened with ds1.

How long can I allow him to sleep between feeds? Last night he had a sleep of about 6h - is that OK? Today he is desperate both to feed and to sleep - which is more important?

How many wet/pooey nappies should I expect at this stage?

And where did all this stink-bomb gas come from that he's parping out of his not-so-dainty bum?

Thanks.

OP posts:

Overrun · 16/10/2006 16:07

congtatulations btw. I think that being a big baby is a good thing in that he can be demand fed, so a 6 hour sleep is fine, you're just lucky {grin] I was told when I had my dts that you only have to make sure that you feed every 3-4 hours if they are under 5lb.
I bf my twins who were born 5lb and 5.6lb, so almost 11lb, so it can obviously be done.
Perhaps you can point out to any dissenters about women feeding twins if you encounter sceptisism

BloodRedRubyRioja · 16/10/2006 16:08

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

hauntymandy · 16/10/2006 16:12

my Ds was 10lb 2 and just fed the same as the others. sometimes bigger babies are a bit lazy!!
I advise feeding on demand. change nappy after oneside to wake him up a bit then offer otherside.
Aslong as he is gaining weight ok, I wouldnt worry. (he will loose a bit first)

Oh and babies do the most delightful farts!!!

hauntymandy · 16/10/2006 16:12

most important advise......ENJOY!!!!!

lemonaid · 16/10/2006 16:17

DS was 10lb 5.5oz, so not as big as yours, but IME his feeding pattern was much the same as a smaller baby. And sleeping through was but a dream ("Oh, a big baby like him will sleep through really early" said the health visitor. I had revenge fantasies about her for months...).

Feed him a lot, whenever he seems hungry, and offer both sides every feed (even go back to the first side after the second side, if he's still hungry or you are worried about his weight gain). Right now you should expect lots of wet and pooey nappies. When older (um, can't remember how much older exactly -- 6 weeks?) many bf babies will go for days between poos, but a newborn should be pooing quite a lot (and DS kept up the several-times-a-day pattern and never cut back to every few days, although I doubt that was anything to do with his size).

mooshy · 16/10/2006 16:27

Congrats !
I think weight makes no differrence as long as you continue to demand feed.
I fed dd2 and ds3 until they were 2, and both totally bf with nothing else until almost 1.DD2 was 19 lbs and completely happy just on breastmilk.
I did only ever feed entirely on one side at each feed though because i think that way they get the hindmilk.
If you go from one side to the other there is a chance baby could be getting foremilk and not enough hind ?
Enjoy
Enjoy
Enjoy

bluejelly · 16/10/2006 16:32

Isn't bfeeding an 11 pounder the same whether they are newborn or 6 weeks old?
Or am I missing a trick?

Congrats by the way

tortoiseshell · 16/10/2006 16:36

PC - I've had 3 big ones (not 11lb though!), and did find it difficult to get feeding established, but we got there - you just have to feed them and feed them and feed them, don't let him sleep too long between feeds, wake him up for feeds - I would be feeding every 2-3 hours. Don't let him go more than 5 hours at night, and if you're worried, you could top up with EBM, but this is a pain to do!

Congratulations!

lemonAIIEEE · 16/10/2006 16:45

mooshy -- tiktok has explained very eloquently on other threads that foremilk/hindmilk doesn't work that way. It's worth looking out some of those posts because they explain the whole thing so beautifully that even I got it!

We're not, of course, talking about the scary prescriptive stuff of "offer the first breast for ten minutes, and then the second breast for five minutes" which would, indeed, be a recipe for disaster -- rather that, when the baby has had a good long feed from one breast and has unlatched or stopped swallowing, he should be offered the other breast as well (a) in case he's still hungry and (b) to stimulate supply.

mooshy · 16/10/2006 18:34

Sounds good to me-sorry.
I actually go to 6 monthly breastfeeding updates (am a midwife ), but get far more informed info on here !!!!!

curlew · 16/10/2006 18:49

My ds was 10lb6 and feeding him wasn't significantly different to feeding my dainty little (9lb9!)dd. However, he did put on weight a bit more slowly and I had to be a bit firm with a health visitor who wanted to worry me about it. My theory was that he was a bit bigger than he was "supposed"to be at birth and he just needed to level out a bit! He's now 5 and not significantly bigger than his peers.

Daisymoo · 16/10/2006 18:57

Ds3 was 10lb 13oz and I just fed on demand really, and boy, did he demand! He always had plenty of wet and pooey nappies so I never had him re-weighed after he was born actually on the basis that he was clearly thriving so what was the point?!

tiktok · 16/10/2006 19:25

Lovely big boy, PC

Feeding him will be fine - you grew him beautifully, didn't you

A one-off 6 hr sleep is ok, but not as a routine with a newborn.

You can solve both needs to feed and sleep by keeping him tucked up with you so he feeds and sleeps 'on' you.

