Breastfeeding newborn

[motherfi]

Hi everyone,

I had my baby 4 days ago and after some difficulty breastfeeding initially and a day or two of formula feeding I have decided I gave up too quickly and to give it another go.

Last night she fed every hour but only for 5-10 minutes. During the day it was closer to every two hours and 15-20 minutes feedings. Is this about right? I’m not sure why at night it’s shorter / more frequent feedings….she falls asleep and I can’t rouse her to continue. I worry she's not getting much as with my son my supply was very low and we really struggled for 4 months

It does sound to me like she's getting enough, even if she's only going on for a few minutes, simply because she's eating every hour! My daughter at that stage would eat for about 20-30 mins but that was about every 2-2.5 hours, so about the same amount over feeding over the same period. If her nappies are wet and dirty and she's getting bigger, then you're doing amazingly. Do you have a lactation consultant nearby you could talk to? Our local one can do 1:1 zoom sessions with us, which might be useful for you in this heat with a newborn :)

Get in touch with your HV and insist on help from a breast feeding consultant. Usually there are HV’s who specialise in it. Lay it on thick tell them you will lose feeding in the next 24-48 hours without help.

it’s incredibly hard in the first few weeks but it does get much easier. Xx

That sounds normal to me especially so early on. Your supply will be getting established.

Presumably you will be seeing the midwife at day 5 so perhaps chat through any concerns?

I initially had to top up with formula as struggled to get bf established. I also used to go to all the local bf support groups and zoom La Leche League meetings whenI had any concerns as needed the moral support!

Sounds like normal cluster feeding to me. Baby is doing his / her job perfectly at stimulating the breast to ensure the correct supply. Rather than times of feeds think more about does baby have plenty of wet nappies. In these early days, especially after using formula for a bit, I would be having as much skin to skin contact as possible and ensure baby has easy access to feed. Sounds like you and baby are doing great to me.

That sounds quite normal (and unfortunately exhausting!), have you tried undressing her/tickling her feet/blowing on her to keep her awake during feeds. Also breast compressions seemed to make a huge difference to mine bf’ing recently (mine was very slow to gain weight). Fenugreek capsules and oats are apparently good for increasing supply so get yourself some flapjacks! If your breasts feel empty following her feed and she’s content afterwards (and gaining weight, of course) I’d assume it’s going well.
As others have suggested, I’d probably contact a breastfeeding consultant for support, I hear they’re very helpful!
Congratulations on your new baby! 💐

She's 4 days old and cluster feeding, so unfortunately that is normal! Do continue to feed as often as she needs to build up a supply, and eventually she'll be able to go for longer. Babies tummies are about half the size of a small egg - they can't hold very much!!

Do ask your health visitor or midwife (if they still visit) about BF support group - there's probably one in your area.

I found it SO HARD for about 2 weeks, then after that it was fine! Still doing it and baby turns 1 next week (though I am stopping at that point).