There are quite a lot of questions here (I have bolded them) and I will try to provide as much info as I can - but any advice/input would be great! TIA
My boy Hamish was born last Thursday - he is 5 days old today...
He was put to the breast right away. I was not awake for that so I don't really know how that went but I do know it took a lot of people to get him there but once there he was there for a good hour.
However... He is not feeding at the breast. We have managed to get him there a total of 3 times the first two days of his life. BUT each time took more than hour.
He was born 12lbs 4oz (yep - thats right! lol)...my birth plan did not go to plan (at all!)...But we are both alive earthside and I know I gave it my all. However - I think the first two days of his life he was so unhappy because of his traumatic birth. By the third day he started to calm down a bit. I could hold him without him screaming about it but still could not put him near my breasts - especially when it was hungry time...it would result in screaming again.
As you can imagine, this has been hard on me because when you have a baby it is supposed to be this magical moment - a time to enjoy. But I felt so down and out of sorts (not because of the birth) - but because he was just SO unhappy and I could not hold him those first few days without him being quite distressed.
The fourth and fifth day have been better though. By the afternoon of the fourth day he became super chilled. My milk is well in though - so I think his little tummy is well satisfied. He seems to be feeding 4 hourly. But he is not taking in a lot.
Also - he was born with a tongue tie. Way more serious that my sons. We had it snipped within the first 24 hours...didn't even care about that though - wasn't fussed. My sons was not corrected (didnt know it could be - was never offered...didnt even knwo it was a problem for him until he became way too dehydrated, etc)....
Anyraod - if there is one difference between Hamish and my son though - despite the tongue tie correction...is that my son responded normally to being breastfed. He rooted...opened his mouth, pecked like a chicken and latch on!...Hamish does not do that!.... If you put him near the breast...rub his top lip...all of that...he will root or open his mouth. (now at 5 days he does root but does not open his mouth for it yet...so some progress I guess!)
...So here is where the questions start...
1). I am cup feeding him. The hope is that he will eventually take to the breast. Lots of skin to skin contact. Calm moments. Full tummy. Try try try. Which is why I am cup feeding him. After the first few days they said do not even try and put him to the breast for a few days because it was clearly making him very very very distressed. (I cant stress enough how upset and unhappy and distressed he was getting by it - despite being super hungry!)...The goal was for me to chill him out and get him calm enough so that he wouldn't get so distressed by it would otherwise not help our breastfeeding relationship.
But he has been sleeping so much these past few days and is only taking in about 1.5-2oz every 4 hours. I am worried this is not enough for him. Mind, he has only lost 3 grams of his birthweight. Could he just not be that hungry?
I feel the past few days for him he has re-birthed himself. He no longer seems to need tightly swaddling and has 'come out' so to speak from the need of it. He is just so much happier and super chilled now.
2). But is he too chilled? Is cup feeding such an effort for him that he is getting tired out before actually getting enough milk? He drinks a bit and then goes back to sleep (nice for the past few nights of course lol)
He is WAY eager for that cup of milk when it comes to him though. All I have to do is lay the muslin across his chest (cause cup feeding is pretty messy lol) and he knows it is coming! He grabs for the cup, roots and roots for it and sucks it down. Often to the point of gagging on it because he is too greedy! lol
Now - my first son was also a bit baby (10 and a half pounds) - though not this big! lol...but due to a much less traumatic (though still un-ideal for me) birth, he was super chilled from the start. But due to his tongue tie that was NEVER corrected he never was actully getting milk from my breasts despite his eagerness to latch on and suck. Which meant that at a week old, he had lost 20% of his body weight and was super dehydated. So I pumped for him. But no one ever told me how. He recieved his milk from a bottle. I didn't think getting him on the breast was going to be possible. Hamish's tongue tie was corrected for him before he was even 24 hours old AND it was worse than his brothers. But He doesnt seem to be as eager to open up and latch onto the breast - at all! ...But like I said, he was really unhappy for those first few days of life.
3). Should I be giving Hamish a bottle so he takes in more milk? Cause I am worried he is not getting enough right now. Or is this just a 'phase'...keep and eye on it for a few days and he will start taking in more milk???
Also - I was instructed to pump every 3 hours (well - 8 times a day...that works out to every 3 hours). 30 mins (5 mins one size, 5 the next, and so on till it equals 30 mins)...
But - this is WAY too much for me!... I mean, if I did that - I get like 10 oz! lol...Seriously.. All it takes is 10 minutes for me to 5oz which I am doing now - but that means I am having like a much bigger supply than he is taking in. I don't mind terribly because I can freeze a lot of that - may be handy.
4). So should I just be pumping what he needs instead and not to the whole 30 mins 3 hour thingy? ..Cause my freezer isn't that big! lol I seriously NEVER had supply issues with my son and it is cleary that I do not now either! lol
5). Am hoping not to need to pump for two long. I have been told it could take him 2 weeks to finally latch on! However...what if it takes longer? How do I take breastmilk out with me? So that he doesnt go hungry? So that I am not house bound until I can just feed him wherever we go?
6). Is this something that he will learn? Please tell me he will. I have been told by quite a few MWs that they have seen this before and that babies do eventually latch and breastfeed!
7). Is there anything else I can do to encourage this better? He is so big, it is really hard to try and get him to latch on the conventional way! lol....Due to the section as well - the breastcrawl is not possible (due to pain of it)..which is what I was hoping to do!
