Breastfeeding question

atiltonMT

So it sounds like for most moms, your milk doesn't come in till about 34 data after baby is born.... This might be a stupid question, but does the baby just survive on the colostrum until then?

skoogirl

Yes, the colostrum is perfectly formulated for exactly what your baby's needs are.  Pus, his/her stomach is only big enough to hold a teaspoon full of liquid.

KrisM86

skoogirl:

Yes, the colostrum is perfectly formulated for exactly what your baby's needs are.nbsp; Pus, his/her stomach is only big enough to hold a teaspoon full of liquid.

This. As long as baby is healthy there is absolutely no need to supplement with formula until your milk comes in, providing it comes in within 3 to 5 days.

courtneyt13

PPs are right, except in my case DD wasn't getting enough colostrum/milk and was rapidly losing weight in the 5 days it took for my milk to come in. DD has lost more than 10% of her body weight and we had daily check ins for weight gain/lost. On the night of the 4th day I relented and supplimented with formula and the next morning my milk came in. Luckily for us we were able to continue with BF from then out but it was a rough first couple of days. I did not expect that as a FTM.

mariamaria

I had a c-section and have been told it can delay things a little bit. This happened to me. Mine didn't come in until probably day 4 or 5. I had to supplement with a little bit of formula for a few days because my DS was jaundice and they really wanted him to get more food to help with that. I continued to nurse even though he wasn't getting much and gave him syringes of formula so it wouldn't confuse him from the breast. We only had to do that for a few feedings to make sure he got enough and then my milk came in like a flood and all was right in the world.

agytay

courtneyt13:

PPs are right, except in my case DD wasn't getting enough colostrum/milk and was rapidly losing weight in the 5 days it took for my milk to come in. DD has lost more than 10% of her body weight and we had daily check ins for weight gain/lost. On the night of the 4th day I relented and supplimented with formula and the next morning my milk came in. Luckily for us we were able to continue with BF from then out but it was a rough first couple of days. I did not expect that as a FTM.

I actually think that your story is typical for most first time mothers. BF is a bumpy road, and there are usually a lot of setbacks in the beginning.

Also remember, that frequent feedings help your milk come in faster, so when you think that you have just fed the baby, it is time to feed the baby again. In the beginning (first week or so), you will probably be about every 20 minutes or so...essentially, you are the milk lady.

mollyskywalker

Just to add to the PPs, it is expected that your baby will lose a little weight the first few days for this reason. The hospital will monitor that to let you know what's normal and abnormal for weight loss. Once the milk comes in baby starts gaining weight again (as long as there are no complications with BFing). Not a dumb question at all.

BoatsNHoes

I wanted to add that new research is showing that jaundice is actually a good thing in newborns. The bilirubin contains super protective iron and other properties, so that's changed in even the two years since I had my DD. she lost roughly 10% of her body weight and I never had to supplement. I just literally nursed around the clock. While I feel very fortunate I never had to turn to formula, it most definitely serves a purpose. But if you're gung-ho about EBFing just know that some professionals are very quick to suggest supplementing, when it isn't always necessary. 

elbou

mirroredimage:

agytay:

courtneyt13:

PPs are right, except in my case DD wasn't getting enough colostrum/milk and was rapidly losing weight in the 5 days it took for my milk to come in. DD has lost more than 10% of her body weight and we had daily check ins for weight gain/lost. On the night of the 4th day I relented and supplimented with formula and the next morning my milk came in. Luckily for us we were able to continue with BF from then out but it was a rough first couple of days. I did not expect that as a FTM.

I actually think that your story is typical for most first time mothers. BF is a bumpy road, and there are usually a lot of setbacks in the beginning.

Also remember, that frequent feedings help your milk come in faster, so when you think that you have just fed the baby, it is time to feed the baby again. In the beginning (first week or so), you will probably be about every 20 minutes or so...essentially, you are the milk lady.

