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Infant feeding

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

Advice on feeding a two day old baby

103 replies

EdieMcredie · 16/09/2007 21:08

My baby is two days old and im planning on BFing. However milk not in yet and so I bought some formula to supplement. Of course all my midwives told me to get rid of it so I have. Tonight I will have no formula. Im managing to put her on my breast loads and she does suck but nothing much coming out and so I need more reassurance from people on here that she will be ok!!!

I just hate to think of her hungry and it's getting me down...

OP posts:
mawbroon · 16/09/2007 23:00

Good luck

kinki · 17/09/2007 09:15

Hope you both had a good night Edie.

Jackstini · 17/09/2007 09:21

Morning Edie - just seeing how you & dd went on last night

EdieMcredie · 17/09/2007 10:16

Well it didn't start too badly but after a while of putting her on my breasts they became sore and she became more and more unsettled until she was pretty much screaming. Kept trying to put her back on but she was getting so frustrated and it really felt like nothing was coming out. Me and DP decided to just sit up with her downstairs but I became upset and we started to argue. Cue me wailing in floods of tears that I can't feed my own child and him trying but not saying the things I wanted to hear.

At 4 in the morning I went to my mums where I had taken the formula in an attempt to help me not use it!

By this time dd was pretty frantic and was sucking on everything.

Gave her the bottle and she necked the whole 9oz. It was very satisfying for all 3 of us.

MW will be here in a minute and will probably have a go but really, I was at my wit's end and just wanted her to be ok. It was even the lack of sleep that was getting to me (although im not far post a 30 hour labour so guess I am knackered) but the fact that she seems so utterly unsatisfied by my stupid breasts!

Sorry, I am finding your advice helpful guys and im determined to do this.

OP posts:
EdieMcredie · 17/09/2007 10:17

I meant it wasn't the lack of sleep!!

OP posts:
daisyandbabybootoo · 17/09/2007 10:26

just reading this and sorry you felt you needed to supplement with the formula as it really isn't necessary. I hope you can get back on track with the BF when your milk comes in and that you get some good support from your midwife and health visitor if that is what you want.

I'm a bit that a 3 day old baby could drink 9ozs.....my DS didn't take that much till he was three or four months old!

Good Luck and congratulations on your baby

EdieMcredie · 17/09/2007 10:31

Sorry I meant 3!!!!

Im sorry it happened too but im really trying mt best and I am going to do this. What should I have done when she was crying so much?

OP posts:
Lorayn · 17/09/2007 10:33

Edie, I can only agree with what everyone here has said, maybe ask for some help from a breastfeeding counsellor to get her latched on better?? I know with DS I found it quite hard at the beginning and although I was sure he was sucking he just wasnt getting anything, I had help to get him latched on and although we sat for about two hours constantly relatching , eventually it worked, and I never looked back. Just remember that babies really dont need as much as it may seem, and she will be fine.

jumpyjan · 17/09/2007 10:39

I got really good advice from La Leche when I was having problems feeding DD in the early days, here they will have a breastfeeding counseller in your area who you can phone when you need help.

Stick with it, you are going through the most difficult bit now - it does get much, much easier.

daisyandbabybootoo · 17/09/2007 10:39

Oh Edie, I didn't mean to sound critical . I know how difficult it is, believe me, I gave up at 5.5 weeks with my DS and I have just spent the morning in tears cos I have mastitis as my 15 week old DD has been having recurrent latch problems.

I echo what everyone says about getting good support, and help with her latch. I had great support with DD and we got off to a flying start (it's only recently our problems have escalated)

I suggest a babymoon, in bed with her and lots of skin to skin. As well as helping with getting your supply established it makes these early days so so precious. Get DH in there for some Daddy skin to skin too. We did this and it was lovely.

Take care.

loler · 17/09/2007 10:46

Hello,

I'm 2 weeks ahead of you (although it feels like years!) - I also gave a bottle of formula, but having spoken to a really good down to earth BF counceller - was advised that it's better to give the odd ff when at your wits end, then reassess at the next feed, than to give up all together!

