Trying to EBF

Mafernj

Hello so my supply is increasing and after having to supplement w formula for a couple weeks . Baby will be one month on the 28th. So my question is... Since idk how much she is taking when nursing is it ok to assume that she is full when she pulls away and unlatch? And if she is not bitting her hands and crying after nursing she is full? She's over birth weight now , when she sleeps should I wake her up if sleeping too long? We made progress with the formula and I really just want to EBF. Thanks for any advice

SassyFlats

Yes, if she pulls away and seems content she's done! You can offer the other side if you want, just to be sure... I do that sometimes but not always. I think you just get to know your baby's hunger cues with time. My LO will suck on her fists even when she's not hungry. She just likes to suck. So just because your baby smacks her lips or brings hands to her mouth or fusses will not ALWAYS necessarily mean she's hungry, but you can offer to feed if you're unsure.

I do not wake my baby to nurse. She sleeps 6 or 7 hours straight, sometimes she'll even take a 3-hour nap in the middle of the day, too. We go with whatever she wants to do. But that was what my pediatrician told me to do. Yours may say otherwise... so just double-check.

htn1763

I wake him up during the day if he is napping too long but not at night. I am really trying to get him on a schedule. For the first 3 weeks I did not wake him up and it caused him to want to feed every hour when he was awake. 

The book Baby Wise really helped me. I am trying to get him on a better eat, wake, sleep schedule now. 

Mafernj

My biggest worry is not feeding her enough. When I was supplementing I always had wet diapers after each feeding and since I started decreasing the formula she gets wet diapers too after nursing... Today she has slept a lot! My LC is not working today so I resource to you wise ladies. I also noticed that not a lot of milk is coming out... This low supply is killing me! So I thought I should give her a bottle of formula but she refuses that too she just wants to sleep! I am getting worried... I'm a ftm I have no clue what I'm doing.. All I do is worry about her feedings and diapers oh and if she is still breathing!

teachermommy9967

My little one is 4 weeks tomorrow. Growing is hard work and can make baby tired. As long as baby is eating when they wake and having wet and poopy diapers (though my DS only poops 1 time every 24-48hrs so that isn't a great indicator)....and they are gaining weight even if it's at the lower end of the recommended amount then you have no need to worry. I know we are moms worrying comes with the job lol. Some days DS wants to eat every 1.5-2 hrs and other days eats every 3-3.5 hrs at night he is usually every 3-4 hrs but has gone 5 hrs ( enjoy those nights). Baby will wake when they are hungry....but sleep is important for them too.

EBF is hard work and full if worry in the beginning but it gets easier. Keep up the good work!

Mafernj

@teachermommy9967‌ she has slept most of the day today.. Nursing everytime she is awake and when I saw her kinda waking up I offered the breast but she didn't latch. How do I know if she is getting milk? If swallowing isn't obvious ( she has a fat neck) will she unlatch if she isn't getting anything?

SassyFlats

She will not necessarily unlatch if she wants to "comfort nurse," basically nurse just because she feels good while sucking and being close to you, even if she's not getting milk. It's good for your supply if you let her do that.

Otherwise, you know she's eating enough if she is gaining weight and having enough wet diapers. That's it. There's no specific amount of time she needs to nurse- some babies take 5 minutes, some take 15 to empty a breast. It gets shorter as they get better at it. Some babies want to eat a little every couple of hours, some want to eat ALL THE MILKS every 4+ hours (mine does that).

I think you should browse kellymom.com - there is a ton of info on that site! I read a lot of sections while nursing in the middle of the night with nothing better to do.