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Childbirth

Share experiences and get support around labour, birth and recovery.

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Original poster

How soon after the birth does baby need to be fed?!!!

37 replies

maltatheterrible · 22/11/2006 14:23

OK this is a silly question but it's bothering me, any feedback would be appreciated.
I am due to give birth in Feb, I am not overly worried about that process. Yes I know it's going to hurt, possibly quite a bit but I am not focusing on that as it doesn't seem very helpful. The bit that worries me is afterwards, when my baby is handed to me. I have seen some newborn babies which are all calm and blinky - and some that are screaming for England.
If mine is a screamer, what do you do?!! Is she likely to be hungry - or will trying to ram a breast at her after all the trauma of being born just make things worse? I have no idea why I am worrying about this, just don't want to look like a idiot by getting it wrong right at the start.
Can you tell this is my first?

OP posts:

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Quootiepie · 22/11/2006 14:25

they are fed straight away to create a bond, skin to skin etc. Baby wont be starving hungry The midwife will more than likely "take over"... mine told me to lie on my side, and she put baby to me to try and feed. He just lay looking at me Your midwife will tell you what to do, honestly xxx good luck! ((hugs)) xxx

lulumama · 22/11/2006 14:28

best thing to do ... skin to skin as Quootie says....have the baby on you, near your breast......when the baby is ready , which might be a moment or an hour after birth, he /she will start to root and nuzzle at the breast....then baby is ready....! trying to get s screaming baby to latch on might not be the best idea! let baby guide you.....

midwife should assist you too!

don't worry too much ......enjoy the first few moments..if baby wants to feed immediately , lovely! if not, don;t worry....

sunnysideup · 22/11/2006 14:29

Hi Malta, congratulations!

I think to be honest this is another of those things where it's not helpful to think about it beforehand really...you just don't know how you will feel after labour and there are so many variables....just have faith that you will do the right thing, because you will!

My birth was traumatic and ended up a 'crash' CS under GA, so all my thoughts of what I might do when handed baby went out the window....my first memory after the birth is of coming round and thinking "oh look that nurse is holding a baby and giving it a bottle of milk"......didn't cross my mind it was anything to do with me

however even my sort of labour didn't leave me feeling lost when I was first able to be with ds alone...there really does seem to be a protective hormone that kicks in and you just WILL make sure baby gets what he/she needs. Also, if baby is a screamer there are plenty of people around who have seen it all before and will hopefully give you some guidance IF you need it. Don't worry!

morningpaper · 22/11/2006 14:30

Screaming is okay - lots of babies scream

One of my SCREAMED as soon as she came out

But to be honest you will be SOOOO overwhelmed with joy that the screaming won't really register that much

It's the screaming for the next three years that is the real pisser

saadia · 22/11/2006 14:32

Try not to worry too much. When ds1 was born (at midnight) the MW helped me to try and feed him but he fell asleep. He slept through the night, and the following day. That night though he was crying and I tried to bf bit didn't know how to so he didn't get anything. The next morning another MW showed me how to feed him and that was the first time he had anything - so for him it was roughly 36 hours after he was born.

Ds2 was technically premature, just by one day, and they have stricter rules about feeding premature babies - MW told me he had to have a certain amount of milk every few hours and I was given a chart to fill in. He did have a bit a few hours after he was born.

As Quootipie said, the MW will help and do ask for any extra help you might need.

Original poster

maltatheterrible · 22/11/2006 14:34

lol..ok, thank you all for your calming words.it seems like i just need to go with the flow and baby will let me know when she wants feeding.
I'm hoping to be all loved up and relaxed, but knowing me will probably be checking fingers and toes/essential operations of her to make sure she's ok!
i seem to worry about the strangest things, the birth isn't boethering me at all (yet!)

OP posts:

FairyMum · 22/11/2006 14:34

Most women don't have a lot of milk straight away, only colostrum which you can try to give baby straight away and is the most important part of breast feeding I think. Many babies are so sleepy they won't be feeding straight away. My milk has normally come in on day 3 or even 4 and my babies have been fine. I think unfortunately it is generally thought that babies have to be topped up with bottles while they wait for the milk and I think this is completely unecessary and interferes with the natural process. Nature would have designed us and our babies differently if babies needed to be fed straight away.

juuule · 22/11/2006 15:05

One of my babies was protesting very loudly before the rest of his body was delivered.
As soon as delivered I have put them straight to the breast where they have quickly settled down. Sometimes peeping up at me
They seemed quite happy to be held close and suckle.

juuule · 22/11/2006 15:06

Oh just to add I don't think they actually need to be 'fed' they just like the sucking and closeness. My milk never came in until day 3 or 4.

biglips · 22/11/2006 15:09

mine was STARVED!!!.....as as soon she came out she was SCREAMING! and the surgeon (had an e c-section) said "she is VERY hungry!" blimey!!

BumpyMo · 22/11/2006 15:10

My baby was early and very sleepy so didn't feed for quite some time after she was born x x

Clary · 22/11/2006 15:12

My DD in particular screamed as soon as she appeared...the MW put her on my chest and she started suckling at once.

