Advice needed - BFing 3 day old

[twocutedarlings]

Posted on behalf on fififlore

Whos DD is just 3 days old, i have adviced what i would do over on our AN thread, but i feel that the girls here can offer a far more support, so i have copied what fifi has post posted on there (hope you dont mind fifi)

ok, here goes - during the 1st 24-36 hours she managed to feed quite a bit - about every 3 hours - little short feeds. last night i woke her at 4am and she had a mammoth go - in terms of length and sucking force - hurt so i reckoned my milk had come in. since then, i´ve found it really hard going.

spent 2 hours from 8.30 trying to wake her up - clothes off, tickling toes, blowing on face, change position, singing etc etc. once awake, she wouldn´t open her mouth, and the few times she did that, wouldn´t take the nipple, and if she did that - usually with a good latch - promptly fell asleep again. the only time she wakes up properly is when i leave the room (like now) and she starts crying, so we go through the whole palaver again.

also, now i´m not sure if i do have milk - tried squeezing nipple and using pump, and none came out.

dh already talking abotu giving her a bottle cos i am getting so upset and despondent about it all (same exp as last baby), which i really really donñt want to do. no good advice lines etc here (Spain) so am relying on mum friends and you wonderful people out there for some support and advice!

Oh dear.....where is the midwife? Prob no midwives in Spain, maybe? She can call the advice lines from abroad.

OK - enough with the blowing and the tickling and the jiggling. This is a turn off to many babies. It is not an aid to feeding.

Instead, skin to skin in biological nurturing positions (google it) and let the baby self-attach.

The milk may not be in - no big deal. Stop squeezing, pumping. Just relax, baby is clearly capable of feeding, and will come round if gently handled. Watch for yellow poos - when they come, the milk is being taken effectively. Today - poo is prob browny-green. Fine.

just out of interest, is she a bit yellow looking?

if so it's possible she's a bit jaundiced and that's making her a bit dozy, all mine had it and it did make them rather uninterested in feeding.

try lying down to feed with her stripped to her nappy and skin to skin with you.

your milk may not be in yet (tbh, if you've not got boobs like balloons and aren't leaking constantly when she's not feeding much i doubt it is) and when it comes in and she doesn't have to work as hard she'll probably have alot more interest.

newborns really don't need much for the first few days... some feed contantantly and some barely feed at all for those first days. try and relax and let her lead the show.... as long as she's having wet nappies and is content there's no need to panic.... if she was hungry she'd let you know.

good luck

yes, pinktulips she is a bit yellow - i wondered about that - going to see pediatrician anyway tomorrow, as has fractured collarbone, so will ask then.

i do know a private midwife who i can ask to come over - charges by the hour, but obv worth it. also the doula we had at the birth will be visiting in the next few days. ór i can call a uk line.

i agree with you both, milk not in yet (thought it was this morning, but not.)

• can take up to 4 days, right? she´s not even 3 days old yet.

one of the reasons i was panicking about her not feeding was all this business of must be every 3 hours, right from the word go (hosp, books all seem to say it) - when it got to 5 i got really worried. is that bs or not?

tiktok will do skin to skin - first 24 hours in hosp that´s how we were, and she fed (dunno how much actual food, ie colostrum, but was sucking anyway, and pooing) enthusiastically and regularly.

off to bed now, will report back later.

many, many thanks. mumsnet really is a lifeline!

sounds exactly like my dd.

I could not wake her up (tried the stripping, tickling etc) and when I did she would not open mouth! I don't think she had read the books that say she should root if cheek touched - she never did - and has only just started doing this at 18 weeks - and now its cause she wants to chew my finger!

they take very little at this stage, if weeing and pooing, dont worry.

you will know when your milk comes in - if you don't think it has then it hasn't. And when it does, don't pump just let babe take what she needs. Pumping is a vicious circle - it tells your boobs to make more. And what comes out when you pump is in no way indicative of what you actually have in there!

If no one has recommended it yet the can I recommend Kelly Mom It is fab and will answer any questions you have. I think the web addrss should be given out to all new mums!

hth

And definately don't give her a bottle yet - this will seriously mess up your supply.

My baby was like this at first, and I remember having her in only a nappy with the window open - in January (I felt like I'd gone mad it was so cold).

Anyway this only lasted a few days or was it a week - being sleep deprived it is a hazy recollection now.

I found a DVD by Clare Byam-Cook really, really useful. A very no-nonsense approach to b-feeding - it worked for me!

www.amazon.co.uk/Breast-Feeding-Without-Tears-Byam-Cook/dp/B0001Z64KO

I used to wonder if I was producing enough milk too but I just kept putting baby to breast eventhough I was feeling fragile (took 6 weeks for my skin to harden off)

Anyway I got the baby weighed regularly and as there was no decline in weight I guessed things must be working out. Perhaps you could try this too, not sure if there is the same kind of Health Clinic system in Spain.

Good luck and persevere, it will work out eventually. xxx

that all sounds cool - reaqssuring to hear others´stories - she is weeing but hasn´t done a poo yet today - did loads in hosp - 4/5 a day. off back to bed now. have dug out clare b-c book, from last time. thanks, all.

she is a funny one - cried a lot this evening - i was worried that it was her shoulder hurting her. was obvly hungry (sucking hands with all her tiny might), so carried on trying to feed her, but turned on right side cos of shoulder. then suddenly at 11pm, latched on beautifully, with her left shoulder down, for 40 mins, then 15 on the other boob!

Contact la leche liga in spain at

www.laligadelaleche.es,
then go on the left side grupos de apoyo, search your area, and you will find a lot of phone numbers.

They will help you, and a consultant may even come to your house to help.
It's free,and nobody knows more about breastfeeding.

But reme,ber, it is normal for a baby to be sleepy the first week, and anyway it takes a few days for your breast to produce milk. Just continue to offer. No worry she will wake soon enough! sleep now!

Hi Fififlores
Glad to hear that things are getting better for you. It took me a while to get the latch right too. I think it's the baby and the mummy that have to work on it, definitely was a learnt skill for me.
My second is due any day now and I am hoping that I can remember what to do, and that the baby will even want to suckle etc.
Sounds like your baby is enjoying her feeds now.

xxx

lory unfortunately no group in mny area. i called a similar group last time and left four messages on separate occasions, and noone got back to me. then went to a meet full of Spanish women all talking at the same time at tops of their voices - no useful advice at all. might try NCT by email, was good last time

seems better now, altho only 1 breast (right) but no yellow poos yet

In the first couple of weeks just try to feed them every few hours eg not more often than every hour and not less ofthen than 5 hours. Just keep trying.

It really takes 6 weeks for the feeding to settle down. My last baby didn't do a yellow poo for ages and is 3 months now and still only does one a day whereas the first two seemed to poo with every feed.

She will get the hang of it. If baby is in deep sleep impossible to wake up, I agree!

flum, why not more often than every hour? Surely feed them whenever they want

Strange advice, flum

fififlores, have you had a look at kellymom website? Tons of stuff on there.

havenñgt looked at kelly mum yet.

all going better, sort of, so less worried now.

still no yellow poos, but wet nappies.

only wants right breast, no am pumping left one after each feed, and giving to her on a teaspooon after LB at next feed.

at least she has a name now, Lola

Sounds like things are improving. I'm no bf expert, but just had a thought. Is it Lola's (lovely name btw) L collarbone that's broken? Is that why she's not feeding on that side? Is it worth trying the underarm hold / football hold on the left?