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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Newborn breastfeeding advice please

11 replies

whatnow47 · 14/10/2021 11:20

This is more advice for my niece.

She has a 2 day old healthy baby, 9lber. He breast fed well in hospital, she came home and he now is not that much interested in latching on. Just for a minute then falls aseep. The midwife is lovely and has told her not to give up yet and no formula. She is visiting twice a day. Niece is besides herself with stress.

I remember babies sleep a lot in the first few days and I don't think mine fed very much until my milk came in which I think was day 3 or 4. I also remember being stressed with the first not so much with my second. However, other relatives are putting pressure on her to formula feed so getting conflicted advice. She's in tears. Need advice from newer mums as things have probably changed since I was BF.

Help please x

OP posts:
sparklyblue81 · 14/10/2021 11:42

Her milk won’t have come in yet so just lots of skin to skin & keeping baby close & keep trying. They only take very small quantities in the first few days (I think it’s about a teaspoon full as colostrum is very concentrated) so it may be that he’s getting enough in a few minutes if he’s feeding efficiently. Keep an eye on wet/dirty nappies as that’s the best way to check enough is going in. Midwife will be able to advise how many there should be be per day in the first week.

Kelly mom is an excellent website with lots of good advice.

Original poster
whatnow47 · 14/10/2021 11:56

Thank you sparklyblue81

Yes that's exactly the advice I have given as have the midwives but her family (on the other side) are doing extreme flapping and getting her upset (told her, her baby will die if she doesn't give formula) Angry. Wanted to check my memories are correct as its been a while since I BF and I know things change.

Thank you again

OP posts:
NavigatingAdolescence · 14/10/2021 12:19

@whatnow47

This is more advice for my niece.

She has a 2 day old healthy baby, 9lber. He breast fed well in hospital, she came home and he now is not that much interested in latching on. Just for a minute then falls aseep. The midwife is lovely and has told her not to give up yet and no formula. She is visiting twice a day. Niece is besides herself with stress.

I remember babies sleep a lot in the first few days and I don't think mine fed very much until my milk came in which I think was day 3 or 4. I also remember being stressed with the first not so much with my second. However, other relatives are putting pressure on her to formula feed so getting conflicted advice. She's in tears. Need advice from newer mums as things have probably changed since I was BF.

Help please x

Human biology has changed little in tens of thousands of years. Your recollection is completely right.
Original poster
whatnow47 · 14/10/2021 12:25

Grin I didn't mean biology but midwifery advice on getting BF established. I'm a bit old school.

OP posts:
CouldWeStartAgainPlease · 14/10/2021 12:27

My baby is 7 days old and I had this exact experience. Fed well in hospital and then when I got home she just wanted on for a minute and then off again. About day 5 she started to stay on a bit longer and now at day 7 she's staying on loads and getting really good feeds.

Can only echo the advice above, keep baby close, skin to skin, let him feed on and off as much as possible. Check his latch every time as both parties might need a bit of practice. She might be in pain - her nipples will be agony and when her milk is coming in she'll be engorged and sore. It's hard but she can get through it.

Keep a note of wet and dirty nappies - the midwives will ask about it. it's a good measure of what baby is getting. They'll weigh him and as long as he's not lost more than 10% they won't be worried.

I have nothing against formula and my previous two have been combination fed from a few weeks old, but it is important in the first few weeks to stick at it and get through the really hard bit.

CouldWeStartAgainPlease · 14/10/2021 12:31

Btw this is my 3rd baby so I'm relaxed and finding it not too painful. My first was a different story - was so hard to get to grips with feeding the first time.

Also if he's got a touch of jaundice it makes them sleepier. All of mine have had this and my newborn is incredibly sleepy. I've been waking her every 4 hours to feed her.

NavigatingAdolescence · 14/10/2021 13:02

@whatnow47

Grin I didn't mean biology but midwifery advice on getting BF established. I'm a bit old school.
But surely the biology has to inform the advice?! Wink
ReturntoSpamfritters · 14/10/2021 13:10

You are right and all the flappy relatives are wrong and should pipe down. Milk comes in on day 3-4. As PP poster said, if he seems very sleepy after that, best to wake him to feed.
Tell her congratulations, and not to worry Flowers

SickAndTiredAgain · 14/10/2021 13:26

If he’s latched on but not actually feeding, one thing a lovely health care assistant showed me in hospital the day DD was born was to just gently tickle/stroke under their chin with the tip of your little finger and they’ll start sucking. Not sure if this is a common thing but it worked with DD - she wasn’t interested in feeding much after she was born and they wouldn’t let me go home without seeing a proper feed, this tip managed to get me home!

Luckytattie · 14/10/2021 13:35

Her milk won't be in yet really.
She could squeeze her nipple and collect colostrum onto a teaspoon and touch the spoon against babies lips and they should lick it up.
My milk came in day 4 I think.the only thing about the sleepiness is to watch out for jaundice

Luckytattie · 14/10/2021 13:37

Posted too soon.

Because jaundice makes them more tired then they can't feed and it just goes round in circles. That's what happened to me and ended up back in hospital.
My midwife did try formula with baby on day 4 and he promptly spewed it back up. The teaspoon worked but he had a bad case of jaundice and lost too much weight so back to hospital we went.

Hope your niece is ok
It's actually a stressy time.

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