I couldn't get ds to latch onto engorged nips despite trying everything (included expressing - did get quite alot out) but this really did only last less than 48 hours. Towards the end of the 48 hours I found that I could get him to feed if I lay down and lay him next to me (along body). Still feeding like this at night. Try lots of different holds - the rugby ball one worked on one side for me too.

Hope you manage to get through the first week - the next truma is the first public feed

loler · 17/09/2007 10:50

Another tip I had to stop nips getting really sore was to count to 10 when LO first starts sucking - if still hurts after 10 then they aren't latched on well so take them off and start again.

kinki · 17/09/2007 11:59

Oh Edie, try not to be too hard on yourself. Your breasts aren't stupid! Bfing is a skill that has to be learnt like everything else we do. Except, like you know, we have to learn it when we are physically done-in and suffering from lack of sleep. At the same time we have to teach a new born how to do it too. It's not easy. Some very annoying people take to it very easily, but for most of us it takes a little time.

Before I go any further has anyone told you about the baby blues that kick in at about day 3-4? Everyone gets some kind of hormone surge at this time and most of us feel at best moody, at worse homicidal (!) but usually somewhere in the middle. I was moody, tearful and irritable. It can be short lived or stay with you for a few days. I'm saying this to try to help you understand where the tears and arguement came from. (I had a huge ding dong with dh when ds3 was about 3 days old, only difference is we did it in the full public gaze of the maternity ward, oops). These feelings will hopefully pass quite quickly for you, and you'll be back to your normal state of mind soon.

So back to little dd. I bet that won't be the first time she'll have you running around at 4am. Imagine 15 years time and boyfreinds and parties! Fwiw, (and I'm sorry if I disagree with all these helpful ladies on here) but in your moment of crisis you felt you needed to get milk into dd and you succeeded in that. You got her nutrition, and you got it into her. So you did your job just fine. The odd bottle will not affect your supply and will not put her off the breast. You did ok. My ds had to have some top up formula when we were in hospital, for different reasons admittedly, and it hasn't done him, me or my milk supply ANY HARM at all.

I don't have many practical tips to help I'm afraid, just some things that have helped me. Ds doesn't like feeding with a wet or dirty bum, so I change him before a feed. This also wakes him up properly (I use cold water on purpose) because he feeds so much better when more alert. In the early days, he had flappy arms, so I'd get dh to hold them until he was settled. Ds3 is most comfy feeding across my chest, but I remember ds2 would only feed well in the early days in the rugby ball position. Talking to him as he feeds helps him relax a bit. If ds fidgets and loses his latch a bit, I break the seal to take him off completely and then wait for him to open wide again and shove him back on, rather than letting him try to do it himself. Hope that makes sense.

About sore nipples: a wise old midwife told me not to waste money on creams. Instead at the end of each feed express a bit of milk out (the rich creamy milk at the end of the feed) and rub it into the nipple. Apparently there is some healing componant in breast milk. It seemed to work for me. This midwife also told me to only feed from one breast at each feed. This is so the baby gets the right quantity of both fore and hind milk, but also gives the other nipple a few hours break from feeding, and time to recover if feeling sore. Don't forget to massage the milk into both nipples at the end of each feed though.

Sorry this is so long and waffly. Hope there is something in there that helps a little. Hang on in there. But please don't be too hard on yourself. You really are doing a good job.

foxybrown · 17/09/2007 12:09

Edie, when i had DC1 my MW suggested hand-expressing what i could and using a teaspoon to dribble what i could in. it bought me some time.

also recommend Avent breast shells which will keep clothing away from nipples allowing them to heal.

lansinoh cream is great for any cracking you might get.

my new lo sucked like mad and i was very sore after a week or so, this all helped.

sorry - bad one-handed typing - feeding baby!

good luck, its really hard but it does come good. you are doing well

MotherofZ · 17/09/2007 12:19

can i just hijack this thread and say you guys are so wonderful..!!

Am 26 weeks pregnant and I've been keeping an eye on the BF topic for a few weeks now - trying to get tips and advice on how to successfully breastfeed. I had such an awful time with my DD - got mastitis and plus nobody told me that BF would last 45 mins, every 2-3 hrs, so I was totally unprepared for that and easily gave up at 3 weeks to FF. This time I am determined to make it work and your words of wisdom on this thread have been so useful.
Byee......