This is not necessarily accurate.  My milk came in like gang busters on day 3 and I pumped 2 oz after feeding Jack.  He latched wonderfully and I never had problems nursing.  The LC even asked if I had done this before, which I hadn't. Jack was eating every 2-3 hours which quickly stretched to 3 hours when we got home.  He had gained weight in the hospital and was up 1lb by his first dr's appointment at 1 week post birth.

OP and other FTM, keep in mind that every woman and baby is different.  Things went wonderfully with Jack but they might be bumpy with Kate.  I'm not saying that agytay's experience is wrong I'm just giving another POV

Thank you for pointing this out Mirrored. I agree. I do think that frequent feedings help your milk come in faster (and maintain/increase supply when the milk does come in), but to say that every baby will need to eat every 20 minutes is a stretch. I'm sure there are some that do, but not all babies need to. It can, however, feel like baby just finished eating about a minute ago when, in reality, it's been 2 or 3 hours.

(For what it's worth: I had a bumpy start with my first, and my second caught on like a champ...obviously hoping this one is more like my second baby.

JSS1002

This whole thread was helpful, thank you ladies.

agytay

mirroredimage:

agytay:

courtneyt13:

PPs are right, except in my case DD wasn't getting enough colostrum/milk and was rapidly losing weight in the 5 days it took for my milk to come in. DD has lost more than 10% of her body weight and we had daily check ins for weight gain/lost. On the night of the 4th day I relented and supplimented with formula and the next morning my milk came in. Luckily for us we were able to continue with BF from then out but it was a rough first couple of days. I did not expect that as a FTM.

I actually think that your story is typical for most first time mothers. BF is a bumpy road, and there are usually a lot of setbacks in the beginning.

Also remember, that frequent feedings help your milk come in faster, so when you think that you have just fed the baby, it is time to feed the baby again. In the beginning (first week or so), you will probably be about every 20 minutes or so...essentially, you are the milk lady.

This is not necessarily accurate.  My milk came in like gang busters on day 3 and I pumped 2 oz after feeding Jack.  He latched wonderfully and I never had problems nursing.  The LC even asked if I had done this before, which I hadn't. Jack was eating every 2-3 hours which quickly stretched to 3 hours when we got home.  He had gained weight in the hospital and was up 1lb by his first dr's appointment at 1 week post birth.

Consider yourself very lucky that you had adequate supply and no problems. I didn't say that all mother's have problems breastfeeding was an absolute, I am simply saying that more often than not, first time mothers have problems breastfeeding for various reasons. Spend some time on the BF board, or talk to mothers that give up because they have challenges within the first few weeks. Fact is more people give up on breastfeeding than those whose babies latch perfectly the first time. That is a fact.

Another fact is, the more you nurse, the more milk you produce. Your body is a system. Google it or visit Kelly's mom.

Clearly, there are a million of books on this topic and trained professionals who make a living off of helping mothers breastfeed called lactation consultants so I can't be too far off saying that breastfeeding is generally not an easy road for most people, right?

agytay

elbou:

Thank you for pointing this out Mirrored. I agree. I do think that frequent feedings help your milk come in faster (and maintain/increase supply when the milk does come in), but to say that every baby will need to eat every 20 minutes is a stretch. 

I'm sure there are some that do, but not all babies need to. It can, however, feel like baby just finished eating about a minute ago when, in reality, it's been 2 or 3 hours.

First, I never said all babies need to....not sure how you comprehended that. Second, more often than not when you nurse on demand, most babies will need to eat more frequently than 2 to 3 hours during the first week. I am simply stating that because I know a lot of first time mothers think, I just fed the baby, so he/she should be good for at least 2 hours, when instead the babies cues are telling otherwise. 

ETA: Also, just take a look at this thread about the number of people that said their LO's lost more than 10% of their body weight, to get an idea of what I am saying. My LO did, but fortunately, we didn't have to supplement and I ended up EBF for 13 months.