First few days?

[SaraLouise]

Gi ladies,

I had my gorgeous little (5lb 12oz) boy at 10.45 on the 5th of July.

He took his first feed at 11.20 am and suckled with a good latch (midwife checked) for around 10 minutes. He then had another good 8 to 10 minutes at 12.45, and a further 10 minutes at 2.20pm.

Then it all went tits up really (pun intended). He will now just not suckle atall, won't suck on breasts or a finger or even a syringe, he latches perfectly and then just lies there doing nothing. He will literally lie on the boob in this way for over 30 minutes - I tried!

So I am now have expressing into a syringe, but am trying him on the breast before & after all feeds. I got 0.1ml at 7pm (so he had gone 4 & a half hours with nothing), 0.1ml at 9pm and 0.5ml at 1am. Is this as measley as it sounds? What would make him susdenuy stop suckling? I've spoken to midwifes and they keep telling me to preserver and that he will pick it up, but he had already! What would make him suddenly stop?!

 

[HL28]

Huge congratulations. Hun your midwives are right just keep latching him on! My little once was latched on for first 6 hours straight otherwise shed cry but definitely doesn't mean she was feeding all that time it was just comfort. Their little stomachs are tiny so would fill up quickly. And in the first 24 hours sometimes they just want to sleep to get over being born!! Stick at it hun it'll come xxx

 

[HL28]

And I'm not sure I'd express. Skin to skin, and latching on would be my advice they only ever get tiny amounts of colostrum so don't worry about the amounts xxx

 

[Nat26]

Congratulations!! Totally agree with lots of skin to skin - they actually need very little in those first few days. I'm pretty sure in a couple of weeks you will be wishing he wasn't feeding constantly, keep up the good work xxx

 

[SaraLouise]

I had to give him 15ml of formula which he also refused to suckle so ended up cup feeding, because his blood sugars started to drop.

But I've just given him 0.4ml of colostrum which is apparently the equivalent to 8ml of formula so they are happy about that.

He has a little bit of tounge tie but nothing that they would snip, but it might be another reason he is struggling a bit.

So for now its just try him on the boob then hand express and syringe feed followed by a teeny top up of cup fed formula if he needs it!

Whoever knew it would be so complex...

 

[mablestarr]

Congrats hun. I'm having the same problem today. Ana was born yesterday at 8.29am and fed well yesterday but today she's just lazy. Ive been expressing and feeding with a cup - she gets about 5ml every 3 hrs and whatever she gets when she does latch on. I have also given her 10ml of formula with a cup as I have nothing coming out now

Planning loads of skin of skin later and just trying to perserve. Hope it works out for you. xxx

 

[HL28]

I'd say he's sleepy from the birth. Give him a few days and I'm sure he'll start suckling. Again just latch him on as often as you can and try not to get stressed about it ( easier said then done). You doing well hun. Has a specialist doc checked his tongue? It can really make them struggleto feed properly xxx

 

[HL28]

Mablestarr again the amount of colostrum you produce in first few days is tiny. Keep at it hun it'll be worth it. Good luck ladies. Xxx

 

[SaraLouise]

Yeah specialist looked at it & said it wasn't worth snipping and as he has proofed he can actually feed as he did it in the beginning they don't think this is the main reason for his not suckling.

He also has a problem with his pee pee, where his foreskin is too short so the tip of the penis is protruding a bit, but obviously this isn't causing the feeding problems! I am just going to keep trying to latch, and hope that he finally gets the urge to suckle x

 

[HL28]

Ah bless him. I only asked about tongue tie because fed for 5 weeks with tongue tie and nearly gave up before they decided to snip it. Do they have a BF councillor or anything available their knowledge is sooooo much better than midwives and doctors. I think sometimes a midwives knowledge maybe limited. I was told random things by one midwife with my first that was pretty inaccurate! But feeding your first is mind boggling!!!!! Lol xxx

 

[HL28]

*** because my friend fed for ...!!!

 

[SaraLouise]

Bi-jingo he's got it!

He has latched & suckled twice today, once for 10 minutes & once for 13. It took me & a midwife to hold him in a position that he could, but I'm just glad he's finally getting some food! So all formula has been stopped & if feeding goes well today/tonight we should be allowed home tomorrow!

So glad I kept going!

 

[mablestarr]

Brill - hope you get to come home soon. My nipples are so sore today so have bought some nipple cream. But she latched on this morning on both sides for a good 15 mins. xxx

 

[SaraLouise]

I spoke too soon
Wouldn't even latch this evening. Managed to express 10ml to give him so he's had something, but not enough.

I'm using lanisoh after every feed/express & no soreness yet!

 

[BevG]

keep trying, the first few weeks is a lot of trial and error

 

[Karate Kid]

Yeah specialist looked at it & said it wasn't worth snipping and as he has proofed he can actually feed as he did it in the beginning they don't think this is the main reason for his not suckling.

He also has a problem with his pee pee, where his foreskin is too short so the tip of the penis is protruding a bit, but obviously this isn't causing the feeding problems! I am just going to keep trying to latch, and hope that he finally gets the urge to suckle x

We were told this but C simply wouldn't latch. I personally would push getting it divided as TT can affect speech later on. We eventually went private and at 8 weeks of expressing C latched and BFing has gone from strength to strength.

I would try to find a BFing counsellor in your are Hun to get some non target driven advice. I love the NHS but I found out that our local hospital would not snip C's tie because of targets rather than because he didn't need it.

I am not leaving hospital this time round until buba latches successfully several times over a period of a few days. Xx

 

[mablestarr]

Oh hun its so frustrating. Keep trying. xx

 

[SaraLouise]

Thankyou ladies.

He latched again this evening & suckled for 12 minutes,, which was brilliant but my nipples were too sore to continue. I felt soo guilty as we have been just hoping & praying he would just suckle, and now he is & I can't handle it! He was clearly still hungry too with rooting & that but I couldnt bare to put him back


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[SaraLouise]

I expressed 26ml milk this morning & gave it to him by bottle. He already seems so much more chilled, as we didn't have the fight to get on the boob & I felt relaxed as I knew he was getting a good amount

Obviously I will keep trying him on boob from now on first, but I don't mind expressing if thats what it takes x

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[SaraLouise]

He just had 45ml of expressed and are being allowed home!

Looks I'm going to be an expressing mummy now x

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