XP from breastfeeding
MrsRebecca
member
I am looking for all the help I can get so I'm posting here as well.
I have an appointment with the mother/baby wellness center this week at my hospital but I'm looking to see if anyone has suggestions in the meantime.
My son is a lazy feeder...he'll latch on and eat for maybe four minutes (sometimes less) then completely conk out. I have tried stripping him down to his diaper so that he's not warm and snuggly, tickling his feet, etc. but he just doesn't seem to want to eat much at a time.
I am feeding about every 1.5 hours for an average of 7 minutes on one side. He won't take more than that. We also have latch issues because I have flat nipples. I have a nipple shield which has been my saving grace. He has eaten so much better since I bought it.
Anyone have advice on how to get him to eat longer? He has lost 10% of his birth weight which the neonatologist said is the absolute limit. If he hasn't made a substantial gain by tomorrow I am afraid they'll want me to supplement with formula.
I really want to make BFing work but I am just so frustrated and I know he is too when I try and force him to eat.
Any suggestions or advice?
Re: XP from breastfeeding
Take the advice of your lactation consultants, of course.
If it were ME; I would supplement with formula as long as your LO will take a bottle. Baby's weight gain is the #1 priority at the moment. You can breastfeed & formula feed indefinitely then switch back to exclusively breastfeeding once the appropriate weight is gained. Your breasts will adjust to the amount of milk that is demanded-- whether it's more or less will vary as they grow (growth spurts, etc).
I do not have advice for the falling asleep bit, but I'm sure others will.
I think my milk has come in...and he's not eating enough so it basically just leaks like crazy.
I have a pump coming but it's not here yet- should get it tomorrow hopefully.
Here's my advice, as I've BF 3 kids, and am STILL BFing DS (he's 13 months).
Most likely, your milk hasn't fully come in yet. Usually for first time moms it'll come in around day 4-5. You will KNOW when it comes in as your boobs will get extremely huge and full of milk. Once your milk comes in, you will notice that your baby will start to gain weight.
I can tell you that BOTH of my girls lost MORE than 10% of their birth weight AND were jaundiced (it was close to 20% of their birth weight), and my peds told me to NOT supplement at all and that it would work out just fine, and it did. BUT, my peds are VERY pro-BFing. The nurses at my hospital were not and they kept pushing formula on me. My peds had to put specific instructions on my chart to indicate no formula. The did have me nurse every 3 hours for the first week, just to help get rid of the jaundice and get their weight up. It all worked out for me. Also, ALL of my kids would fall asleep nursing. I had to strip them down, and constantly poke them to keep them nursing - at least for the first month.
I would not give a bottle of formula at this point on a consistent basis (after every feeding, etc.) I personally, would NOT substitute formula for a feeding. The first 6 weeks are crucial to building your milk supply. BFing is a supply and demand system. The more your baby nurses, the more milk you produce.
I would ABSOLUTELY call a lactation consultant. LLL (La Leche League) even has people that will come to your house and help you out, as LC's can be pricey - in my area it's $150 for the initial visit (1 hour).
GL!
Great advice from Harriet!!! And ditto what she said about your milk coming in.. you will totally know! I woke up covered in milk with boobs the size of a porn star!!! Also, I would NOT supplement, either. These first few days (and weeks!) are crucial to your supply!
Do whatever it takes to keep him up - turn on lights, strip him down, cool washcloth, music, whatever! Most babies will doze off when they nurse but you just have to be diligent about waking them! Keep with it.
I am really looking forward to our appointment tomorrow! I'm glad you had a good experience there. I already have a long list of questions.
Thanks for the advice/support everyone! It helps to know others have been there and that it will get better!
Cold washcloth, naked baby, and just keep messing with him. Run your fingers down his spine, play with his hair, keep talking to him.
I wouldn't let myself be pressured into supplementing "if he hasn't made a substantial gain". Just stop losing weight and maybe gain a tiny amount should be proof enough that it's working - especially if his diaper count is good.
If you do feel that you have to supplement, ask about a supplemental feeder. Or I did a messy version of supplementing by dripping formula down my boob so DD was sucking and stimulating my supply, but also getting formula (she was jaundiced and my milk didn't come in for 5 days). And even though I did supplement a little bit in the first days with both my kids I still had/have a good supply and BFing relationship, so it's not the end of the world, it's just that you have to be very careful about how much you supplement and make sure your supply gets stimulated enough.
He IS meeting what the hospital told us he should as far as wet/dirty diapers. So I'll take that as a good sign.
The lactation consultant at the hospital had me pump for 10 minutes before feeding, and then she spoon fed him the colostrum. I've done that a coupe of times at home, too. He gets about an extra ounce that way.