My sister just had her second baby, and all is well with both of them. Baby nursed well right after birth, and then again a few hours later, and then she slept for about 8 hours or so. The nurses on the maternity floor were concerned and got my sister to try to nurse her frequently, but the baby was just not interested. She nursed well again later on in the evening, and then slept for a number of hours. At 1 AM, the nurse came and woke my sister up to get her to try to nurse the baby again. Baby was not interested, but the nurse persisted for an hour, unwrapping the baby, rubbing formula on her lips, etc. :eek: My sister was exhausted, having laboured through the night the night before, and finally the nurse gave up. Half an hour later, the baby woke up, and did want to nurse, for the next 5 hours (and the nurses suggested formula and sugar water.:eek: ). Not a good night.
My question is, is all that fuss necessary? It seems to me that it isn't. The baby knew how to nurse, but the nurses were concerned that she hadn't eaten every four hours. My sister had a baby before, and knew how to nurse her, and what to watch for, to make sure she was getting enough. Besides, there isn't any milk there for a the first couple of days anyway! Colostrum is important of course, but isn't demand feeding sufficient for the first while, at least? Is there any research on this?