Feeding a newborn: Many questions!

[Mrs 'C']

Hello ladies, I am 34 weeks pg and planning on breast feeding when baby 'eventually!' arrives. It will be my first baby, and currently my understanding is that newborns should be fed on demand, approx every 2 hours for the first 6 weeks or so...is this right?
However, I am also aware of how important it is to try and establish a routine and encourage the baby to sleep through as much of the night as possible...how do you do this if you are supposed to feed a little one on demand?
Also, do you ever supplement with water?... I've heard some babies stop waking for night feeds if they are offered water as oppossed to milk as obviously it is not such a treat!

I am also hoping to express milk so DH and others can help feed the baby, is it right that I should not combine breast with bottle until at least 4 weeks?

Finally! If for whatever reason breastfeeding doesn't work out, do all the same feeding guidelines apply for bottle feeding as well as breast?

Hope this all makes sense. Thanks in advance. x

[emmahope]

at 38 weeks 1 day, i am interested in the same questions you have raised.  i have been told that it can be tricky to get a baby to drink from a bottle if the baby is use to the breast.  i also want to express milk so that my husband can help and i'm not just a constant dairy!  i understand that the practical difference with formula milk is that u have to sterilise everything and its more hassle.  i think the 2 hour guideline is the same though.  i'd be interested to hear other peoples replies on this subject so thanks for raising it.

[Mrs 'C']

I am just so confused! I remember going to see a friend with a newborn once who was trying to breastfeed her first baby and she was just sat on her settee crying her eyes out....as was the baby, trying to feed him saying.... "they say to feed him every 2 hours, but it takes me 2 hours to feed him...so when he's finished do I start again or wait!!!!!" The pair of them were so distressed the poor things! (Incidentally she ended up going on to a bottle for some sanity)

Anyway, thinking about it, it's a good question, how long should the average feed last?

Oh dear....some sane advice please! x

[emmahope]

i've attended a 6 week antenatal yoga class and the lady who ran the class was an ex-midwife.  each week she spent 10 mins or so educating the class on a specific topic of interest.  one week she talked about breastfeeding.  she advised that a newborn baby will simply cry when it wants feeding and will stop feeding natrually when its had enough.  although 2 hours might be an approximate guideline, she advised that a baby should not be woken for feeding and that the baby will let you know when its hungry.  she also said that the baby should be ideally placed to the breast when born as this can help the baby take to breast feeding.

[marra315]

with both mine i fed them when they cried be it 1 hr or 4 .it is hard work though but they settle themselves into a routine after a little while  ,i couldnt express as my milk ran slow (i spent 3 hrs on a breast pump once to only get 2oz of milk ) this was not enough for him so i had to use formula from 10 weeks to top him up then he started to refuse the breast .some women feel let down by this but in my view as long as the baby is happy and heathy then just do what it takes , sanity is far from you those first months anyway and anything to ease that is worth a try . you just need to literally go with the flow ! the baby will let ya know what it wants .good luck x x

[anxiousmomtobe?]

I have successfully nursed two babies and am about to have my third.  Feed on demand.  Do not put your baby on a schedule.  

A baby's tummy is the size of a walnut, can't hold much at one time so be prepared the first six weeks or so that you will be nursing around the clock and not doing much else.

Do not give a baby water, he only needs milk.

I personally do not think you should make getting the baby to sleep a priority for the first few months.  They need nutrition throughout the night.  Both my kids started sleeping for a 6-8 hour stretch through the night at about 7 weeks.  It was a natural thing, I didn't do anyting to encourage it.  Having said that, they would still wake up some evenings and when they did I nursed them.  I run my own company and was back to work immediately and I managed on very little sleep.

You shouldn't introduce a bottle until about 6 weeks.

Get all the info you can, talk to the lactation nurse at your hospital, call La Leche League, ask questions of your friends who have successfully nursed.  Be prepared that it is not easy at first.  

By the way, my kids nursed for 15-30 minutes at a time, that seems to be a little quicker than average.

Good luck, I hope nursing is a breeze for you.

