6/8 Newborn Check In

[lilyelayne]

Hi new mamas! Jump on in!

How old is LO?

How's everything going?

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?

Is this your first experience with BF? Is it what you expected?

[fartsandcrafts]

Hi! My son is 8 weeks tomorrow - I think we still fall into this check in group? The next group I see is 3-6 months, but correct me if I'm wrong.
This is my first and first breastfeeding experience. I had visions of it being WAY easier. We've had some challenges, but it's finally getting more manageable. After delivery (I ended up getting induced and had an epidural around 7cm), the delivery nurse offered me a nipple shield.l because he wasn't latching after a few mins and my nipples were pretty flat. The lactation consultant in the hospital didn't discourage it, but we've been using it since. I can get him to latch without it occasionally, but it rarely feels right. I don't think it's causing supply issues, but I've had clogged ducts and mastitis twice so I'm working to wean him (and myself) off of it.
His weight gain is going well (as of our 1 month appointment and he's steadily getting bigger), and I've been managing to pump anywhere from 3-7oz 1-2 times a day to built a stash for when I go back to work or am just away from LO for a few hours.
I've heard that some babies won't take breastmilk that has been frozen due to excess lipase. My LO has taken a bottle that was frozen, but it's only 2, maybe 3, weeks old. I'm nervous that I'm freezing all this milk and he eventually won't want it. At what time period does it hit the point that he may refuse it?
Also, what's the normal amount of time that it should take at each feeding (if there is a normal)? He will nurse anywhere from 15-45+ minutes.
Sorry for such a long post! Looking forward to hearing other new mom experiences and advice!

[Deleted]

fartsandcrafts,
we do have a 1-3 mos check in somewhere. lol!

Lipase works fairly soon in milk, and is usually noticeable after freezing and thawing. it's not "old" milk, just sort of predigested, where the lipase breaks down the fats so they are more useable by baby.

So just occasionally try some of your frozen milk at varying intervals and rotate so the oldest stuff is used up first. Many babies will take milk with excess lipase anyway, so don't worry too much unless baby refuses the milk.

You can do an experiement, pump some milk put in fridge and then check it, taste, smell test every hour or 2 and see if it reaches a point after about a day where it starts to get funky. If it doesn't then you are fine, you may see that like at 5-7 days it starts to go bad like any milk will eventually go bad. Bad breastmilk is just like bad cow's milk in that regard.

[fartsandcrafts]

Oops! I'll check in there from now on. Thanks for the lipase info!

[viola]

I'll jump in here and cross post my feels

LO is three days old

Everything is going great. As of yesterday he was only down 3oz (3%) and as of today he was back up an oz. my boobs are pretty sore but it's manageable.

What I'm wondering:
So I'm getting pretty engorged between feelings now and I don't know if there's anything I should do about it. Do I just suffer through until it regulates? How long does that take?
Also, I'm typically nursing on one side at a time during a feed. I don't offer both because by the time he's done he sort of falls off like a tick and is pretty sleepy. I hesitate to stop him before that and switch because I want him to get all the hind milk he can. Is this ok? Do I have to nurse on both sides every feed? I guess if I don't the unused boob will get really full by the time he wants to eat again. How do I know when a good time to switch sides is?


Yep. First experience over here. It's what I expected for the most part. I seem to be forgetting a lot of details now that I'm actually knee deep in specific situations. I did a lot of reading but I still feel the need to be reassured about my reality. Theory only gets you so far

[Deleted]

Hi! Checking in here. My little girl was born June 1st 7 pounds 1 oz. and at her 1 week weight check today is already back to 7 pounds 1/2 oz so I must be doing something right.

We had a little bit of a rough start w BF. On day 4 she rejected my right boob and then later on that day my left. I went to the doctor and they encouraged me to try different BF positions. Since then we are back on track and she prefers the football hold and usually rejects when I hold her in the cradle position.

I BF DS until he was 15 months ( he is now 2) so I'm looking to BF for at least a year with DD if not longer. She has definitely been more of a challenge then he was as far as positioning goes.

