Feeding schedule question.. New to breastfeeding!

Well my son is 11 days old and we are both getting adjusted to nursing. He does really good for the most part. I always feel as if I do not have enough milk, but he seems to get milk even when my breasts are soft and feel empty. I never did get engorged when my milkcame in so I went to Whole Foods and got Fenugreek and Organic Mother's Milk tea which I feel really help with my supply. My question to everyone is how old were your babies when you let them sleep without waking them to eat? I have to wake my son every 3 hrs to eat right now even at night. I heard it is okay to let them go up to 5 hrs at night, but I am too nervous to let him go that long. I set an alarm and wakehim up. I am sure one day I will wish he was sleeping, but I just don't know what age is safe to let them sleep and when is it ok for my supply to allow them to sleep?
Also, he fusses alot while nursing and arches his back away from me often. I take this opportunity to burp him but is this normal? He will only nurse in the cradle hold and has never nursed in the football or crossover hold even though I have tried numerous times as I heard it is good to try different postioins to assure all milk ducts are being emptied and stimulated. Has anyone else ever had this issue before? Thanks fro any advice or help you might have for me...

[tiredbuthappy]

I can't give you advice on positioning- hopefully some of the other ladies can.

I would continue waking him every 3 hours until the pediatrician tells you it's OK to let him sleep longer. With my little one, i think it was 2 months when she was allowed to go longer (not that she did!). When the baby is that young, a concern is that jaundice and low blood sugar problems can lead to the baby not waking and being drowsy. So assuming the baby will wake when hungry is an inaccurate assumption. It sounds like you've got some pretty good instincts- keep up the good work and congratulations!

[AndiJ78]

During the day, I usually nursed in the cradle position, but I coslept and used side-lying throughout the night. During growth spurts, I would vary positions frequently to tap into other areas/sacs.

A baby should be awakened every 3 hours to eat during the first 4 weeks of life, never more than that. Until that magical 4 week mark, they lack the ability to consistently awaken for food, which can lead to low blood sugar and lethargy.

Some mothers do not experience engorgement, it is not indicative of supply. Adequate numbers of wet diapers is the best indicator of proper intake.

As far as the arching, it is very possible the baby is taking in a bit of air and needs to burp. Do you use a Boppy-type pillow? I did not with my first and found he was more prone to needing to burp during feeds. With my 2nd and 3rd, I did and they did better. I also found it enabled me to adjust their position a bit easier as well, thus keeping them up at a 30 degree angle or more while nursing.

Congratulations on your new baby! Please keep us posted, we are here to help support you in any way we can.

[agomez333]

Thanks for the suggestions. Yes I do use a boppy pillow and it does help. My son willnot latch on in the side laying position yet but my peds said to keep trying and he will eventually get it. I'm so glad to hear you ladies telling me to keep waking him cause I thought that was what I should do. So many people tell me not to wake him cause maybe he's not hungry (including my MIL) but I was pretty sure I needed to be waking him. I will try more positions as he gets older and maybe he will be more willing to try them as confidence in nursing gets greater. We both seem to be better at it and more confident every day and every nursing session.
Thanks again for the input!

[prevatt77]

Keep an eye out on the fussness on the breast, my son was doing it as well and I couldn't figure out why.  Well come to find out he had thrush and that will make a baby very fussy at the breast.  You can tell if he has thrush by looking in his mouth and seeing a while film on his sides of his mouth or tounge.  You will also experience a sharp quick shooting pain in your breast.  Just an FYI and to keep an eye on it, not saying that is what your baby has.

[Super_sally888]

Hi agomez,

My baby is 2 weeks and my pediatrician said she can demand feed only, and up to 5 hours is ok between feeds.  

But like you I wake up after about 4 hours and wake her up to feed her if she hasn't woken up - more so that I can get it over and done with than because I'm worried about her.  She is already 200g heavier than her birth weight so although I feel I am struggling with producing enough milk, I guess it must be plenty.

I reckon you could safely gradually increase the time up to 4 hours between feeds and then once your baby is gaining weight see how he goes with feeding on demand.    Of course be guided by your pediatrician as well.....

Everyone will have different opinions and probably most approaches are ok, but trust yourself and your instincts and do what feels right for you.

Does your baby seem hungry when you wake him to eat?

[babydreams9]

As far as your supply goes, keep in mind that during the first 8 weeks your body is still establishing the supply. Thats why it's so important to feed on demand, not the clock (as long as you are not letting more than a few hours pass) so that your milk matches your baby's individual needs. All babies are different and have different needs. Newborns also nurse for comfort, so even if he's not hungry, he may want to nurse. Do try different positions; I have suffered from multiple blocked ducts and it is NOOO fun... but ultimately, just do what works and everything will fall into place.

My son was *extremely* gassy - almost colicky - during the first 2 months. He'd arch his back, cry inconsolably, burp and fart a LOT..... I just did my best to burp him often, ensure he had a good latch and was swallowing a lot during feeding, and helped him relieve his gas by moving his legs back and forth as if on a bicycle while laying on his back. The gas did greatly improve after those first couple months. Now he's still gassy, but he's less irritated by it. Now he feels free to fart when and wherever he wants. LOL ;)

The side-laying position is a bit hard to master; we didn't get it until he was a couple months old. So, don't give up on it yet. When you do get it, it will help YOU get sleep when he wants to eat (growth spurts are exhausting), and also give you some special bonding and cuddling time too.

The first phase of breastfeeding is difficult, but you are doing great!! Hang in there. You have everything your baby needs; it just takes awhile to get the rhythm down. Do trust your instincts - thats what got me through it.  

Best wishes to you!! :)

[mommyofTre]

I never woke my son up to eat. My mother always told me that they will wake themselves when they are hungry and it seems to be true. He's 9 months old and has been sleeping through the night since we came home from the hospital.

And dont worry about your milk supply. Just keep up the fluide and the milk will be there. I was always afriad of that also and Tre's 24lbs now!

[agomez333]

Thanks for all the input. I still have to wake him sometimes to eat, but he seems to waking himself a little more. He is not fussy at all, but still has times when he arches his back away from me while nursing. I have been looking in his mouth to check for thrush but havn't seen any. I amnoticing however that he has a lot of mucus draining from one eye. I remember this with my other kids, but it has been over 10 years. Is this something I should get looked at? Is this something that requires a dr to look at? I dont remember... I will continue making sure he eats at least every three hourse for a few more weeks then I might let him go a little longer.
Thanks again for all the advice. I will also be contacting a lactation consultant just so I establish a relationship and can have one to count on.