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Infant feeding

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

Question re: breastfeeding 11 day old - help!

6 replies

littleduck · 10/05/2009 20:01

I have an 11 day old daughter who was born rather mucousy and slightly jaundiced, she was very sleepy and we were kept in hospital for a few days so they could keep an eye.

On hospital advice I have been feeding her at least every 3 hours but more often if she asks - however she doesn't often ask to be fed more frequently and more often than not I have to wake her up for her feeds. She sleeps more or less constantly between feeds - is awake for nappy changes and during feeds but that's it.

She has plenty of wet and pooey nappies and had regained her birthweight by 7 days so is clearly doing well using the present pattern.

However in the last day or so she has started to feed for longer (1-1.5 hours total including nappy changes and winding so 45 mins-1hr or so actually on the breast) and ask for both breasts at feeds and on some feeds only takes a very small amount at the 3 hour point but will wake up half an hour later wanting much more. Should I spread the feeds out a bit more, say to 3.5 hours between start of each, as she doesn't always seem that hungry after 3 hours but wants more later?

I'm a bit confused as to what to do for the best - for example she fed from 5.35 until 7.10 just now including change and wind, she is theoretically due another feed at 8.30 but I don't think she will be all that hungry by then!

Any advice/thoughts really appreciated.

OP posts:
crkm · 10/05/2009 21:13

I had similar issues with my dd in the first few weeks. Very sleepy and hard to feed, jaundiced as well.

I would feed her when she wants it - but not let her go more than the three / four hours you have been advised. So a feed finishing at 7.10 - next feed no later than 10 or 11. If she is hungry before then , feed her. It is very difficult to know what to do for the best, so go with your gut instinct. (My midwife was adament that i should give dd a bottle - but i was against this. got as far as having a bottle made up and ready, but i went with my gut instinct and held out with the breast feeding, everything was fine. My dd is 3 now)

hope all goes wellx

RuthChan · 10/05/2009 22:11

I too think you are doing fine. My DS was born a month early and he too suffered from jaundice. I fed him on demand and he pulled through with no problems. He's now a healthy, bouncy 6 month old. She will let you know when she's hungry and may fall asleep during feeds, but she'll get stronger as she grows. Stick with it.

fleetwoodmac · 10/05/2009 22:12

babies know when they are hungry. they will really lead, which makes it easier. breast on demand will keep the milk flowing and your baby happy. if you get into deep water the NCT Breastfeeding line can be brilliant. please try it.

PortAndLemon · 10/05/2009 22:28

crkm, I think the issue is that feeding every three hours officially means three hours from the start of one feed to the start of the next (a bit like timing how far apart your contractions are). So in this case a feed starts at 5.30 and goes on for an hour and a half, so the next "three-hourly" feed would theoretically start at 8.30, only an hour and a half after the first one had finished.

OP, if you are finding that your DD isn't hungry if you wake her 3 hours after the last feed started then I would personally be inclined to take a cue from that and give her more space -- maybe give her up to 2.5 hours after the last feed finished and then feed her again if she hasn't woken?

Longer-term I'd be looking to move towards more of a demand-led model, though; it sounds as though her feeding patterns are changing and you may find that within a few weeks she's more ready to give you clear cues on when she wants to feed.

Disclaimer: I have no qualifications or training. If tiktok turns up, listen to her...

crkm · 12/05/2009 20:38

P&L - thats the first time that i have hesrd that the feeds are timed from the start of the feed. I have BF 4 dc (eldest now 16) and never knew that.

Our points are the same though - feed on demand.

TheProvincialLady · 12/05/2009 21:04

Yes that is true about timing feeds from the start of the feed, not the end.

My ds2 was very sleepy and I found it hard to get/keep him interested in feeding. So I used to try feeding him every 2 hours but no longer than 3, during the day, and every 5 hours at night (after 11) unless he would take it sooner. I took the view that a newborn should have at least 8 feeds in 24 hours, and if it looked like he was going to have less than that I had to use a cold flannel to wake him up sufficiently. It sounds cruel but he simply would not have got enough calories in him to thrive.

I found that once I had 'made' him feed well for a few days, he woke up and started demanding feeds of his own accord, and we have gone with demand feeding ever since. HTH

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