[lolo918]

How old is LO?
2 weeks

How's everything going?
Pretty good still, I think. Have had some paranoid moments when DD's poop looked funk (green brown in color), but then I realized she had been cluster feeding so consistency did change again when she fed longer at a later time. I am excited that latching in different positions is feeling like it's getting easier all around.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?


Is this your first experience with BF? Is it what you expected?
This is my first experience, and I think I was expecting this to be more difficult. In some ways I'm still waiting for something unexpected to happen that causes difficulty. I hope that I'm wrong in that expectation.

[Deleted]

viola, if LO is satisfied, growing, and having plenty of diapers, there's no need to offer the other side. There may come a time when LO wants both and you can offer then, but my DS mostly nursed one side, DD seems to want both in the evenings sometimes but usually takes one.

You're better off just dealing with the engorgement if you can. BF is supply and demand so pumping tells your body you want all that milk. If you really need to you could hand express or pump a little for comfort. It'll continue to get better, usually in a couple days, sometimes longer. Growth spurts may make you feel engorged again briefly, but usually not as badly as when your milk first comes in.

Kellymom has some tips and info: kellymom.com/bf/concerns/mother/engorgement/

[Deleted]

viola When I nursed DS he always preferred to fully empty one boob and then next feed fully empty the other one. It worked out fine and I never had a lopsided boob issue or anything. Towards the end of breastfeeding (when he was 15 months) and I was letting my supply dip to wean he would then start going for both)

With my new little girl she mostly prefers to nurse one side at a time unless she is cluster feeding before bedtime. Then she will do one boob one hour then thirty minutes later switch to the other

For engorgement I know it feels so uncomfortable but it will pass. I think mine this time lasted 3 days. I hand expressed some in the shower for relief and I didn't wear any fitted nursing bra just a tank top for 2 days and that helped

[lauranicole91]

How old is LO? 1 week

How's everything going? Great! We did a weighed feed at 4 days old and found that he was taking in 2.5oz!! I am just healing up from a cracked nipple, but I made it through thanks to lanolin and ice packs.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?
I will share a cute picture. This is my 3 year old and 2 day old tandem nursing the first day home. They are holding hands!


Is this your first experience with BF? Is it what you expected?
Second. I wasn't sure what to expect with this one. I was hoping it'd be a better beginning than with my DD, and so far that's been true (he doesn't need the nipple shield like she did and he just feeds better overall), so that's been nice.

[kudlica]

How old is LO? 3w 3d

How is everything going? Better than last week! We saw the LC on Monday. After staying steady at 9lbs 5oz for three weeks, LO gained 4oz in 4 days! His latch was good, but after a 40minute feeding he only took in about 1.5oz, and the majority of that was in the last 15minutes. I go back tomorrow to check on his progress. They have me pumping after every feed to supplement. (I know feel like something/someone is connected to my boob 24/7)

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? I guess I did that in the last question. Oops.

Is this your first experience with BF? Yes, and not at all what I expected. I am truly thankful for the positives, and working hard to get through the weight gain issues.

[Deleted]

We gotta get more newborn moms over here.

[emmyg65]

An efficient nurser can empty a breast in 10 min, @ke3812. If it seems like she's swallowing frequently throughout those 15 min and she's making plenty of wet diapers and gaining appropriately, you're good to go! My son has only ever eaten for about 10 min since he was about a week.

I'll let others weigh in on your redness but it sounds like it might be a clogged duct.

[honeylemon]

Jun 11, 2015 15:33:04 GMT -5 @amyg said:

We gotta get more newborn moms over here.

I'll play


How old is LO?  3.5 weeks

How's everything going? Great. Nursing non stop today, but this is the story of my life.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? I tandem nurse this little one and my 22 month old. My older nursling has decided that my left boob is "Iris's nursies" and my right boob is "baby's nursies" even though she almost exclusively nurses on my right side and the baby nurses on both. Silly girly.

Is this your first experience with BF? Is it what you expected? Nope. I nursed my oldest for 26+ months and like I said, I'm nursing my 22 month old daughter also. I just hit 4 years total breastfeeding and I realized I've been pregnant and/or nursing with no break for almost 5.5 years. This time around has been pretty easy. Probably mostly because I knew not to have any expectations and just go with the new baby's flow. It's working for us so far.

