Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

Parenting

For free parenting resources please check out the Early Years Alliance's Family Corner.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

Newborn breastfeeding

27 replies

EmW78 · 13/02/2013 03:24

My dd is coming up for 3 days old and doesn't seem to want to feed very often - should I worry and/or try to persuade her somehow? The midwives in the hospital were adamant that she shouldn't go more than 4 hours between feeds, so I should wake her up for a bit of skin-to-skin and get her to feed even if she hasn't asked for it, but it's nigh-on impossible to get her to go for it. Shouldn't I have just left her sleeping (and been grateful she lets me have more than 2 hours kip at a time)?!
I know they'll check her weight and everything in a couple of days, so is the only real concern the stuff about my boobs needing the activity in order to get the milk supply to work?

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

Eskino · 13/02/2013 03:52

Hi and congrats!

So how long does your baby go for before she makes feeding signals? Have you felt your milk 'come in' yet? (they go really firm and heavy).

You could try changing her nappy to wake her and to encourage her to be more alert for a feed. Newborns bellies are so tiny and hold so little that they do need filling very (seems like constantly) often.

Also, a lot can happen in a couple of days, babies can become dehydrated very quickly.

I would definitely call the midwife if she is going more than 4 hrs without a feed and isn't ravenous then. That's what they're there for.

babyperks · 13/02/2013 03:54

My DS was like that when we were in hospital. I was told to do skin to skin and change his nappy. Generally just try to stimulate her to try and wake her up. Have you checked her nappy? A couple of times I noticed that DS wouldn't feed because he'd had a dirty nappy, and then once he was sorted, he was happy to accept he needed feeding HTH

debbie1412 · 13/02/2013 05:25

My daughter did every 4 hours from birth, she's a whopper x

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Families General parenting

Original poster

EmW78 · 13/02/2013 08:00

Sounds like I should persevere then! It's just so soul-destroying - we were up 3.5 hours when I last wrote, and the total feeding time in that was less than 1. Then she let me have 1.5 hours sleep, and we're up again, her refusing to feed for more than a couple of minutes at a time before falling asleep.

I just can't get it right. Now she's asleep on my lap, and I'd like to grab the chance to sleep while she is, but that's probably dangerous / "against the rules", she's not properly wrapped up, and I'm not supposed to spend long periods sitting in this position cos of my stitches. Losing it a bit now, here come the tears...

OP posts:

runnervt · 13/02/2013 08:08

Congratulations on your new baby! It's tough and frustrating when they won't wake to feed. I think you should call your midwife today and discuss it with them. That's what they're there for. Look after yourself.

ChristmasJubilee · 13/02/2013 08:08

It's the hormones, honestly. I couldn't stop crying and I'm not usually weepy. Speak to your midwife today to get some reassurance. Do you have a dh or someone who can keep an eye on her whilst you get some sleep. This is the hardest time but it will all work out. You just need to speak to someone to put your mind at rest.

noblegiraffe · 13/02/2013 08:13

Yes, you need to wake to feed, try taking her clothes off. If she doesn't eat, that will make her sleepier and harder to wake up. If she won't latch on, expressing into a syringe and feeding her that way can perk her up. Or if your milk is in, expressing a bit onto a spoon can give her the right idea.

If she loses too much weight in the first 3-4 days they will need to monitor feeding carefully and this might mean going back to hospital so it is worth persevering.

thistlelicker · 13/02/2013 08:18

Breast feeding babies feed in demand! They can go up to 6 hours between feeding although she should start waking up! Her belly is only size if a small marble At the moment ask the midwife if u can see belly balls if u haven't already they show u belly on day one day five and day ten I think?? Warm up cotton wool wipe over her face as if u were too and tailing her! Nappy change! Clothing change! U will find a way to stimulate her! Good luck

ZuleikaD · 13/02/2013 08:34

The midwives are right, you shouldn't let her go more than four hours - if newborns are getting too hungry and dehydrated then counter-intuitively that can stop them waking to feed. They conserve their tiny resources by staying asleep. To be honest I'd be trying to feed every two hours. Sorry to disagree with thistlelicker but for a newborn six hours between feeds (ie only four feeds in 24 hours) would be far too long. You should be aiming for 10-12 feeds in a 24 hour period. Lots of skin to skin, and I agree with those who've suggested a nappy or clothing change.

You may be weepy and hormonal because your milk is coming in - day 3-4 would be about right. Good luck with today's feeds.

noblegiraffe · 13/02/2013 08:36

In the early days you shouldn't go with feeding on demand because babies can be too sleepy to ask after birth. As the midwives said, no longer than 4 hours between feeds.

I've just had this with my DD, she didn't regain her birthweight till day 16 and it was a lot of hard work and setting alarms and waking her throughout the night to get there.

thistlelicker · 13/02/2013 08:45

Too feed every two hours and she doesn't take it? How is that going to make mummy feel? Her stomach is tiny!! Speak to the professionals! The breastfeeding helping! They know!

ZuleikaD · 13/02/2013 09:15

Feeding every two hours is exactly because a newborn's stomach is so tiny. Little and often. HCPs will tell you the same.

waterrat · 13/02/2013 09:34

Yes you should be feeding her even if you have to wake - it's very very tiring but if you can try to feed lying down it might be easier?

I really recommend getting help with the BF if she is not latching on and feeding properly - she needs to be stimulating your milk supply as well as feeding herself up. Six hours between feeds is not at all appropriate! Bad advice there.

Can you call your hospital or midwife and ask someone who is a bf specialist to come and sit with you and see if a different hold/ latch might encourage her to feed better.