It was great. They aren't getting milk at this stage but colostrum which is full of valuabel nutrients. Good luck malta, it will be fine.

maxwellsmum · 22/11/2006 15:13

Dont worry about doing things wrong...no-one expects you to know. The midwifes are great and will help you all the way. I had an emergency CS and couldnt even contemplate breast feeding. The next thing i knew i had my DS in my arms and he was happily sucking away at his bottle.
Don't panic, as soon as baby is here you'll be fine.

Original poster

maltatheterrible · 22/11/2006 15:20

I have no idea why i imagined a room full of shrew faced midwifes all shaking their heads despairingly whilst I failed to cope - think the latent dramaqueen in me obviously needed an airing!
It's good to know that there is no set pattern, I'll just try to relax and probably find something else really dim to worry about!

OP posts:

plibble · 22/11/2006 15:23

You're right about needing to go with the flow. My DD's birth wasn't great and I didn't feel up to holding her right away. I felt pretty bad about this and asked whether I should feed her. The consultant said "don't worry, she is full right up to when we cut the cord. It will be a while before she is actually hungry." It was a great relief to be told this as I was starting to feel very guilty for not grabbing her and putting her to my breast the way people always do on the Discovery Channel!

Afterwards, in recovery, they told me to let DD suckle. I tried, but she did not seem too interested and spent a lot of time licking my breast instead. In the end, sometime during the night (she was born at lunchtime) she and I figured it out and by the time DH arrived the next morning we had it all sorted.

yomellamoHelly · 22/11/2006 15:44

Ds arrived in a hurry and apparently screamed for about 5 minutes after he was born. Midwife plonked him straight on me for a bit of skin-to-skin and after a few minutes he calmed down. (Amazing what you forget.) I just remember him lying on me looking completely bewildered by the whole process and really concentrating on my face. Then after a while he started snuffling about for some boob and fell asleep (on my boob) shortly after. Calm before the storm .....

3andnomore · 22/11/2006 15:50

It often depends on what kind of labour you have....if you have things like Pethadine, etc...then often the Baby is a bit sleepy, but you could still try to feed immidiately anyway, as it seems to help establishing bf, if you only have Entonox or a drug free labour and you are in a upper Body undressed state your Baby will be able to move up by themselfs and latch on...or so I have been told...screaming or not, tis always a good idea to latch them on soon, as it gives very close contact and is just nice...!

suzi2 · 22/11/2006 20:44

I would say to have lots of skin to skin and offer the breast as soon as possible. But don't stress if baby isn't interested. It's far worse to force a boob in his/her face! But lots of snuggly skin to skin time will help them take the hint!

As for 'need'... I don't think it's uncommon for babies to go 12 hours without any feeding. If your baby won't latch, you can always express a wee bit colostrum (we're talking millilitres!) into a syringe and give your baby that. Just a few mls can last them a while.

My DS did latch on a suckle for all of 1 minute shortly after birth. He then turned into a screamer, screamed for a few hours (I didn't even think to try feeding him in this time... was so overwhelmed!) and then slept loads. I didn't try feeding him again for about 7 hours, and even then it was a minute or so at most.

Judy1234 · 22/11/2006 20:52

I tink they're programmed not to need much at all for a while which is why sometimes newborns can survive under rubble for 3 days after birth in earthquakes so I wouldn't be too bothered but most people want to try feeding fairly quickly. We got twin 1 to feed to try to get twin 2 to come out of me. Twin 2 didn't want to be born when his brother was. He arrived 7 hours later. We thought the feeding might speed up the contractions.

sleepfinder · 23/11/2006 08:09

The midwife gave him a bottle while I was being stitched up on the other side of the room. She burped him and handed him to my husband. It was another 5 hrs before he wanted feeding again, but then the next day it became every 2-3 hrs and that continued for the first couple of weeks.

munz · 23/11/2006 08:12

J was put on my chest straight away but he didn't want to feed - we tried him at 3 when he was born, again at 6.30 but he didnt'take anything till 8 ish - tyopical when I was having my tea and toast! lol.

don't get offended (like I did) thou if baby doesn't want your milk straight away he may well just abe a little tired after the birth.

after that I bassically fed him when he cried, ever 2 hours or so? every hour or so at night? something like that - naughty me kept the BF chart as well from the hospital! lol.

handers · 23/11/2006 21:46

This could be a silly question -

I'm due in one week and am keen to do skin to skin as soon as possible (as it can only really be a positive thing, right?)- but wanted to know if this happens immediately after birth or after a couple of minutes (when the baby is cleaned up etc)? Or whether that is a choice? If it is a choice, what do people think is the best?

themulledSNOWMANneredjanitor · 23/11/2006 21:49

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

TEEstheCEEsontobejolly · 23/11/2006 21:52

I had skin to skin immediatley with both. DD1 then had to be taken away but with dd2 we had loads of skin to skin then a family cuddle then me and baby had a bath together and she breastfed. BLISS

dinosaur · 23/11/2006 21:54

This reply has been withdrawn

This has been withdrawn by MNHQ at the poster's request.

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