should a 4 day old baby be feeding and pooing? please help before I panic a new mother

[oranges]

Please help for a friend who had a baby on the 4th Sept and is not feeding properly. I had a nightmare with bf at the start and recognise the warning signs, but don't want to panic her because of my own bad experience. She's asking for help tomorrow, but its a big London hospital which often won't spare much time to help wth bf - they are already suggesting formula.

Good for you, oranges....you are right, this can be a crucial time.

Your friend needs help - she can call any of the helplines, or her community midwife (if she's at home) or the infant feeding adviser (if there is one if she is still in hosp)....yes, he should be pooing, probably green-brown today, and yes, he should be feeding.

Is she doing skin to skin and staying close to the baby all the time? He should not be in a crib, sleeping the hours away.

She needs help today, not tomorrow.

Thanks tiktok. I'll ask about poo. Don't think she has yet. What's the max she should be sleeping for? The mum is staying close to baby, but not skin to skin.

It has to be skin to skin....

Baby should not be sleeping more than 3 hrs tops where there is a concern about her not feeding.

If there is no poo at all, then this is very worrying.

She should be expressing round the clock and getting it into the baby somehow.

I've persuaded her to speak to someone today, so hopefully she'll get the right advice. Thank you