Oh, I have been having some aversion when nursing the baby. Some anxious feelings and nausea. Hoping it goes away in the next few weeks. I had it with my daughter too so I'm familiar with the routine of deep breathing for the first few minutes of nursing to get through the worst part.

[tjanca22]

I'll jump in too:
How old is LO?
1 week, 1 day
How is everything going?
No real issues so far, but I'm so afraid to say that and jinx myself since we're brand new to this,
Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?
Is it inevitable that you will at some point get mastitis? I'm trying everything I can think of to prevent it.
Is this your fist experience BF? Is it what you expected?
Going into this I had it built up in my head that it would be very hard and I set my expectations low so I wouldnt be disappointed. I find myself enjoying this experience and and really glad we haven't had any roadblocks yet!

[ladybug15]

tjanca22 Glad everything seems to be going well so far!

It is not inevitable that you develop mastitis-I've been nursing for 5 months now with no problems (praying I'm not jinxing myself!). Just take care of yourself and give yourself grace if something does happen!

As far as weight gain issues, are you nursing on demand? How long does LO nurse each session? How does the latch feel?

[ladybug15]

@cmadamscook Glad to hear your LO is eating more often! Cluster feeding can be frustrating & painful. Just remember that you always have milk in your breasts; they are constantly producing. So if LO has a good latch, she should be able to continue triggering let-downs. And remember, this too shall pass. ☺️

As far as pain, it will decrease, I promise! Make sure you are using a good nipple cream, using your own milk, and getting plenty of open air time. In the early days, after nursing, I would express some to put on my nipples, let that air dry, then put on my nipple cream/lanolin. Then I would just hang out topless for a while! It really did help! I only had to do that a couple of days during the worst of it. Overall, my nipples didn't feel "normal" for at least 8 weeks. Just hang in there!

[emmyg65]

tjanca22, no, mastitis is not inevitable. I think some women are more prone to it than others. I've been nursing for 5.5 months and I've had my share of crap (nipple damage, vasospasms, thrush), but no clogged ducts or mastitis.

@cmadamscook, cluster feeding can be exhausting, but it's triggering your body to make more milk and that's important. It will get easier.

[lilyelayne]

honeylemon hope your nursing nausea goes away soon. I think mine disappeared after 6 weeks or so.
tjanca22 over 3 months EBF over here and no mastitis or clogs yet. Glad things are going well!
@ke3812 how's your left breast doing? Did you find good info about clogs?

[tjanca22]

ladybug15 that makes me feel a lot better that at 5 months and still no issues, it definitely puts my mind at ease.
Yes, we've been nursing on demand, but I've found that he is slowly starting to regulate his own schedule. Wakes up at 2am and between 7:30-8:30 each night on the dot. Daytime feeds are still all over. Right now he's feeding for ~35-45 mins every 3.5-4 hours, we even had a 5hr stretch last nights. Latch always feels good and the few times it hasn't, we've been able to stop and get it right. I'm still using the shield, but with things going well right now, I feel reluctant to give it up. The weight gain has been good, born at 7.2 first dr appointment he was 6.10 and two days later he was 6.13, so we know he's getting lots.

[ladybug15]

tjanca22 those nighttime hours are awesome considering his age!! Glad to hear his weight gain is good. 3.5-4 hours during the day sounds a bit long, but he's gaining weight so I wouldn't worry too much about it! If he does plateau in the future, that's what I'd change first. ☺️

[Deleted]

Jun 13, 2015 11:26:18 GMT -5 tjanca22 said:

ladybug15 that makes me feel a lot better that at 5 months and still no issues, it definitely puts my mind at ease.
Yes, we've been nursing on demand, but I've found that he is slowly starting to regulate his own schedule. Wakes up at 2am and between 7:30-8:30 each night on the dot. Daytime feeds are still all over. Right now he's feeding for ~35-45 mins every 3.5-4 hours, we even had a 5hr stretch last nights. Latch always feels good and the few times it hasn't, we've been able to stop and get it right. I'm still using the shield, but with things going well right now, I feel reluctant to give it up. The weight gain has been good, born at 7.2 first dr appointment he was 6.10 and two days later he was 6.13, so we know he's getting lots.

