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Original poster

2 day old baby question.

45 replies

calvemjoe · 20/09/2006 22:15

My 2 day old dd began feeding from the breast at 10 to 7 this morning and fed till 11.30, when she took a formula top up of 40mls and we were discharged from hospital. Since then she has done nothing but sleep, we managed to wake her at about 6 when she fed slowly for about 20 mins. She's pretty much unwakable at the mo and we're begining to get worried. My milk has only just come in so her feeding frenzy this morning was just colostrum. Should we be ringing the hospital back or is this normal?
TIA

OP posts:
tiktok · 21/09/2006 09:36

calvemjoe- maybe things are ok now, but I am totally in agreement with the posters on here who are supporting you in your concerns. Sleeping this long is very far from normal and it can lead to serious problems...some babies do it as a 'one off' and it rights itself, but everything else you say makes me concerned.

If your breasts are sore, you need your positioning and attachment checking out, and if the baby is not feeding well, then you absolutely must express and give it to her some other way (syringe, bottle, cup).

I will stop now - your baby must be checked out sometime today as a matter of priority. Hope all is well. Post on the breast and bottle feeding board for more support and info about bf.

tiktok · 21/09/2006 09:37

3 posters saying this behaviour is normal - it really isn't! It worries me a lot when mothers come to mumsnet and are reassured in this way

Nemo1977 · 21/09/2006 09:39

tiktok..not saying its normal just saying when I queried it with both my children that is what the mw told me. I did say contact the hospital or mw as I would if I had any concerns with my kids.

morningpaper · 21/09/2006 09:44

Can I add my voice to those saying that you really need to take action ASAP. I'm sorry that your nipples are really sore after only 2 days - especially if baby isn't feeding - you really need some breastfeeding support in the form of a knowledgable midwife. It sounds like your hospital is crap if they are sending you home without your breastfeeding being more established and with you in such a delicate state. I hope you can get some help ASAP.

JollyRogerMamaG · 21/09/2006 09:48

Yes, mp that is what i was thinking (about hospital sending her home so soon).

Good luck calvemjoe, do seek help from your MW and remember we are always here too!

tiktok · 21/09/2006 09:49

OK, Nemo, and you did of course suggest she contacted hosp - the midwife caring for you was probably able to see things were ok, as well, despite the abnormally long sleeping, which should always be taken seriously. Yes, babies might be exhausted after the birth, but they need to be kept skin to skin with mum to support their instincts to feed and not 'allowed' simply to sleep it off !

Mum2FunkyDude · 21/09/2006 10:03

Honestly, express and feed with a syringe. My ds was like this after a emergency c-section, the hospital kept us in for a week because he was a poor latcher, after three days of me trying to get him to breastfeed with a 100 mw and nurses giving a 100 ideas, nothing worked. I then went to the nurses station asked for a bottle to express and expressed 100ml which he gulped down in seconds. By which time he was so dehydrated his urine was dark, his lips were cracked and I just couldn't get through to any of the mw on duty that he was dehydrating fuck trying to get him to latch on and rather risk nipple confusion than not eating.

Jezuz....I feel angry now, sorry about this, more of a rant, after 10 months I'm still in shock about the way things went for me!

Hope you get all the support you'll need, and remember the most important thing is baby must eat. Doesn't matter how!

Mum2FunkyDude · 21/09/2006 10:05

Anyway, the point being that he was sleeping because he was not feeding, he was lethargic!

sugarfree · 21/09/2006 10:36

Calvemjoe,how did it go overnight?Hope things are better this morning.
Think you've got us all a bit concerned for you here.

tortoiseshell · 21/09/2006 14:25

How are things today? Hope things are looking up. Tiktok gives fab advice btw. My ds1 was a very sleepy feeder, and if there's one thing I wish I had been told at the time was that a sleepy baby is not necessarily a contented well fed baby. Every body said 'if he sleeps, he's obviously full of milk' when in fact he was starving.

Anyway, keep posting, you'll get plenty support, encouragement and advice on here. Hope you mw has been round today.

lisalisa · 21/09/2006 23:15

Message withdrawn

QueenEagle · 21/09/2006 23:25

ds4 was like this after 2 days and my mw had no hesitation in sending me straight back to the hospital. He was going to be put on a tube, they did bloods to check his sugar levels (all of as it turned out). Whilst I was waiting for the paed to arrive to assess him, I was taken to a side room and me and ds stripped to the waist and he was put skin to skin. Squeezed breats to encourage to let him smell milk, not interrested - everyone was becoming very concerned as he was so sleepy. Also jaundiced.

Just as tube was about to be set up, he woke up and midwife helped him latch. Even though it felt right to me, the latch was wrong - midwives stayed with me for the next 2 feeds to ensure he had a good feed and I was then allowed home again.

Really hope you have sought advice and things are ok.

tortoiseshell · 22/09/2006 13:25

HOw are things today?

LIZS · 22/09/2006 21:08

Are things going better today ?

sugarfree · 22/09/2006 21:09

She's just posted her birth announcement so hopefully she'll be along shortly.

Original poster
calvemjoe · 22/09/2006 21:16

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you all. I hand expressed and force fed her (god that sounds awful) that way, within half an hour she was wide awake and starving so we're guessing her blood sugar was low. All I know is, from now on we're waking her every 3 hours to feed. Thanks for all of your advice and letting 2 worried parents know that they weren't alone even though they really felt like they where.

OP posts:
sugarfree · 22/09/2006 21:17

Great news!Well done!

Toady · 22/09/2006 21:18

Bit late on this but all three of mine wanted to sleep on their second day, makes sense really, I tried to feed them and panicked but they picked up the next day.

You would think I would have learnt by the third time. IF there is a next time I will definitely take advantage of the sleep.

tiktok · 23/09/2006 09:57

Glad things are better, calvemjoe. You did the right thing.

Toady - don't accept long sleeps on the second day. Some babies are fine just sleeping it off. Others become dehydrated. So it's best to keep the baby close and start feeding off somehow.

lisalisa · 24/09/2006 23:18

Message withdrawn

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