Feed him responsively - ie be led by him, without letting him sleep for too long.

mooshy - I am concerned you are being taught that feeding on one side only is the 'right' way, but you are by no means the only midwife who has been taught that. But it's wrong - there are no rules about one or two or three or four sides....both sides should be at least offered, in the newborn stage, anyway.

hermykne · 16/10/2006 19:38

prettycandles congrats and my ds was 11lb 2. i honestly didnt notice he feed anymore than dd did (9lb 3), as i went iwth his demands for those intial 6 weeks and then it settled. he was a quick feeder on both breasts every time,usuallytaking 2hrs from feed to feed in the day and little longer at ngiht. i didnt really get a chance to express and if i did there wasnt much or it'd take forever but that was after 6weeks anyway.

he was big so i felt he feed well every chance he got and he was very content as a baby.

good luck! enjoy

VeniVidiVickiQV · 16/10/2006 19:42

PC - i havent read any other posts...

DD was 9lb 13oz when born. She fed fine. My body made the right amount of milk for her. Although she missed one weigh in it was deemed that she didnt appear to lose any weight at all, and had gained half a pound at 2 weeks!

Feed him when he wants it - as long as he is doing regular wet nappies thats fine. B/fed babies can for up to 6 days without doing a dirty nappy.

If he wants to sleep - let him sleep. Feed him when he wakes, and then feed him again 2 hours later or earlier if he wants it.

Sounds like you are doing fine though

Congratulations!

VeniVidiVickiQV · 16/10/2006 19:44

Although agree with tiktok - dont let long sleeps occur too much - particularly if in a couple of weeks he isnt gaining well. I doubt this will be a problem for you though.

wherethewildthingsare · 16/10/2006 20:05

DS3 was 10lb 4 and I managed to bf him fine (after a lot of nonsense about blood sugars when he was born, I was starved for a c-section, long story). When I was discharged from hospital he was a little jaundiced and the paediatrician told me he would need supplementing with formula. I followed my instincts, chucked the formula and fed on demand, the jaundice cleared in a couple of days and he was fine I also managed to exclusively bf him till he was 6 months (no solids) despite everyone saying he wouldn't last.

kittythescarygoblin · 16/10/2006 20:06

Well done prettycandless are you ok ? !!
My last baby was pretty big and pretty sleepy too. I don't know if there is a link. If I were you I would let your baby guide you as to when he wants food and let his weight gain and more importantly overall health be your guide. Good luck

OldieMum · 16/10/2006 20:12

Just to reassure you that you can do it. DS, born in July, was 11lb and I have BF-ed him on demand ever since. He is thriving. I was worried that my supply would not keep up with him, but it has. He fed very often in the first few weeks, but things then settled down to 3-4 hours between feeds, with days when was only 2 hours and some growth spurts when it was every hour. I was advised not to let him go for longer than 4 hours in the first few weeks, but, once his weight gain became well-established, my HV told me I could let him sleep through the night. He has been going for 7-8 hours at night without feeing since he was about 7 weeks old and I am going to experiment with dropping the 11pm 'dream feed' later this week. He will be 15 weeks old tomorrow. Good luck and enjoy your big baby!

Original poster

PrettyCandles · 16/10/2006 20:17

Thanks for responding. I khonw about the nappy-count in general, but what about now while we're still at the colostrum and meconium stage? Ds2 doesn't look dehydrated, and he had a wee (all over the Paed) and a huge meconium nappy yesterday, but hasn't actually needed a change today.

Also, unless I give him to dh to hold, leave him in the bouncer to cry, or he falls asleep on me (whicg lasts for no more than 20min at a time, max) he is constantly feeding. There are no gaps, except for winding.

I'm getting sore!

OP posts:

hermykne · 16/10/2006 21:05

prettycandles i think the sore bit tiktok will give u more info on but is the latch ok,
i was sor e with my dd but not ds.
and he did feed continuously or what seemed like it for the first few days, i think you'll have to go with it initially

beansprout · 16/10/2006 21:14

Ds was 10lb 5oz and despite loads of "ooh, you'll be feeding him all the time" type comments, I didn't and his routine was no different to other babies. He was solely b/fed until he was 7 months and am still feeding him now (he will be 2 next week).

Many congratulations on your lovely son and I hope it all goes well for you

ScaredyCatMum · 16/10/2006 21:30

Hi PC,

My LO is only 5 weeks old and my first, so I'm not really qualified to give much advice, but can say that despite him being 7lb 1oz at birth he also seemed to feed constantly to start with and my boobs were also sore. All I can say is that it passed pretty quickly (by end of 2nd week if I recall correctly) and that applying Lanisol - think that's right - after feeding did seem to help - you can get it from Mothercare. Boobs are fine now - even when he decides he just wants to suck directly on nipple (quickly nip that one in the bud, tee hee).

Congratulations on his birth!

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