3 day old breast feeding problems

[Bex134]

My little one arrived on Monday since then I've been purely breast feeding. He latches on great but I'm not convinced his taking the feed but more going through the motions. He only had one wet nappy today.

So I called the local bf support we agreed I'd try a bit of formula. Which I did. He then settled briefly but now is wildly sucking whenever I put him down indicating he wants more food. Oh he's falling asleep at breast too which I try to prevent by stripping off and tickling feet etc so it's hard work getting him to take these feeds but he clearly needs them! Sine the formula my milk has come in - maybe because I relaxed?? So I'm hopeful the feeds he's getting tonight are good meals just hoping I can get him to the hind milk.

Any thoughts/ similar experiences. Is there light at the end of the tunnel?

Yes there is. It's great your milk has come in, if you want to continue bfing keep him on the boob as much as you can as that will stimulate supply. However the most important thing is to make sure he's hydrated - one wet nappy is not enough i think it should be 4-6 at this age, so I would offer formula or expressed top ups after every feed. You may need to pump as well to keep supply up. That's a lot of work, do you have a partner?

Don't worry about hindmilk, you don't need to try and get to it like that. If you're feeding on demand and frequently then the baby will be getting what he needs. Here's a good explanation:

kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/basics/foremilk-hindmilk/

I'd be a little concerned about the lack of wee. Feed as frequently as you can bear and get your partner to take the baby at other times so you can rest.

I was constantly worried my dd wasn't getting enough milk from me as she was a very sleepy baby and would fall asleep at the breast quickly. I think also because I couldn't see what she'd drunk it made me more paranoid. I think they're tummy is literally the size of a peanut though at this age. It's only day 3, which is when my milk came in too. They'll wake up and feed more as the weeks go on.

You're doing so well. I did a lot of crying on day 3 when my milk came in. My hormones were bonkers

I'd have lots of skin to skin and feed as often as they want to increase supply. I'd try not to top up with formula personally but if the bf support suggested that due to the lack of wet nappies I do understand why.

That kellymom website is amazing. The section on whether your baby is getting enough milk is also helpful.

Sounds like you're doing absolutely the right thing. Definitely keep an eye on the nappies and give formula if necessary, but if he's latching and sucking, then he should be getting lots from you. Can you watch and listen carefully to see if he's swallowing? Keep him at the breast as much as possible to stimulate supply.
Also, use lanolin. Even with a good latch it can get quite sore

Is he jaundiced op? It can make babies very sleepy feeders. Can you see swallowing when he's feeding? Keep offering the breast as often as you can- new born feed very frequently! Give your mw a call in the morning, it's what they're there for.

You are doing brill. Just relax and feed as often as you can. Stop in bed all day if you want and just concentrate on sleeping (you) and feeding (him).
He has a teeny tiny tummy and it is hard work feeding when you are only small so new babies tire easily.
Did BF support agree your/his latch is okay? Check with your MW, keep asking someone to check for you if you need help don't be afraid to ask.
Drink plenty, rest up and be kind to yourself.
Good luck

I think if your milk has come in since the formula top up, you probably don't need to top up after every feed. Lots of skin to skin & let baby feed as much as he wants (cluster feeding for hours at first is normal... he's putting in his order for your body to make more milk). It's worth seeing later today if someone can check his latch and make sure he isn't jaundiced.

Congratulations on your little one!

Your doing a great job! Have you got nappies that indicate when they're wet with the blue strip? Or are you using cloth? I would keep a close eye on the number of wees. It should be six per day, any less and it might be a sign of dehydration, and that baby isn't getting enough. Now that your milk is in I'm sure your LO will be weeing much more.

You asked if it gets better, yes (I'm still BFing at 10 months) there are also really hard points (mastitis, cracked nipples, vasospasm etc etc) but for me it was all totally worth it and I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

Keep asking and if you can, go to a breast feeding support group so someone can check your latch (personally I found midwives weren't good at this and told me it was fine when I was doing it pretty badly)

Best of luck x

Congratulations!

Echoing previous posters about the breastfeeding support group. It is definitely worth going to one for a bit of help to make breastfeeding easier. I found breastfeeding very hard initially but was so glad I persevered and had the help I needed to get confident at it.

Hi op, I think you've been offered some great bf advice generally, but I'm concerned about dehydration. I'd persevere with bf, skin to skin etc but top up too - either formula or expressed milk. You can use a cup or syringe or bottle but it's really important that he gets some fluids as 1 nappy a day really isn't enough.

Do you have a breast pump? That way you can keep your supply up and know your baby's getting enough milk.

I'd phone your midwife/HV first thing to check.

Good luck

And yes it does get better. My boy used to scream and fuss at the breast and didn't regain birth weight until a month. We also had to supplement. However after a few weeks of that I went back to ebf and am still feeding at 18 months

At 3 days old he should have 3 wet nappies. At 4 days, 4 wet nappies etc for the first week. Then it should be 6 wet nappies a day. It can be really hard to tell a wet nappy to begin with as disposables are so absorbent. Pampers have a wetness indicator - a stripe on the front that changes blue. Or you can put some cotton wool in the nappy so that you can tell when that is wet. I had the exact same concerns as you so this is the advice many midwives gave to me