PLEASE HELP with newborn!!

[neonalee]

I know there is a challenges sub forum, but this one looks busier, and I really need help. My LO was born by CS Thursday morning. We had visits with LCs while in the hospital and everything looked good, though he was really sleepy. Starting today though it hurts more when he is nursing. Today he has wanted to nurse ALL DAY with a couple of cat naps in between. Not only are my nipples starting to hurt, but worse, there's nothing in them! My milk hasn't come in and it seems he's taken all the colostrum. Can that happen? Will more come in? I haven't been to LLL meetings because they were all while I was working. Sometimes he seems to latch ok, sometimes not great.

Now he's screaming, crying and kicking. I just hold him and rock him and hope I have enough after he wakes up after tiring himself out.
What can I do???

[somegirl99]

I'm no expert, but I was told that was normal for days 2-3, and that's what happened to us. Nurse as much as you can as it should help your milk come in. I think I started to see a bit of milk on day 4 and it really started coming in on days 5-6.

Can you try a different position to help the latch? I found the football hold worked best for me in the first few days.

Good luck mama, hang in there, it will get better.

[maddymama]

Hi Mama,
While this is frustrating for you, this is NORMAL... your little one is working hard to bring your milk in. 2-3 days is on the early side for your milk to come in. Many mamas are on the 5 plus day plan....
There is still some colustrum in the breasts, and your body is probably starting to add in some "real" milk. Your breasts are never fully empty from the colustrum/milk, and your body is working hard to create the supply for the demand that your baby is putting in.... it just might take a few days. (And baby has probably gotten a taste of whats to come and really wants more mama milk.)
Here's my advice.... settle in for the long haul, get a big bottle of water, pop in some of your favorite movies to watch, read some of your favorite books, and try to nurse more than you thought was humanly possible. Just try to relax and enjoy being with your newbie- congrats, by the way.....
~maddymama
oh, and keep checking to make sure the latch is good... that will help ease any nipple discomfort, if possible.

[annettemarie]

This is actually the right forum for you.

The best thing you can do is keep trying to get baby to the breast. This will stimulate the milk to come in. And even though you haven't been to a meeting, you can absolutely call your local LLL leader.

[CoBabyMaker]

You're doing great mama! Just let him keep nursing. All of that is normal!
The more he nurses the more it will tell your body to make milk. Apply lanolin EVERY TIME he finishes and just let your breasts be out in the air as much as you can so help with the soreness. It takes a few days for your milk to come in (it came in on day 4 for me) so don't worry about that just yet.
AS far as the latch goes...try a few positions and really check positioning.

[gigismom]

Originally Posted by maddymama

Hi Mama,
While this is frustrating for you, this is NORMAL... your little one is working hard to bring your milk in. 2-3 days is on the early side for your milk to come in. Many mamas are on the 5 plus day plan....
There is still some colustrum in the breasts, and your body is probably starting to add in some "real" milk. Your breasts are never fully empty from the colustrum/milk, and your body is working hard to create the supply for the demand that your baby is putting in.... it just might take a few days. (And baby has probably gotten a taste of whats to come and really wants more mama milk.)
Here's my advice.... settle in for the long haul, get a big bottle of water, pop in some of your favorite movies to watch, read some of your favorite books, and try to nurse more than you thought was humanly possible. Just try to relax and enjoy being with your newbie- congrats, by the way.....
~maddymama
oh, and keep checking to make sure the latch is good... that will help ease any nipple discomfort, if possible.

totally normal! i agree though to keep diligent about proper positioning and latch. with my first i thought i had no milk because i missed the engorgement and was panicking about day 2 to 3. turned out she was just so good at extracting it that i did not ever really get engorged. all good signs that all is well. is your baby peeing and pooping enough? can't remember the official numbers for that, it's been awhile since i was in newborn land... enjoy your baby!

jen

[Limabean1975]

Is there a lactation consultant at the hospital you can try getting help from?

Improving the latch can improve your comfort *and* milk/colostrum flow - this is what an LC might help you with.

As for the milk, at this point, you still have plenty of time - it is typical for milk to come in around day 4 all the way up to 7.


ONe other thing to note that I learned at long last with my first - breastfeeding, *at the beginning* DOES HURT for a lot of people, and that can be totally normal. Difficult, but normal. My midwife with my first pointed out that if my newborn was sucking on my finger as much as he was sucking on my breast, it would eventually get irritated and start to hurt...so of course nipples can get that way too. IT WILL GET BETTER.

[Limabean1975]

Originally Posted by maddymama

try to nurse more than you thought was humanly possible.

[Mama2Kayla]

normal...try expressed breastmilk on your nipples between feedings. Go topless as often as possible. I found that very easy to do with a newborn b/c they nurse all the time--LOL

My milk didn't come in until day 4 with my first. She lost some weight, but was totally fine. Just keep putting the baby to the breast as much as possible. Focus on a good latch and keep hydrated.

[neonalee]

Thanks mamas so very much! I did have 2 different LCs visit in the hospital and say everything was going correctly, but since it started hurting after that I thought maybe I'd gotten it wrong since then. DP thinks he's close, but not 100%, so we're working on that. He seems to think the tongue isn't getting out before he latches on. Now that I'm on maternity leave I'm going to check into LLL meetings again. Again, thank you. It makes such a difference to hear this is normal!

