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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

How long without a feed before I start worrying?

15 replies

bigchiefally · 19/03/2010 22:16

Hi,

We have a newborn girl, just over a day old.

My wife is trying to breastfeed and has had a couple of successful feeds. Her last feed was at around 4pm. My wife has been unable to get her to feed since and it is now near 10.30pm.

Basically all she wants to do is sleep, she lies there in position, and falls asleep. When you try and persuade her to take the nipple she either complains and cries or she just goes to sleep.

How long without feeding can a newborn go?

When do we have to start getting very worried?

OP posts:
Original poster
bigchiefally · 19/03/2010 22:17

Thanks for any answers!

OP posts:
lilypond1 · 19/03/2010 22:21

im no expert(just one daughter) but i would be a little worried, 6 and half hours is along tlme for a newborn, do you have a midwife or health visitor you could contact?

indigobarbie · 19/03/2010 22:23

Hi congrats on your daughter
I am certainly no expert on this (but wanted to give you some kind of answer), but whilst I was in hospital I expressed my colostrum to my DS who wouldn't latch on as he was falling asleep.

It ended up that I had to blow on his face and undress him to make sure he wasn't getting too cosy.

I was advised that babies have fat stores which they will use whilst waiting on mothers milk to come in (but meantime they eat the colostrum).

I know this doesn't sound too helpful - but as you have said she won't latch on can your wife express into her mouth? HTH? Good luck and more exp mums will be along soon

ib · 19/03/2010 22:24

I went through this with ds1 and unfortunately you can get into a downward spiral, where lo doesn't feed, so gets less energy and sleeps more, and so on. And then you end up with supply problems and it all becomes a nightmare.

I wouldn't let her go for more than 3 hours without a feed, when my next one is born (any day now!) I will feed him every 2 hours, whether he wants it or not!

indigobarbie · 19/03/2010 22:24

I second what lilpond has said, could you call your midwife to ask also

lilypond1 · 19/03/2010 22:29

perhaps someone could come out to you, to help, its soooooooooooooooo hard when you are trying to bf, its a step into the unknown but your lovely little girl needs something in her tumpty asap!!! good luck xxxxxxx

Catz · 19/03/2010 22:38

I had this with DS and the midwife I called said 8 hrs max and if you get to that point with no feed you should try to express on to a spoon and feed or do the same with formula. That's what we did and have had no probs since (14 wks and entirely breastfed).
My DD was also very sleepy and got into the too tired to feed cycle that ib describes.

Good luck and congratulations

Original poster
bigchiefally · 19/03/2010 23:12

Been on for 15 mins and counting now :-0

only took 3 of us harrassing and holding her!

ta for all the help!

OP posts:
indigobarbie · 19/03/2010 23:40

oh thank goodness, it is quite nerve wracking. Good luck guys

NotQuiteCockney · 20/03/2010 07:59

In the first 24 hours, babies are often pretty sleepy. It's not really worth worrying too much, in that time. You can work to wake them, strip them down, and cuddle them, but it's not really a 'panic stations' thing.

belgo · 20/03/2010 08:03

I do find it shameful on the NHS that parents of a one day old baby are looking on the internet for feeding advice rather then having a midwife freely available for them!

Hope your baby is feeding well now bigchiefally but it is really a midwife you need.

tiktok · 20/03/2010 09:11

Totally agree, belgo....it's shocking. There should be a number to call at any time day or night for midwifery support, and it should be impressed on all parents that they should call it!

bigcheifally - did you get a number to call?

Original poster
bigchiefally · 20/03/2010 10:17

We had a number of the ward where my wife stayed the night after the birth, and we were going to call it but she started feeding in time. To my uneducated eye she seems reasonably healthy little thing. Certainly seems to be plenty coming out the other end if you know what I mean! :-)

The ward we were going to call seemed pretty busy when my wife was there, if you left the ward it could be a long wait to be let back in again through the locked doors, so I dont know how high on the list answering phone calls would be. It could well have been that the reason we found it hard to get hold of them whilst we she was there was because they were doing things like answering calls, I just dont know either way.

Leaving the hospital it definitely seemed like it was a case of very politely and pleasantly being hurried out of there to make room for new occupants :-)

Midwife is calling out today so we will have a long list of questions for her, including a "exactly who to call" one.

Thanks

OP posts:
zebedeethezebra · 20/03/2010 16:55

Call your community midwife or health visiting team if you have any concerns.

BertieBotts · 20/03/2010 17:36

That sounds great - good that she is having lots of wet/dirty nappies. You sound like a lovely supportive husband by the way

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