Breastfeeding help

[Oceansinourway]

DD was only born Tuesday afternoon via c section, so we are very early days into feeding and my milk isn’t properly in yet. She seems to latch on and take colostrum but the worry is that during the day she is barely awake. I have tried the various tips to wake her up a bit but all they do is agitate her so she is even less likely to feed. On Wednesday, she went the best part of five hours without feeding and I was very concerned and gave her some formula.

She fed pretty much solidly from 1am-5am this morning, but then DH said she was starving when he took her at 6 and she immediately downed 20ml formula and wanted more so I’m wondering if she’s actually getting anything when she latches on or if she isn’t really drawing much if any colostrum out? It’s hard to know. I don’t want to be in a vicious cycle of her being full from formula so not feeding, but i am concerned she isn’t getting what she needs from me.

Congrats!

Breastfeeding is basically supply and demand. Anything she gets from a bottle rather than your breast will reduce demand and therefore reduce supply.

Chillax in bed together as much as possible, as much bare skin (both of you) as possible, and just let her feed for as long as she wants, as often as she wants.

If she's not volunteering to feed at least every three hours, wake her up (if nec by removing clothes, wiping her face/body with a cool flannel, holding her up Simba-style under her arms) and encourage her to latch on. Massaging/hand-expressing a few drops of milk/colostrum first to give her a taste on her lips might help pique her interest if she's otherwise a bit sleepy.

Good luck! The first few weeks are often pretty hard going, but it rapidly gets so much easier after that, and generally remains so. Definitely worth putting in the effort now to reap the rewards long-term, both for you and her xx

There's loads of experts on this board, I'm sure they'll be along soon.

Just wanted to add - this morning at 6am I'd have just latched her on again. The lack of sleep for you is brutal, but just pare everything else back to a bare minimum, and prioritise getting breastfeeding established. Top priority for the whole household.

Also - if you can crack breastfeeding lying down (it took me several babies...) then that's a game-changer in terms of how much rest you can be getting while she's feeding (even if you're not actually asleep). Google it, KellyMom is an excellent website for all things breastfeeding.

Also maybe Google for breastfeeding support in your local area? There might be drop-in cafes which might be nice a bit later on (or sooner if you feel the need).