Any questions if I havn't covered them - just ask!
My boy Hamish was born last Thursday - he is 5 days old today...
He was put to the breast right away. I was not awake for that so I don't really know how that went but I do know it took a lot of people to get him there but once there he was there for a good hour.
However... He is not feeding at the breast. We have managed to get him there a total of 3 times the first two days of his life. BUT each time took more than hour.
He was born 12lbs 4oz (yep - thats right! lol)...my birth plan did not go to plan (at all!)...But we are both alive earthside and I know I gave it my all. However - I think the first two days of his life he was so unhappy because of his traumatic birth. By the third day he started to calm down a bit. I could hold him without him screaming about it but still could not put him near my breasts - especially when it was hungry time...it would result in screaming again.
As you can imagine, this has been hard on me because when you have a baby it is supposed to be this magical moment - a time to enjoy. But I felt so down and out of sorts (not because of the birth) - but because he was just SO unhappy and I could not hold him those first few days without him being quite distressed.
The fourth and fifth day have been better though. By the afternoon of the fourth day he became super chilled. My milk is well in though - so I think his little tummy is well satisfied. He seems to be feeding 4 hourly. But he is not taking in a lot.
Also - he was born with a tongue tie. Way more serious that my sons. We had it snipped within the first 24 hours...didn't even care about that though - wasn't fussed. My sons was not corrected (didnt know it could be - was never offered...didnt even knwo it was a problem for him until he became way too dehydrated, etc)....
Anyraod - if there is one difference between Hamish and my son though - despite the tongue tie correction...is that my son responded normally to being breastfed. He rooted...opened his mouth, pecked like a chicken and latch on!...Hamish does not do that!.... If you put him near the breast...rub his top lip...all of that...he will root or open his mouth. (now at 5 days he does root but does not open his mouth for it yet...so some progress I guess!)
...So here is where the questions start...
1). I am cup feeding him. The hope is that he will eventually take to the breast. Lots of skin to skin contact. Calm moments. Full tummy. Try try try. Which is why I am cup feeding him. After the first few days they said do not even try and put him to the breast for a few days because it was clearly making him very very very distressed. (I cant stress enough how upset and unhappy and distressed he was getting by it - despite being super hungry!)...The goal was for me to chill him out and get him calm enough so that he wouldn't get so distressed by it would otherwise not help our breastfeeding relationship.
But he has been sleeping so much these past few days and is only taking in about 1.5-2oz every 4 hours. I am worried this is not enough for him. Mind, he has only lost 3 grams of his birthweight. Could he just not be that hungry?
I feel the past few days for him he has re-birthed himself. He no longer seems to need tightly swaddling and has 'come out' so to speak from the need of it. He is just so much happier and super chilled now.
2). But is he too chilled? Is cup feeding such an effort for him that he is getting tired out before actually getting enough milk? He drinks a bit and then goes back to sleep (nice for the past few nights of course lol)
He is WAY eager for that cup of milk when it comes to him though. All I have to do is lay the muslin across his chest (cause cup feeding is pretty messy lol) and he knows it is coming! He grabs for the cup, roots and roots for it and sucks it down. Often to the point of gagging on it because he is too greedy! lol
Now - my first son was also a bit baby (10 and a half pounds) - though not this big! lol...but due to a much less traumatic (though still un-ideal for me) birth, he was super chilled from the start. But due to his tongue tie that was NEVER corrected he never was actully getting milk from my breasts despite his eagerness to latch on and suck. Which meant that at a week old, he had lost 20% of his body weight and was super dehydated. So I pumped for him. But no one ever told me how. He recieved his milk from a bottle. I didn't think getting him on the breast was going to be possible. Hamish's tongue tie was corrected for him before he was even 24 hours old AND it was worse than his brothers. But He doesnt seem to be as eager to open up and latch onto the breast - at all! ...But like I said, he was really unhappy for those first few days of life.
3). Should I be giving Hamish a bottle so he takes in more milk? Cause I am worried he is not getting enough right now. Or is this just a 'phase'...keep and eye on it for a few days and he will start taking in more milk???
Also - I was instructed to pump every 3 hours (well - 8 times a day...that works out to every 3 hours). 30 mins (5 mins one size, 5 the next, and so on till it equals 30 mins)...
But - this is WAY too much for me!... I mean, if I did that - I get like 10 oz! lol...Seriously.. All it takes is 10 minutes for me to 5oz which I am doing now - but that means I am having like a much bigger supply than he is taking in. I don't mind terribly because I can freeze a lot of that - may be handy.
4). So should I just be pumping what he needs instead and not to the whole 30 mins 3 hour thingy? ..Cause my freezer isn't that big! lol I seriously NEVER had supply issues with my son and it is cleary that I do not now either! lol
5). Am hoping not to need to pump for two long. I have been told it could take him 2 weeks to finally latch on! However...what if it takes longer? How do I take breastmilk out with me? So that he doesnt go hungry? So that I am not house bound until I can just feed him wherever we go?
6). Is this something that he will learn? Please tell me he will. I have been told by quite a few MWs that they have seen this before and that babies do eventually latch and breastfeed!
7). Is there anything else I can do to encourage this better? He is so big, it is really hard to try and get him to latch on the conventional way! lol....Due to the section as well - the breastcrawl is not possible (due to pain of it)..which is what I was hoping to do!
Any questions if I havn't covered them - just ask!
Congratulations again!