Usually we don't let them sleep quite that long until they have regained their birthweight for sure. You are clost but not quite up over the top just yet. So I would be cautious. It's easy to stall out, esp with a nipple shield, so I'd push to be sure to get in 8-10 feedings a day and keep an eye on diaper count, you want a minimum of 6-8 a day, but if things are going well you may see 10-12 diaper changes a day.

[Deleted]

Jun 13, 2015 8:37:29 GMT -5 @cmadamscook said:

How old is LO? 2w 3d

How's everything going? It is going. She is eating more often right now.

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? I always feel that when she cluster feeds for hours that I have nothing left. Is there a point where giving her a bottle is a good idea?

Is this your first experience with BF? Is it what you expected? This is my first experience BF. It is much harder and a little more painful then I expected it to be.

No there isn't really a point where giving a bottle is a good idea for cluster feeding.

It's common especially heading into the 3 week growth spurt. The more she nurses the more your supply regulates to meet her exact needs, and as long as she is nursing she will continue to get more milk. Your breasts are not storage tanks they are milk factories, always making more.

[Deleted]

Jun 13, 2015 5:11:36 GMT -5 tjanca22 said:

I'll jump in too:
How old is LO?
1 week, 1 day
How is everything going?
No real issues so far, but I'm so afraid to say that and jinx myself since we're brand new to this,
Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?
Is it inevitable that you will at some point get mastitis? I'm trying everything I can think of to prevent it.
Is this your fist experience BF? Is it what you expected?
Going into this I had it built up in my head that it would be very hard and I set my expectations low so I wouldnt be disappointed. I find myself enjoying this experience and and really glad we haven't had any roadblocks yet!

I nursed for a combined 50 mos with my kids and never had mastitis.  I had a few engorged clogged ducts, but no infection ever.  So it is not inevitable.

at 8 days old I'd expect the 1 week growth spurt to hit any time and it may throw you off of the cycle so you think you jinxed yourself by saying things were good.  But it's natural, it is not a jinx effect. lol

[Deleted]

Jun 8, 2015 19:16:18 GMT -5 viola said:

I'll jump in here and cross post my feels

LO is three days old

Everything is going great. As of yesterday he was only down 3oz (3%) and as of today he was back up an oz. my boobs are pretty sore but it's manageable.

What I'm wondering:
So I'm getting pretty engorged between feelings now and I don't know if there's anything I should do about it. Do I just suffer through until it regulates? How long does that take?
Also, I'm typically nursing on one side at a time during a feed. I don't offer both because by the time he's done he sort of falls off like a tick and is pretty sleepy. I hesitate to stop him before that and switch because I want him to get all the hind milk he can. Is this ok? Do I have to nurse on both sides every feed? I guess if I don't the unused boob will get really full by the time he wants to eat again. How do I know when a good time to switch sides is?


Yep. First experience over here. It's what I expected for the most part. I seem to be forgetting a lot of details now that I'm actually knee deep in specific situations. I did a lot of reading but I still feel the need to be reassured about my reality. Theory only gets you so far

What you are doing sounds perfect, don't switch sides at some time just cause you think you should.  We are mammals and no other mammal switches sides.  and he's gaining weight already so sounds like you don't have to push to make him eat on both sides. 

When he pulls off and he's done, you can burp and change diaper if needed and offer side two as dessert.  but they don't always need or want dessert.

The engorgement tells your body that you made a bit too much milk and to lower supply.  It should settle down, but it will take a few weeks to totally feel better--and then you'll worry that you aren't engorged and wonder if your milk is too low, but after a couple weeks you shouldn't walk around feeling engorged unless baby sleeps extra long or skips a feeding.

[ravinraven216]

How old is LO?: 4 days

How is everything going: So-so. I keep worrying that LO isn't eating enough. He was down 10 oz from birth weight at his doctor appointment yesterday. We're going in for a weight check on Wedsnesday to see how he's doing. He's a remarkably sleepy baby and only wakes up every 3-4 hours to eat. I've tried waking him, but he's very difficult to rouse. His pediatrician wants him to eat every 1-2 hours and I haven't managed to coax that much out of him. He's still pooping and peeing as much as expected. And tips/advice would be appreciated. 

