BFing?

[Deleted]

So these questions are dumb but some of you offered!

1. He keeps falling asleep on the boob. He would like to live there forever which is fine but should I kept him awake to "finish?" I'm not even sure that would work but sometimes if he passes out I just let him sleep.

2. He's 31 hours old and he has peed once. Plenty of meconium though. Okay?

3. He screamed and popped off on and off for three hours early this morning. The nurse said he was probably hungry and suggested I supplement because my milk isn't in but I declined. Tell me I'm doing the right thing and he's getting all he needs. Is feeding for three hours normal? His latch is great but he pops off sometimes.

I'm sure I'll think of more.

[sjh722]

I would get them undressed, tickle their feet, etc, to get them to stay awake long enough to keep eating.

When DD2 was born, I think the nurse said they look for 1 wet or dirty diaper for every day of life. So 2 dirty or wet diapers at some point today. (I was very tired when they told me this, someone correct me if I'm wrong.)

I'd just keep feeding him to get your milk to come in. The colostrum is pretty nutrient-dense.

[livinitup]

You're doing great, mom!

That's really odd advice from the nurse. I used to unwrap DD to nurse and stay awake. But day-2 is do whatever works time.

[charlotteandwilbur]

I would try to keep him awake for at least 15-20 minutes at the breast so that he gets a full "meal" in rather than constant grazing. Of course this is easier said than done and he may need some time to wake up to the world.

And this may get flamed, but I would consider supplementing and pumping if your milk isn't in later today. I think I waited too long with DS so my perspective may be skewed here.

[Deleted]

The rest of the nurses have been great and supportive because they think he's latching really well and have heard swallowing but the one here in the midst of his three hour marathon was like "he's probably not getting anything." :-(

I am tickling him/waking him if he didn't feed long but he's feeding like all the time so sometimes I just let him sleep too.

Also his tongue tie got clipped but his tongue is rounded at the front. It was like that before the clip. Is that weird? It's like a lizard.

[redpenmama]

If you feel like he's eating (sucking, boobs are less full...if they are full yet) before he falls asleep, I wouldn't worry about waking him. If you do want to wake him, try rubbing the side of his cheek, under his chin, or the soles of his feet to wake him up for nursing. You can also undress him or do a diaper change even if it isn't needed) to wake him up.

I personally would not supplement yet -- your milk hasn't even come in, right? Keep putting him on the boob -- if he's latching or sucking for that long, then it's stimulating milk production. My DD was pretty much latched on from the time she came out until she turned 6 months old, so there's nothing wrong with nursing for that long (and it's good for supply). I remember sitting in the hospital room with DD when she was 1 day old and we had visitors for like 2 hours, and she was latched on the whole time. Keep doing what you're doing! He's a day old -- you aren't starving him, and if he's latching for that long, he's getting colostrum (and his tummy is tiny and requires very little at this point anyway).

[Deleted]

Jul 1, 2015 10:23:28 GMT -5 @starry said:

Wtf on the milk not in. MOST moms don't get their milk in within a day. Have they weighed him?

That's what I said! There's even a little sign on his crib saying "you have everything your baby needs to eat!" I wanted to point it out to her.

ETA. He was 8 lbs 12 oz at birth and he's 8 lbs 5 oz now. So fine!

[robyn]

For the falling asleep thing, the LC at our pedi's office taught me this and I swear it works! Take their arm and lift it up kind of like raising a lever. Works everytime that they will start back to nursing. I have no idea how or why it works, but it does. HTH!

[boxerdog]

I am not sure on the first two, but you are right, you don't need to supplement unless YOU want to. You are doing great!!

[Deleted]

Jul 1, 2015 10:29:16 GMT -5 @peggyolson said:

Jul 1, 2015 10:24:45 GMT -5 @notquiteblushing said:

That's what I said! There's even a little sign on his crib saying "you have everything your baby needs to eat!" I wanted to point it out to her.

ETA. He was 8 lbs 12 oz at birth and he's 8 lbs 5 oz now. So fine!

www.newbornweight.org/

Can you squeeze your nipple and see if any colostrum is coming out? 

I don't get any from hand expressing but I was never able to last time even after my milk was in either.

[oswin]

It sounds like you're doing great. The first few days are always super sleepy I think, just do what you can to wake him up to eat - undress hkm, tickle him everywhere, etc. Sometimes I would try to wake him up for a few minutes when it was time for him to eat, and if it didn't work I just took a break and tried again in 10-15 minutes with more success. I think DS didn't pee much right away, I wouldn't worry about that yet. And no need to supplement this early, give your milk another day or two (or three) to come in.

[glitzy07]

I definitely agree that you don't need to supplement just because you don't have milk yet. My milk didn't come in until day 4!

[Deleted]

I liked to keep a cold wet washcloth on hand to wake P up to nurse early on.

The rest of it sounds fine and I'd have decked the nurse for suggesting you supplement because your milk wasn't in yet. It's not even been a day and a half, geez.

[water*drop]

Jul 1, 2015 10:25:20 GMT -5 robyn said:

For the falling asleep thing, the LC at our pedi's office taught me this and I swear it works! Take their arm and lift it up kind of like raising a lever. Works everytime that they will start back to nursing. I have no idea how or why it works, but it does. HTH!

This was the only method that worked for both DD and DS.

