Questions/help needed
MrsS2203
member
My little one is 9 days old. We started out feeding every 3 hrs in the hospital..,to build up supply and get my milk to come in. He ended up with Jaundice and weight loss. so the doctor/nurses wanted me to feed him every 2 hours. This was interesting because he was under the lights and had no desire to eat,but just wanted to be cuddled. We finally get off the lights and we feed ever 2-2.5 hours but only for 10 minutes. Fast forward to now. I tried letting him sleep and feeding on demand(usually every 3 hrs),but we ended up in meltdowns. He'd fuss when he couldn't get milk fast enough and I'd be empty(manual expression got me nothing). I know BF is a supply/demand thing. I finally moved him back to a 2 hour schedule and he's eatting at least 10 on the first side and roughly 5 on the other. Sometimes we get a little more.
1) I know that the books/guidelines say to feed every 2-3 hours and that I should be feeding 15-25 minutes every time. Is it bad that I'm not? He is gaining weight and his jaundice is better.
2) If I let him go longer how do I make it so that he doesn't drain me and then spend the next couple hours with a crying/upset/hungry baby?
3) any suggestions/help that you can offer?
Re: Questions/help needed
1) I know that the books/guidelines say to feed every 2-3 hours and that I should be feeding 15-25 minutes every time. Is it bad that I'm not? He is gaining weight and his jaundice is better. If he's gaining weight, seems happy, and had the right number of wet and dirty diapers, then whatever you're doing is working. If he doesn't seem done though, I would let him nurse until he wants to stop.
2) If I let him go longer how do I make it so that he doesn't drain me and then spend the next couple hours with a crying/upset/hungry baby? I would let him go as long as he needs to. Spending lots of time at the breast builds your supply. They're not always eating - sometimes it's a soothing thing. It still helps your supply. Your body will step up to what he demands. For weeks, DD ate for a full hour every two hours. It was exhausting, but it was what she needed.
3) any suggestions/help that you can offer? Trust yourself, and your baby. He'll let you know what he needs. While the books and doctors are awesome - your own instincts about your baby mean a lot. YOU are the mommy, and your body was designed to do this! You can do it!
HTH!
The more you can get him to nurse the better your supply will be. If he won't stay latched when there isn't a lot of milk then I would get out the pump and start power pumping to signal to your body that you will need more milk. You could try to increase your supply. Try pumping after each feeding session. Make sure you are drinking lots of water, eat rolled oats, drink mother's milk tea and get lots of rest. Lots of skin to skin contact will also help increase youre supply. If you ever give him a bottle make sure you pump at the same time.
I would also try breast compressions to help the milk flow. Drink water while you're feeding, that helps the letdown. Try to keep water with you at all times, so you're drinking b/f you get thirsty. And if you do pump, drink water during pumping too.
If he's gaining weight and having sufficient wet/dirty diapers, then you're doing great! It's not necessarily about the length of the nursing session. A baby could be latched on for 30 minutes but only have 10 minutes of nutritive sucking. If he's an efficient eater, then he may only need 10 minutes per side. But I definitely wouldn't cut him off after a certain amount of time if he's still actually eating. There is some helpful info on this website:
https://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/
One thing to know: your baby didn't read the books. I got so hung up on what "the book" said that it became a problem for me! I had severe PPD and supply issues at the beginning, and it took me quite some time to trust my body. But you will get to the point when it clicks and you can trust your judgement and feel that you know your baby. It doesn't come quickly for every new mother.
Keep up the good work, momma!