This is is my first experience breastfeeding and it's been more challenging than expected ,but for the wrong reasons. I didn't think I would have to try to wake my baby up to eat. I have only mild soreness and I think a decent supply. LO just doesn't appreciate it. 

[Deleted]

Jun 10, 2015 13:35:44 GMT -5 kudlica said:

How old is LO? 3w 3d

How is everything going? Better than last week! We saw the LC on Monday. After staying steady at 9lbs 5oz for three weeks, LO gained 4oz in 4 days! His latch was good, but after a 40minute feeding he only took in about 1.5oz, and the majority of that was in the last 15minutes. I go back tomorrow to check on his progress. They have me pumping after every feed to supplement. (I know feel like something/someone is connected to my boob 24/7)

Questions/concerns/cute stories to share? I guess I did that in the last question. Oops.

Is this your first experience with BF? Yes, and not at all what I expected. I am truly thankful for the positives, and working hard to get through the weight gain issues.

How did your recheck with the LC go? did you post it and I missed it?

[Deleted]

Jun 12, 2015 16:14:39 GMT -5 @ke3812 said:

@amyg im a newborn mom! Im gonna jump right in.
how old is LO?
5 days old
how is everything going?
So far it is great!
Questions/concerns/cute stories to share?
How long should she be feeding for? during the first few days at the hospital she was latched for atleast 20-30 minutes during feedings. now she is on a max of 15. Is that ok?
I am concerned about my left breast. it seems way more engorged than my right and has a red patch at the top that is super painful.
Is this your first experience with BF? Is it what you expected?
It is not my first experience. I had my DD when I was 14 and never tried to breastfeed. This time I really wanted to try and has been wonderful. I really was hoping this would be great experience and so far it has!

How's the redness today? Did it clear or get worse?

15 minute feeds are fine, they should get more efficient. Of course when they change it up like that, sometimes you get a bit engorged or a clogged duct, and then you can be prone to mastitis.

[Deleted]

Jun 13, 2015 12:57:54 GMT -5 ravinraven216 said:

How old is LO?: 4 days

How is everything going: So-so. I keep worrying that LO isn't eating enough. He was down 10 oz from birth weight at his doctor appointment yesterday. We're going in for a weight check on Wedsnesday to see how he's doing. He's a remarkably sleepy baby and only wakes up every 3-4 hours to eat. I've tried waking him, but he's very difficult to rouse. His pediatrician wants him to eat every 1-2 hours and I haven't managed to coax that much out of him. He's still pooping and peeing as much as expected. And tips/advice would be appreciated. 

This is is my first experience breastfeeding and it's been more challenging than expected ,but for the wrong reasons. I didn't think I would have to try to wake my baby up to eat. I have only mild soreness and I think a decent supply. LO just doesn't appreciate it. 

4 day old babies are very sleepy creatures. 

Your milk should be coming in, so baby should begin to gain weight and you should see diaper count increase.

Right now at 4 days old you expect 4 diaper changes, as your milk comes in you may see a big jump, by a week you need a minimum of 6-8 a day but you may see 10-12 a day if he's getting lots of milk.

To wake baby, unswaddle, sometimes laying them down unswaddled on the changing table or crib mattress will wake them right up, or passing them to dad who doesn't smell right (not like mom) will also work.  Sit baby up at the waist, tickle toes, cool washcloth on toes, rub bridge of nose, nag them awake. You want to aim for that every 2 hours you try to wake them. 

Babies don't get into deep sleeps, they have a lot of active sleep, but they cycle thru the sleep stages fast.  If baby isn't getting enough to eat, they may become jaundiced which will make them even sleepier, so a bit of sunlight is good, going outside may wake em up a bit, but also help with jaundice clearing.  They need to eat enough to poop to clear the bilirubin that causes jaundice.

[cougarette]

lauranicole91 that picture is too sweet!