Breastfeeding help

[Dancingboy1989]

Hello,

My wife and I are new parents, we have a 4 day old who's not breastfeeding to much only around 5-10 minutes each feed sometimes doesn't wanna feed for 5-6 hours as always sleepy.

His weeing several times a day but no poop since the first day, mum is getting stressed and trying to support her.

Can we use a electric breast pump to express the colostrum? As her milk hasn't come through yet.

Help would
Be must appreciated

Colostrum will get lost in a pump.

You need to wake the baby up - strip them off, rub their hands and feet. Put them on the breast every opportunity. Ensure they have a feed every three hours.

Could you call your midwife or health visitor for support over the phone? I think they would be looking for more poos by now.

As the previous poster said, you need to wake your baby to feed every 3 hours. They can be very sleepy at first.

There are videos online which show what a good latch looks like and how to get it. I appreciate it must be very difficult right now not to get support in person. I'm jot sure but maybe the breastfeeding helpline is still running.

Echoing PPs, contact your midwife, watch YouTube videos of good latch for a newborn, and wake every 2-3hrs for a feed, even at night (and keep awake during a feed by flowing, jostling etc)

Also as much skin to skin as possible. If she can, your wife could try to have baby on her (skin to skin) pretty much all the time for a couple of days. Bring her snacks, snuggle up in bed and watch movies together while the hormones get to work.

Her milk should come in in the next few days. Do you have formula in case it's needed? One of my twins was a lazy feeder and became sleepier and sleepier. One small feed every morning helped perk her up enough that she fed better the rest of the day. We only had to do it for about a week, and then switched it to a breast feed.

*blowing, not flowing

My DD didn't poo for about a week after we came out if hospital. I called the maternity unit where I gave birth who answered and reassured me so you could try that. Everything worked out fine but do speak to someone to put your mind at rest.

You've got some good tips for BF already. My DD was a guzzler from day one so can't really remember, I know it's hard when everything is new but I do think relaxing really helps. Good luck

You need to ring your midwife for professional advice because short feeds, going 5-6 hours between feeds, being sleepy and not opening their bowels for 3 days indicates a problem.

Please get a professional to have a look at your baby.

And congratulations on becoming new parents

Echoing others, you need to seek professional support and advice. In the meantime, lots and lots of skin to skin and constantly putting baby to the breast. Pumping colostrum will be a waste but it can be hand expressed into small syringes.

Ideally someone needs to look at the latch to ensure baby is actually transferring any milk/colostrum.

You need to ring your midwife for professional advice because short feeds, going 5-6 hours between feeds, being sleepy and not opening their bowels for 3 days indicates a problem

Agreed. Give MW a call today. Do you have an appointment to have baby weighed in the next day or so? Make sure you mention sleepiness, long gaps between feeds and no poos. And that milk hasn't come in yet. And in the meantime keep walking baby to feed (I used to tickle their feet)

I suggest hand expressing colostrum. It’s difficult at first but you will get better and quicker . I use to hand express it into a syringe and feed it to my baby that way .

My little one had a severe tongue tie and physically couldn’t latch on and properly get milk . I hand expressed colostrum until day 5/6 when my milk came in .

P.s . He got his tongue tie snipped on day 6 and it was so amazing when he finally latched and nursed 😅

I also agree with everyone about calling your midwife !!! It breaks my heart when I see mums struggle with breastfeeding as I went through it myself and I know how difficult it is . Help is out there so please ask for it !

Congratulations on your newborn! Was baby early as they can be sleepy, always wake baby to feed every three hours and take off some layers. My first never fed for long but he wasnt sleepy.
Definitely ring labour ward/midwife to get baby checked out.
Hope all is ok.