BFing questions

tswinson

So does your LO wake up on their own to BF? If so how often do you BF and for how long? 

If your LO doesn't wake up on their own what is your BFing schedule?

Scenario: I'm still in the hospital and one nurse in particular is giving me hell because I'm not feeding my little guy every 2-3 hours. She wants me to wake him up but when I try to wake him up he pretty much refuses to BF. Once he's up he does pretty well with BFing (keep in mind he's only 2 days old FOR GOODNESS SAKE!) 

First time Mom here so TIA for your advice  

thatgirl84

The nurses at the childbirth center I went to were like that, but not mean or insistent, just nudging again and again. Now that I'm home and in the swing of things, I know that baby doesn't need fed all that often. Most lactation consultants say breastfeed on demand...when baby wants. If your LO is super sleepy, as a lot of newborns are, then you probably should wake him up to feed, so his blood sugar doesn't get too low, but if he wakes up in four hours, instead of two or three, then don't fret...it's perfectly fine. My baby was 9 lbs, so my nurses & lactation consultant weren't worried that my baby was so disinterested in food the first day. We started establishing a schedule the next day b/c of the 'nudging.' In short, feed baby when he wants. Look for those signs of hunger: tongue sticking out, hands at the mouth, general fussiness, and try to BF before he's crying.

kattyleigh

Generally, most pedis will have you wake to feed every few hours or so until your LO has regained the lost weight and is back to birthweight. Also, has your milk come in yet? By having your LO latch every few hours, it will encourage your milk to come in and build your supply. Good luck!

tswinson

I'm not having any problems with the milk supply but I guess I understand now why I should wake him. I just didn't appreciate the nurse's attitude. Its just so hard to wake my LO up. Once he's sleep he's sleep. LOL

Cjohn1211

Waking to feed for the first few days is crucial because your baby needs to poop/pee to flush a lot of things out of his system. I know it is not fun - my LO was jaundiced while we were in the hospital and I had to wake him every 2 hrs. When we confirmed with the pedi that he was gaining weight steadily I stopped waking him. Now he lets me know when he wants to eat.