The rest of the stuff sounds normal for the first 2 days to me. My hospital didn't even care about how long feedings lasted for the first two days (they counted 20-30 sucks or something like that as a feeding until your milk either did come in or should have come in) unless there was something else going on to indicate a problem. When DS had long pop on and off crying sessions in the first few days, they tended to be gas, not hunger, though we never knew that until he'd finally have a massive poop and then promptly fall into a deep sleep after 2 hours of us trying everything to get him to calm down...

[sparkythelawyer]

Jul 1, 2015 10:24:45 GMT -5 @notquiteblushing said:

Jul 1, 2015 10:23:28 GMT -5 @starry said:

Wtf on the milk not in. MOST moms don't get their milk in within a day. Have they weighed him?

That's what I said! There's even a little sign on his crib saying "you have everything your baby needs to eat!" I wanted to point it out to her.

ETA. He was 8 lbs 12 oz at birth and he's 8 lbs 5 oz now. So fine!

Wow.  That sign would have driven me nuts, and I'm breastfeeding!

For 31 hours you two are doing just fine.  If he's making diapers, you are ok.  

What helped me keep Sparkybaby awake during sleepy feedings was tickling that point right under her earlobe, right where the angle of your jaw meets your neck?  

Getting breastfeeding going can be a real pain.  Hang in there :-)

[wilbs]

Sounds like you are doing great!!

DS lost a full lb (went from 8 lb 14 oz to 7 lb 14 oz) from the time he was born to when we left the hospital at 2 days old. When we went to the pedi at 3 days old, he was still 7 lb 14 oz and he suggested coming back at 5 days old for a weight check and if he wasn't over 8 lbs that we would discuss supplementing. My milk came in later on day 3 and he was definitely over 8 lbs when we went in (I want to say 8 lbs 3 oz) and he was over 9 lbs at 2 weeks old.

Things we did to keep him awake and get a good feed: washcloth on his forehead, tickling his chin, skin to skin.

[lo]

Are there LCs on staff you could see? I liked 2/3 I saw at the hospital and they were encouraging and reassuring when I was all WTF IS GOING ON HERE? My milk didn't come in till day 4, as well. I do remember that even a super short feeding was considered a feed.

[Saudade]

1. Both times my milk took 4-5 days to come in. Both had a bit of jaundice but it was fine overall.

2. If you start supplementing now, you'll expand his stomach quickly and when your milk does come in, it won't effectively fill him up right away. I'd try to hang on a bit.

3. The first few days before the milk comes in can be rough since baby is working at stimulating your breasts to tell your body he's there and how much milk he needs.

You've got this! You're doing great already. It's perfectly fine for him to hang out on the boob. He'll change his sucking pattern when he wants to eat instead of soothe.

[Deleted]

Second wet diaper, hurray!

[litasail]

You are doing REALLY well, mama. Keep it up!!!

Ditto the others on trying to keep him awake, but it's also fine to let him sleep on the boob if he likes to just hang out there. Will help bring your milk in and build your supply.

Two wet diapers and poop is great and a definite indicator that he's getting plenty.

And I agree that he's getting plenty and you don't need to supplement. Babies are made to be fine with just colostrum for the first few days.

Keep up the great work!!

[spk926]

Sounds like you're doing great! Just remember, he doesn't need much right now so it's okay that your milk is not in yet.

[anaps28]

DS2 could nurse FOREEEEEVER literally he would seem like he was asleep the minute he started nursing. The LC on staff told me to strip him down , blow in his face OR you can gently squeeze the part between their pointer finger and thumb, thats some sort of reflex I dont know. It sort of worked but this kid just lived on my boob. I never really knew if he was finished or not in the beginning. Congrats again!

[undecidedowl]

It sounds like you are right on track! You've got this!

Are you planning to see the LC you did the consult with?

[DarcyLongfellow]

It sounds like you're doing great!!

Is his tongue kind of "forked"? You said rounded, then you said like a lizard, so I'm not sure. But both of my girls had slightly forked tongues from their tongue ties -- it just went in very slightly in the middle, and was more pronounced when they stuck their tongues out. Nothing to worry about -- it gets shaped like that because of the flap of skin/cartilage/whatever it is that they cut pulling it back.

As for falling asleep, I don't worry about it at all once they're slightly older, but with a days old infant, I do try hard to wake them up. I mean, sometimes you just can't, but I do try.

It sounds like you may have a comfort nurser on your hands :-) DD1 was like that. She would have just stayed at the boob 24 hours a day if I'd let her. She did nurse 1 hour on/1 hour off, then sleep with the boob in her mouth, rinse/repeat. If he does end up like that, the good thing is you really don't have to worry about how much he's getting at each feeding because he'll be constantly eating!

Good for you to sticking to your guns! Absolutely no need to supplement bar some unusual circumstance. Meconium is very calorie dense.

[pooh8402]

All of that sounds absolutely normal to me. The morning thing actually sounds like a cluster feed. I have used drops of formula or sugar water on mom's nipple as a tool to help baby stay latched to the breast, as opposed to supplementing. I avoid supplementing unless there are blood sugar issues.

[hbomdiggity]

Apparently the second night cluster feed is very common. Too bad they didn't tell me this until after. Make sure you apply lanolin else your nips will get destroyed.