[somegirl99]

Originally Posted by neonalee

He seems to think the tongue isn't getting out before he latches on.

The LC in the hospital had me start my DS suckling on my finger first to make sure he was getting his tongue out before putting him on my breast. I did this for a few days and it did seem to help.

[ktgrok]

totally normal! My babies nurse pretty much 24-7,which is good because it keeps your milk up. At this age your baby's stomach can only hold about a tablespoon at the very most, so they don't need much. Just let him nurse all the time, even if you think there isn't anything there. The more he nurses the calmer he will be, and the sooner your milk will come in. totally ignore the old "feed every 2-3 hours" thing...my babies always nurse ALL the time in the beginning. It doesn't mean you don't have enough milk, it's just what babies do. In fact, in most cultures babies nurse every 15 minutes!

[PatioGardener]

how are things today?

[boobs4milk]

i used lansinoh, every time i finished nursing and let my boobs air dry. i also wore light clothes and no bra those first few days. here are some videos that you may find helpful:
http://www.nbci.ca/index.php?option=...id=6&Itemid=13

also, my babies would nurse for 30 - 45 mins, burp, repeat after they 'woke up' from being born. totally normal but totally exhausting and makes for sore nipples. if i were you, i'd go to bed with baby and focus on nursing him and nothing else. get your partner to change him, wash clothes, etc. take time to heal and learn each other. good luck!

[neonalee]

So now it's changed again?! Yesterday and today I can't keep him awake to nurse longer than 5 or 10 minutes! He sleeps several hours at a time. Sometimes he falls asleep while nursing and absolutely refuses to wake, others he ...unlatches? himself and refuses to wake to nurse more. Today the pediatrician checked positioning and latch and said they are good and my milk is definitely coming in, my nipples are good lol, but he's underweight so I need to make sure he feeds 15 minutes per side every 2.5 hrs. This is sooooo difficult! He's way more interested in sleeping than eating, though we'll see what tonight brings.

I'm definitely getting engorged, though still soft enough for nursing. I pumped just a little this afternoon to relieve it when I just couldn't keep him awake. What are signs he really isn't getting enough to eat? The pediatrician said he lost 17% weight since birth and more than 10% is too much. My doula said birth weight is often inaccurate if the mom has been given IV fluids, which I was for around 35 hrs. I don't want to be made scared by statistics, but I don't want to harm him either.

Oh jeez, and now I'm dripping! This new baby stuff is hard!!

[JenBuckyfan]

Hang in there! I remember feeling like my nipples were going to fall off because nursing hurt so much at first. Everyone always said that if a baby is latched correctly it won't be painful - yes, once you've become established nursing - the part I wasn't ever told. The first few weeks for me were rough and then it really was almost like night and day and ever since pain hasn't been an issue. Now, DS is almost 6 months and now I get how women enjoy nursing (and really for the past 5 months). The hospital I went to had a homemade nipple cream that worked wonders so any cream you can find that might provide some releif is definitely another good option. It may take a little bit, but it really will get better and once it does, it really feels worth the effort in the beginning (besides all of the known benefits that is). You can do it!!

Just read your update - glad things are going a bit better! If I remember correctly (gosh it hasn't even been that long...) your baby should be nursing about 10-12 times per day in the beginning.

[neonalee]

OK, so I just read kellymom about newborn feeding and maybe this is all still normal. But personal experiences still requested! Especially about weight gain concerns. The doc wants to see gain by our thursday appt.

[neonalee]

Oops! Just verified with DP - DS lost 10% and doc didn't want him to lose more than 7%. Don't know where the 17% came from!

[syd'smom]

Hang in there mama! The IV fluids you had can artificially inflate your babe's birthweight - making it seem like he's lost more than he actually has. Your breastmilk has more fat/calories than formula, so don't worry there.

Have you tried baby-led latch? Lay back in a recliner, skin to skin, or semi-reclined in your bed. Put the baby vertically b/w your breasts. Gently ask him which side. Give him a bit of time (or sometimes right away), he will lean/lunge to one side or the other. Let him latch himself. He should end up going diagonally across your body, with his feet on your upper thigh. Your arm should just be supporting the back of his neck. You and he should both look and be super comfortable.

Forget about this side then that side - let your baby decide! (and definitely forget about 15min/side every 2.5 hrs - that is likely not enough for your babe! I know ds at VERY frequently those first few weeks; he would have been starving after 2.5hrs )

Keep up the great work mama - trust your body and your baby!

[JenBuckyfan]

I ended up with a c-section and had an iv in me for quite some time, not as long as you. Our little guy lost 8-9% and since it was close to 10%, I was told to rent a pump and supplement with a syringe while breastfeeding. I tried once and it worked ok and then the couple times we tried after that it was too much for DS and it'd all leak out the side of his mouth. So, I said bye-bye to the pump and just fed him via breast alone since he seemed to be feeding ok. At our 1 week appt. the nurse weighed Lucas and he had gained weight back and we were happy because we knew it wasn't because of the supplementation. She also weighed him and then watched his latch while a fed him and we weighed him again to see how much he was taking in and he was eating like a little champ. We were able to ditch the pump and carry on as we were.