I know newborns feeding can be all over the place, but i am getting a bit flustered over my newborns feeding , she is a week old and seems to want to feed all the time , it was every 2 hours or so now its more often sometimes she has a feed then wants one 30 mins later etc.Is this ok?
I dont think she is feeding the whole time on there as she falls asleep or relaxes then starts up again.
Is it ok to feed them as much and as often as they want on the breast?
Also
she is getting frustrated from my milk supply, i know that the breast is never empty and it isnt as i hand express it to check and milk comes out but when they are emptier she doesnt like it and cries and pulls on and off ,i am worried she isnt getting enough?
Congratulations on your little one!
Very frequent and erratic is very normal
The best indicator of input is output - how many wet and dirty nappies is she having?
Yes, it's fine to feed her as often as she wants. Babies come to the breast when hungry and thirsty, but also when they're unsettled, upset, uncomfortable, grumpy, seeking reassurance... and the list goes on. There's nothing wrong with meeting their needs at the breast - you'll find with a bit more time that you can learn to distinguish when she's really hungry and when she just needs cuddles or whatever (and the breast can remain your best friend when they're unsettled). Give yourself (and her) plenty of time to work things out - it's still such early days.
Right now - if output and weeight gains are fine - then just go with whatever your first instinct is.
She's still figuring it out hun, it's so hard to know what right or normal isn't it?
My little guy fed everytime he squarked so often that was 20 times a day/night.
Are you trying to wake her (ie change between sides/wet washer on her hands/rubbing her cheek) to get her to feed a bit longer?
YOu cant overfeed a breastfed baby hon, so dont worry about offering the breast too much - especially at such a young, young age.
Like others have said....plenty of wet nappies.
Babies at such a young age are going to be sleepy anway....as well as in your breastmilk is a hormone that gets released, that makes baby sleep....and you sleepy. So its only natural that she may fall asleep at the breast. Maybe she's not actually hungry...rather wants to suck/and go to sleep....
Its all trial and error hon...your both learning this.....it will take a little time, but you both will get there...
Sounds exactly like my little one! We were seeing a lactation consultant regarding problems with attachment, and she told me...
"if in doubt, flop it out"
This was my mantra with Austin for the first few weeks, after which he got used to the boob and settled into more of a 2-3hrly pattern during the day and 4+ during the night!
All the best, sounds like you guys are doing great!
Thanks everyone for your advise it makes me feel a lot more comfortable in just offering her the boob when ever she wants it
She has been having a lot of wet and dirty nappies but over the last 24 Hours only noticed maybe one or two dirty nappies and only lots of wet wet nappies ,should i be concerned about the lack of dirty nappies or can this happen sometimes?
its been over the last 24 hours also that she seems to be getting really frustrated with my milk supply even i know that milk does come out when they seem empty,she gets really annoyed and starts pulliing the nipple around and crying .
Austin would get really fussy during a feed sometime and start pulling and thrashing his arms around, I found stopping the feed and laying down on the rug for a few minutes having a bit of a play or sing would really help. I'm no expert but I think it calmed him down and gave me boobs/nipples a bit of time to re-coup!
Hi Hon just want to let you know aswell that you should trust yourself and bubba to work it out together too.. I had lots of ppl commenting on how often V was on the boob and I really felt a bit self concious and felt like judgements were being made on us but she was and is such a boobie loving baby that thats just how much she needed. She is also pretty small for her age so she is not overfed... You will see how much weight she gains every week and that will reassure you that she is getting enough.
I also found I didnt get off the couch for the 1st few weeks as she just needed nursing so much so thats normal too.
It sounds like you are doing really well and its funny your posts are bringing back memories of an extremely challenging but precious time...aaahhh.. True love
In the first 8 weeks or so you would expect at least a couple of poos per day for a breastfed baby, after that you often see them go longer and longer between poos. Just keep an eye on things - a couple of dirty ones and lots of wet ones sounds fine. When in doubt on these things, call the ABA or talk to a lactation consultant. The ABA's helpline is open 24 hrs a day, so you can call them in the middle of the night if you're having a crisis.
I think babies often go through an unsettled patch around this time (well, honestly, they're pretty unsettled on and off for the first few months!).
Do you have a sling or somethign like that to keep her close - little bubbies often really like that. And do you have lots of support and help at home?
I am now offering her the boobie when ever she seems to want it or even if im not sure .
Its such a great exp but i know it will also take time for me and Hannah to work it out together and learn together i would say atm we are working pretty well together just at times its a bit all over the shot
BTW- she did the BIGGEST poo this afternoon just after her bath lol..
But still plenty of wet nappies so I am happy with that
It's not a silly question! If a baby isn't gaining enough weight then the recommendation is certainly to feed them more often, so clearly it improves weight gain and Mum's milk supply.
For us, my new baby was very small at birth and fed less often than average for a newborn (closest would be 3 hrs between day time feeds, a cluster of evening feeds and then once during the night before 4-5am), but she bf very well, without losing any weight in hospital. She put on well over the average each week afterwards for the first three months. I think it depends on the baby, Mum's supply (I had an oversupply if anything) and other factors, like my DD didn't have a difficult birth, no jaundice, was full-term, and so on.
You'd generally work on 8-12 bfs per day, but there's no need for that to be one feed every 2-3 hrs. Sometimes they'll feed closer together, sometimes they'll sleep longer. Depends on the baby.
Last edited by Jennifer13; March 17th, 2010 at 04:09 PM.
How often did your newborn feed ?
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