I need the fab mumsnet breastfeeding community! Breast feeding help please?!

[Heyprestoitsaboy]

DS is 3 days old
Suppored to establish breastfeeding in hospital and came home today however not 100% confident not even 50 % being honest
Baby fed at hospital for only around 10 mins before we left today at around 2pm.
Got home and baby had another 10 min feed about 3.40pm
Since then baby had slept and I am so so worried he isn't feeding hut if I wake him to feed he wont latch I'm so stuck.
Baby slept all evening and fed again only for 10 mins at around 10 pm
Baby woke for a feed about 2.15am and seemed to do well before flying back to sleep after 15 mins.
I jist feel like he isn't getting enough and I'm failing him. What can I do he's so sleepy. He has a little jaundice and I need to feed to help clear this.
Any advice welcome I don't want to end our BF journey!
Sorry I have posted here I didn't know where would be best feel free to suggest

I can only talk from my experience. Breast fed both mine for 1 year. Took me weeks with first baby to get the hang - only ever fed for 10 mins and fell asleep so much that I was advised by hv to change mid feed. However, bf exclusively for first four months and never longer than the 10 minutes and thrived. When they are only days old though, I was told to wake for feeds and not to wait for them to wake. Keep going - it honestly gets easier

Offer both breasts each feed, when he's on try some breast compression to make the feed easier for him. Will work better than tickling.

Expressing is a good idea to help with keeping your supply stimulated if he is feeding less than 8 times in 24 hours

Hi all, we're going to pop this thread in our Infant Feeding topic now.

How did it go with the midwife today OP?

How are you both now? Hope everything is ok and baby is starting to wake up a bit for you x

None of the baby waking up techniques worked for me so between boobs i would change dd's nappy and wipe her face etc with cotton wool in cool water to wake her up. At least then she'd get 7-10 mins each side! When she was a bit older putting her in the moses basket whwn she fell asleep woke her instantly and she would feed again then! I think the milk plus the heat of your body sends them to sleep...

Midwife came today and said his poo and wee nappies sound good and that's his jaundice coming out. She watched me feed LO and said to just keep going. I can get a good latch on one said and not the other so going to keep trying and hand expressing the other side untill we get the hang of it. Just nervous for his weigh in on Monday now but feel so much more positive that WE CAN do this and no formula will be usee unless advised is necessary by the HV thankyou for all of your words of wisdom I will definitely put to use what I can. I'm feeling so emotional and cry so much lately but the midwife says this is normal but won't be helping when im struggling to BF too!

Sounds like you are doing brilliantly! Try not put too much pressure on yourself and remember when they weigh him it will probably be on a different scales so if its not the weight gain you expect to not let it stress you out.

I think you've been given all the advice you need already. I just wanted to congratulate you, wish you luck and encourage you on!

My DD was jaundiced, tongue tied and bf was pretty hard at first. In all honesty it took 4 months to truly settle but we made it through and I'm so pleased. If this is what you want to do, just keep going, trouble shoot, call La Leche Legue for advice, Kellymom website is also great. Also, I hope there's someone taking excellent care of you? Eat and drink plenty and stay skin to skin.

YOU CAN DO IT!

I honestly have so much respect for any mum who has managed to breastfeed for any length of time!

Well done! Day three is a bitch to get through, and learning about breast feeding is hard.
You're doing amazingly well and it does get easier.
I'm sat up breastfeeding dc3 and this was the part I was most looking forward too if you can believe it!
Really glad your midwife visit went well and you're feeling better x

Oh and I second Kellymom website for advice too!

Well done, I'm so glad you are still on your breastfeeding journey

I read your updates earlier (phone wouldn't let me post) and thought your situation sounded a lot like what I went through. It was really hard work in the early days and I needed lots of support but things did settle down and I was able to exclusively bf for the recommended time, a miracle when I look back. Still bf a toddler.

Do search out all possible sources of support. Good luck and I'll be thinking of you during the nights.

It can be hard in the early stages, I found it hard too, stay positive, you are doing great.

Oh, and it gets easier!

Aww. This was me first time around. Trust your body and your baby. You can do it. If baby is loosing jaundice and weeing and pooing that tells you all you need to know at this stage, some weight loss is normal. I was cack handed feeding on one side too, so used to use the ruby hold on that side until they got too big, I'm right handed and it was that side I found difficult. You're doing a great job.

Mine all fed quickly, so don't worry about the 10 minutes... more the gap/behaviour between feeds. If baby is weeing and happy to feed again at 3hr I'd say you're doing fab and don't change a thing.

My babies all fed within 10-15min, then slept for 2:45 and awoke howling for next feed. My MIL said she would cuddle them "when they woke" and I told her she best come back in 6-8w! People would visit, chat, have a cuppa and leave and baby would have been nowhere in sight!