[Mrs 'C']

Oh wow ladies, that's fantastic, you've answered loads of my questions and put my mind at rest.
Just need a baby now! x

[jd1419]

Nursing is wonderful--but even saying that don't feel disappointed if it does not come naturally right away--soometimes it does take work to get used to the little and get them to latch on correctly.  I did nurse my two boys-for about 14 weeks and then it was to hard with my job.  One thing I do remember that both did at about 3 weeks of age is they went through a growth spurt where they seemed to want to nurse every hour on the hour for about two days.  Tha is very hard--but then they go back to a normal schedule and everything is great again...When you do introduce the bottle have someone other than yourself give it--for if the baby smells you he/she will want to nurse and not take the bottle.  Good Luck on the little one.

[tmv]

When you first start out bfing in the hospital, try to make sure the baby is awake. Change his/her diaper just prior, and make this the routine. Try to get them to nurse about 5 minutes at each breast for the first feeding. That means actual sucking time, may take 10 minutes,etc. You may need to stimulate them bc they are so sleepy when so young. You can rub the back firmly or wipe the face with a wet washcloth. Add a minute each time you bf to each side. You will eventually work up to 15-20 minutes each side(but exact minutes don't really matter that much).

I wouldn't sit there like the poor lady that did for 2 hours, that is making it too difficult. If their not that interested and you have had them to stimulate your breasts, then take a rest. Don't stress over it. The first 24 hours is basically a learning experience for both of you. The baby has your hydration during that time. This is why babies have been found in debris from earthquakes for almost 2 weeks and have survived. What makes most women quit is that they can't "see" in ounces how much a baby is getting. You don't need to. Just ask yourself, is he/she wetting diapers, nursing on demand, gaining after 2 weeks...then they're getting enough.

Nursing is actually very easy and simple once you get the hang of it. Like anxiousmom2be?, I successfully bf both of my children.

The first 6 weeks should be exclusively breastfeeding. The baby will get hydration from the breastmilk, it does not need water. Don't introduce a bottle until after that 6 weeks. Also, you really shouldn't pump until after 6 weeks unless you are away from the baby for a feeding. Breast milk is produced by supply/demand. The more you put a baby to the breast, the more you produce. So, if you are adding pumping, you are going to feel full quicker than when nursing the baby alone. (sorry if this sounds confusing, it's hard for me to type what I mean sometimes). Also, pumping does stimulate the breast but a baby nursing gets more milk than you would pumping. It is a different type of action, not just suction.

One other reason mom's quit nursing is the soreness. I got sore with my first but not with the 2nd. You have to make sure that you are getting most of the areola (darker part) of your breast in the babies' mouth. If they are nursing just on the tip of nipple or you hear a "smacking" sound, put your finger in the mouth and break suction and re-attatch the baby to the breast. This is the reason you get sore bc the further back the baby is, the right position it is for the milk glands to express the milk.

Feed on demand. As the baby gets older, just pay attention to times. They actually put theirselves on "schedules" but don't look for that before 2 or 3 months. To get the baby to sleep through the night later on, start out with routinely, every night, keeping the room dark or dim with nightlight, changing the diapers quickly bf nursing, try hard not to make it play time even though those beautiful little eyes are staring attentively to you. Nurse them, burp them, then put them right back to bed. This teaches them what night time is about and eventually they will sleep through. But like everything else with child rearing, consistancy is the key!

Best wishes to you and good luck with bfing, it is great for the both of you! (Wow, looks  like I wrote a book. My apologies!)

[tiredbuthappy]

i was just doing a bit of research. la leche league's website has lots of great info... you may want to check out their site- click on resources link
http://www.llli.org/

[Mrs 'C']

Again...thanks a million ladies, there is so much comprehensive advice and information in all your answers.... You've answered everything, and more. Fantastic. x

[cutiemama]

I'm with Anxiousmom except on the point of introducing a bottle until 6 weeks. I've successfully nursed 2 babies. 1 until 7 mos and I'm currently nursing my 10 mo old. With dd#1 I gave her bottle at 2 weeks and with dd#2, I have her a bottle in the hospital. All of my friends that waited to avoid nipple confusion had babies that ended up rejecting the bottle completely which put a lot of pressure on mom to be available all the time.