[juicy couture jen]

I'm bumping this thread because I have a question!

My son was in the NICU for two weeks, so the hosp advised me to pump breast milk for him. Now that he's home, I want to bf exclusively (no pumping). Today, I made an attempt to bf, but he probably takes it for a good 20 minutes most nursing sessions, and the last one was about 10 minutes. I'm really worried he's not getting enough, because once he falls asleep, he won't take anymore. It's sort of tricky since you can't really measure how much he's taking in. Anyone advice on how I could know he's getting adequate amts? TIA

[Swanky Mama Of Three]

it's hard when they're still teeny and it takes most new babies a long time to eat.
As long as he's wetting enough and gaining, he's likely getting enough.
If he falls asleep right away, arouse him, make him wake up.
I hated doing that those first few weeks, we would actually strip mine down to keep them awake!
Also at this age they kind of nurse around the clock, so when he wakes, just nurse him again.
Are you able to tell a difference in your breast after nursing?
It should feel 'emptied'.

[DlkinVegas]

Originally Posted by Swanky Mama Of Three

it's hard when they're still teeny and it takes most new babies a long time to eat.
As long as he's wetting enough and gaining, he's likely getting enough.
If he falls asleep right away, arouse him, make him wake up.
I hated doing that those first few weeks, we would actually strip mine down to keep them awake!
Also at this age they kind of nurse around the clock, so when he wakes, just nurse him again.
Are you able to tell a difference in your breast after nursing?
It should feel 'emptied'.

Swanky your post is excellent.

JCJ I used to tickle my daughters feet to keep her awake.

[Silvia]

Using the same strategy of day and night seemed to work. BF with bright lights on so that he knows it is "awake time" worked until he got the idea.

[alouette]

^^hhmm, that's not a half-bad idea there! Your baby got the hint huh?

[elyse]

Signs of good nutrition from weeks 2 to 4:

1)Nursing at least 8 times a day
2)2 to 5 or more yellow stools a day (this will decrese after first mth)
3)should have 6 to 8 wet diapers a day
4)urine is clear, not yellow
5)baby has a strong suck, you see milk, hear audible swallow
6)gaining weight and growing in length

Hope this helps...

[merika]

I used to bring my son close to my breast and stroke his cheek, even if he was slightly drowsy. That made him open his mouth a little bit and then I would feed him.

[H&H]

As your baby gets older, he can drink faster, My babies sometimes drunk long and seemed never to get enough and other times they were refusing. As long as they are healthy... have enough soiled diapers, your breast feels emptied and they are gaining, I don't think you should be worried. Also when both of my children got teeth or were ill they wouldn't drink a lot either.

[juicy couture jen]

Thanks everyone for your input. I really like idea of keeping the lights on during bf. I'll have to try that!

[juicy couture jen]

Originally Posted by Swanky Mama Of Three

it's hard when they're still teeny and it takes most new babies a long time to eat.
As long as he's wetting enough and gaining, he's likely getting enough.
If he falls asleep right away, arouse him, make him wake up.
I hated doing that those first few weeks, we would actually strip mine down to keep them awake!
Also at this age they kind of nurse around the clock, so when he wakes, just nurse him again.
Are you able to tell a difference in your breast after nursing?
It should feel 'emptied'.

They do feel softer!

[scarlett_2005]

When dd was first born she use to fall asleep quickly on the breast. I usually woke her up by changing her diaper or talking to her.

[baby&melovelv]

check with your local hospital, as they may have lactaction meetings/consultants. (mine does- every day at the same time bfeeding moms can go in, weigh the baby, feed, and weigh again; nurses and lactaction consultants are there to help, too.)

[Sternchen]

Also, another way you can see if your baby is taking in enough BM (or comparable to what he used to take via bottle) is to weigh him before a feeding and then directly after and see the difference!

[cherll]

^^WOW, i had never heard that one. but i used to feed him avery couple of hours. it's not 3 or five meals but more like 8-10 small meals during the first couple of weeks.

[sea0fyears]

Originally Posted by lamiastella

Also, another way you can see if your baby is taking in enough BM (or comparable to what he used to take via bottle) is to weigh him before a feeding and then directly after and see the difference!

I agree with this suggestion. When I took my DD in for her two month check up I told the DR I was concerned about her hasty feeding sessions... there was a period of about 2 weeks where she would only feed from one breast, and for only 4-5 minutes at a time. So we weighed her before and after and found that in 4 minutes she had eaten 5 ounces!