My baby girl is here!

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Thanks! I have read lots of info from various sources and it seems everyone has something different to say! Some say 20 minutes on each breast and take baby off. I tried that and it HURT to take her off when she was not done. Others say to do one breast until baby falls asleep in a deep sleep or takes the latch off herself-- so I tried that and she will stay on sometimes 10 minutes sometimes 45! I hope I figure it out. I prefer the "when she is rooting let her have a boob, when she is done she is done. Next time offer the other boob." I just hope that does not hinder my milk supply.

Mazel tov.

RE: nursing... if baby is rooting, offer breast. If you feel like offering breast, offer breast. If baby is rooting after feeding, offer breast. Switching breasts is not a science. I have oversupply issues so I just keep offering the same breast for hours in a row before changing sides. With dd I would keep switching sides and I was squirting milk like a fountain for MONTHS after the birth. Call your local Le Leche League Leader for any advice. Don't let your mil give you any advice about feeding. Tell her to please stop, that you've got it under control and are researching the issue.

Babies nurse A LOT. My friend says for the first few weeks...and even months, to get a comfy chair and drink and plan to nurse for the next 24/7...and that IS about how long it takes to get things going. It will get easier and less time consuming.

Wonderful news. Beautiful name. Enjoy her.

Crashing.... to just agree:

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Sounds totally normal for a newborn. When she's on for 45 minutes, it may be more of a comfort after awhile - but it will build up your supply! (And baby will get the good high fat milk that comes last.)

I never timed DD while she was on the breast (that seems crazy), just waited until she unlatched, fell asleep or stopped suckling. I did always offer the other breast when she would "finish" with the first. Then at the next feeding, I would start with the breast that got offered 2nd - as she didn't feed at it as long. (But I don't think that's the only way to do it... a lot of my friends do only one breast per feed.)

Wow, that typed funny - I hope it made sense to some extent!

*as for the timing, I suppose if baby isn't nursing long enough, that would be a reason to time "how long they nurse" - like if they are falling asleep immediately or something*

You are doing great!

Congrats, Mama! Beautiful name!

Best nursing advice I got with my first was this: "Clocks are very important and useful while nursing a newborn. Keep a clock right beside you all the time. Turn it off, turn it upside down, and use it as a tray for your sandwich and your water bottle!"

Seriously though, it sounds like you are doing great, and she's doing great too! For soreness, see if you can find some Soothies. They are really awesome, and totally worth the price--if you can get 2 pair, store one in the refrigerator while you wear the others. If you can't afford 2 pair, just put them in the fridge while you are nursing, and the coolness when you put them back on will be very soothing! The package may say they can only be used for 2-3 days, but if you take care of them and gently clean them, you can keep using them for much longer--I used mine for a good 5 weeks with my tongue-tie baby!

If you are using any sort of nipple cream or ointment, great! But be aware that sometimes it works better to wipe most of the ointment off before latching the baby...you may think the oinment will prevent you from feeling sore at the latch, but if there's too much it can hinder the baby latching on well, and she'll sorta slip and slide on your nipple, which makes things worse.

Hope this helps!