EdieMcredie · 17/09/2007 12:26

Thanks again guys and especially thankyou kinki

It's really encouraging to hear that although not ideal, giving her the formula will not cause huge problems. I hope I am right in interpreting it like that Kinki. I am thinking of getting in touch with a breast feeding counsellor, but don't know anything about them. Are they free?

I wonder if it would help also to do some work with the breast pump for times like now when she is asleep because the FF has zonked her out and obviously my nipples need some stimulation...

Surely, like you say, the odd bottle (and it is really only the very odd one at night) isn't going to stop my milk coming in? Surely women who FF still have their milk coming in? Plus it's not like she is not learning how to BF, im still working hard to put her on whenever I can and I think she is doing a good job. The problem is I am finding it so difficult to accept that the tiny amount in my breasts, if any, is satisfying her?

Thanks again for all your responses, I don't want you to think I am ignoring you advice because I am not. You don't know how much MN is helping me get through this at the moment!

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

OP posts:
tiktok · 17/09/2007 12:42

Edie - breastfeeding counsellors are free

I hope the midwife helps you and supports you.

The odd bottle like this does not stop the milk coming in - this happens anyway.

Kinki - it's not normally a good idea for someone starting bf to use one breast only at a time...this can lead to under-supply in some mothers. Also, there is absolutely no need at all ever to massage the milk into the nipple at the end of a feed - can't think why that would be neceesary and it is a new one on me

Lorayn · 17/09/2007 13:08

can I just say I too was told to rub breast milk into my nipples instead of cream and it worked.

tiktok · 17/09/2007 13:11

Oh, I feel really really stupid now!

I see she meant rub it into the skin of the nipple on the outside....I thought she meant massage the milk down the ducts so it sits inside the nipple!!

It's fine, and indeed sometime helpful, to do it on the outside!!!

I am an idiot, sorry

kinki · 17/09/2007 13:19

The amount of milk you produce is the classic supply and demand scenario. The amount of latching on and feeding your lo does affects the amount of milk your body makes. So the more time dd is trying to get milk, the more you produce. If for the odd feed you give a bottle, your milk supply won't be much affected. If you give several bottles then it would affect supply. When established your body should supply what your baby demands from you.

Three weeks ago, when in hospital with ds3, because of some problems we both had, he was under scbu care and they made up a feeding regime for him. They encouraged me to feed him every 3 hours, and to give him premature formula top-ups afterwards. They calculated the amount of top-up he needed and suggested we give it to him regardless of how much he bf. But get this, the amount they said he needed was 9ml every 3 hours, that's only just over 2 teaspoons. So it really is a tiny amount these babies need in the early days. [disclaimer (!) don't use this amount for your dd, this was specially calculated based on the formula used, his weight, gestation, needs etc - the amount would vary for each baby). But I'm saying this to illustrate that little and often is the key to feeding newborns.

kinki · 17/09/2007 13:22

tiktok

Not sure how I'd get it down the ducts! Yes, I meant just rub it onto the nipple.

EdieMcredie · 17/09/2007 22:35

Ive done it! My milk is in!

Lovely MW came round today and helped me, pointed out that I hadn't actually got the baby properly latched on. She helped me and I managed to feed for about 20 minutes and tonight I managed again for half an hour!

I have also expressed incase I don't manage to get her back on tonight but im hoping I will.

I now have blood blisters on my nipple!

Thankyou everyone...

OP posts:
moondog · 17/09/2007 23:03

Good to hear Edie.
Have faith!

spottyshoes · 18/09/2007 07:53

Yay!!!! Well done you. Hope it gets a bit easier for you now.

daisyandbabybootoo · 18/09/2007 08:05

That's great to hear Edie....it will be sore till your nipples get used to all the sucking and tugging, but it does get better. Lansinoh and lots of air time helped me.

Remember we're all here if you run into difficulties again or just need someone to tell you you're doing a great job