It's exhausting, but once the feeding is established it gets much easier.

oohlaalaa · 13/02/2013 11:12

I had this, but on day 3 a mucus sick came up, which had been lining her tummy from childbirth, and making her full. After the mucus came up, she was fine.

NotQuiteCockney · 13/02/2013 11:16

Ok, first of all, you will get better help in the Breast and Bottlefeeding bit.

What sort of poo is she making at the moment? And how often?

If she's pooping like mad, then she may well be getting enough milk. If she's not pooping at all, then you need to be working hard at waking her up.

The simplest way is to just do skin to skin as much as possible. You don't need to wake her up to do it, do it when she's asleep, and the next time she stirs in her sleep, she will probably surface, and feel like a feed.

NotQuiteCockney · 13/02/2013 11:17

And if she is not pooping at all, and won't wake to feed, then you need to be talking to a health care professional.

Original poster

EmW78 · 13/02/2013 17:45

Aargh just wrote a reply and the app deleted it. Grrrr. As if I'm not irrational enough as it is...

So she just did an epic 40-mins on the right and then 19-mins on the left, and seems to have sort-of settled. Is this what I should be expecting, or should she be feeding less than this each time? If I take some of the advice here and try waking her up a bit more often (like every 3 hours instead of 4) will she then be less hungry?

It's possible I am over-analysing (well, duh) but I just want to know that what is happening is "normal" I suppose. I feel like I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing and am really scared that eventually the hormones and lack of sleep will make me go completely barmy. I don't want to put dh (who is amazing, and annoyingly chilled-out about everything) through that as I have a history of depression and he has looked after me enough!

OP posts:

Original poster

EmW78 · 13/02/2013 17:47

Oh - pooping. She's doing about one every 18 hours, big black sticky things kinds like the first ones. Not sure if my milk has "come in" yet tbh but my boobs are killing me this afternoon! Plus dd is producing some bubbly stuff at the side of her mouth post-feed, if that is relevant. Oh god, do I have to start worrying about burping or winding her or something?

OP posts:

noblegiraffe · 13/02/2013 18:00

When she was on you for 40 minutes, was she actually feeding the whole time, or was she dozing with your nipple in her mouth? It's not so much about the time spent on the breast, but the time spent actively feeding (the big gulps where you can see the jaw move) or stimulating the breast (tickling the nipple with the tongue to stimulate milk production). If she is just hanging off your nipple, you need to encourage proper feeding: tickle her feet, stroke her hair, rub her ear, if that doesn't prompt her to feed properly, take her off (use your little finger to break the latch, do not just pull her off, it will hurt) and switch her to the other side and start again.

Ask a midwife to show you how to wind her. Easiest way is to throw a muslin over your shoulder, put her upright with her head comfortably on your shoulder and rub her back upwards 3 times, pat 3 times and repeat until success or you give up.

13Iggis · 13/02/2013 18:01

Ds2 was a bit like this, would go quite a long time (5 hrs even) without milk in the earliest days. Turned out he was a bit jaundiced, therefore sleepier and I was told to wake him often (at least 3 hours) to feed - as his weight had dropped I also was asked to give expressed milk top-ups. This combo got his weight going up and he gained the strength to feed more productively (taking more in) by about 3 weeks. He is a milk-monster still at 8 months, but can feed in - say - ten minutes whereas it took him 30 at the start.

NotQuiteCockney · 13/02/2013 19:42

Ok, given she's passing meconium regularly, then I wouldn't be too worried by slightly longer gaps, iyswim. You'll know for sure that your milk is in (and passing through her) as the poo starts to change.

This does sound very normal. The worrisome thing is, a well-fed newborn will sleep a lot. So will a starving newborn. The difference is in the poo.

It might be worth calling a helpline to talk all this over with someone?

You say your breasts hurt. Are they hurting from being full? Or are your nipples hurting?

NotQuiteCockney · 13/02/2013 19:44

13Iggis - the fact that this baby is pooping means she isn't very likely to become significantly jaundiced. Excess bilirubin is excreted via the gut, but if the baby's gut isn't moving, then it hangs about and some ends up back in the bloodstream, iirc.

NotQuiteCockney · 13/02/2013 19:44

"wouldn't be too worried" = you don't need to see a mw or doctor about this, but it's probably worth trying to feed her every three hours or so, particularly in the daytime.

CelticPromise · 13/02/2013 21:03

Hi Em. Don't panic. Sounds like you're doing well.

Lots of babies need to be woken to feed in the early days. Aim for 8-12 feeds in 24 hours. You may find that she will feed more often at certain times of day. That is totally normal. You can aim for going no longer than three hours from the start of one feed to the start of the next. If she falls asleep on the breast you can wake her by rubbing her feet, blowing on her face etc.

Do you know how to be sure she is actively feeding? 40 mins sounds very long. Can you get any real life support to check she's feeding effectively?

Original poster

EmW78 · 14/02/2013 03:43

Hi everyone, thank you so much for the advice! Have implemented a "max 3 hrs" (albeit from end of last feed, not start, but will work on it ) regime and it seems to be working - she is hungry right after her nappy change, seems to feed fully, and then settles back down. I shouldn't count my chickens though, I know.

The long feeds were(/are?) really a combination of actively feeding and just resting with nipple in mouth - she seems to suck a lot at first then needs rests in between bursts. Overall the ratio of active-inactive is prob around 75% I think. But she does then typically spit it out when actually finished, except occasionally when she's obviously gone to sleep.

Oh and milk has def come in! Boobs are massive and hard - looks like I might need some new bras?!

Thanks again for the advice and sorry for posting in the wrong place. Just another indicator that I have no idea what I'm doing! Hopefully the worst of the blues are out of the way now

OP posts:

Flip

1 2