Re: My first BF question...coming live to you from the hospital :)

I had the same experience in the hospital - the nurses and the lactation consultants were ZERO help at all - thank goodness I had taken a breast feeding class - that info was my savior!

I only nursed DS in the hospital from the moment he was born so I'm not sure about the difference the formula makes but I DO know that my milk didn't come in until I got home (like day 3 or 4 pp) so, all he was getting was the colustrum (sp?) - it didn't seem like enough but, he did fine so I guess it was! he was eating constantly - like more than 8 times a day though - I just fed him whenever he seemed hungry and that seemed to be enough...HTH!

Re: My first BF question...coming live to you from the hospital :)

Congratulations!! He is very cute! As other have said-keep putting him to your breast. Any time he fusses. Also even if he is not with you get a pump and make sure you are pumping or BF'ing every 3 hours. Otherwise your supply will never get to where you need it. If you cannot get an LC(ask the NICU nurses-they will help you) go to the La Leche League. I e-mailed an LLL leader on Thanksgiving and she e-mailed me right back with lots of great advice.

Basically pump or BF every 3 hrs. If he seem sto be fussy at the breast unlatch him by sticking your pinky in his mouth and relatch. When you latch you want your whole nipple and areola in his mouth-or as much as you can fit. Good luck!

Re: My first BF question...coming live to you from the hospital :)

When I was in the hospital after I had my son they gave me a chart showing the output they expect for the first week. The first 3 days or so, very little was expected. They were mostly looking for the meconium to completely pass. Is he staying awake for feedings? If he seems to be dosing off & not eating for long enough, try stripping him down to his diaper & rubbing his feet to keep him awake & nursing. My LOs were always falling asleep & not taking in enough. Also, are the diapers the ones with the wet indicator strip? I didn't have those when DD was born & I always thought her diapers were dry because they weren't that heavy. Same happened with DS before I realized what that nifty line was there for. Turns out they were wet, but it was only a little because they take in so much colostrum & that's all they expect anyway. If you don't have the indicator strip it's possible the diaper is wet & you don't realize it!

Try listening & watching his mouth & throat while he's feeding. I used to freak out with my daughter that nothing was actually coming out. I starting watching closely and realized I could see her swallowing & hear little gulps. That made me feel better because then I KNEW something was coming out.

Re: My first BF question...coming live to you from the hospital :)

congrats!!!!

just keep putting that baby on you, you are doing great!

Its straight up nutty how behind the times NYC hospitals are! Not progressive at all.

Don't worry or stress anything. You are giving him something incredible right now, just keep offering...I would actually say anytime you are holding him.

Josh rarely peed in the hospital, did have a few black diapers though.

He lost a lot of weight int he hospital..nearly a pound...and still no one accused me of starving him. When we were being discharged, that's when it became an issue and LCs helped me through it.

Try different holds...not the ones you see on TV a football hold is great, or a cross hold across your body, right hand behind his head, tossing him on your left boob.

good luck and enjoy!

Re: My first BF question...coming live to you from the hospital :)

Totally normal, as the others have said, he is just getting colostrum right now, and babies don't eat that much the first few days.

While I had them bring the babies to me during the night, I also supplemented with formula because they were very small when they were born and the ped wanted me to supplement until my milk came in.

BFing is definitely a learning processs, and is very hard in the beginning, but it does get easier!! I didn't get much help in the hospital either, I was kind of left to figure it all out on my own. Hang in there mama, and congratulations!!

Re: My first BF question...coming live to you from the hospital :)

Congratulations! It will probably take longer for your milk to come in b/c you had a c-section. I also ended up with a c-section and my milk came in by day 4 or 5. DS was in the NICU from 2 to 4 days old. Since he was in the NICU, I had to feed him at least every 3 hours. I'd BF and then pump after. When he was in the NICU, I used a supplemental nursing system to give him pumped colostrum and a little bit of formula while I was BFing. That way, he was still on the breast and I didn't have to worry about nipple confusion. I stopped supplementing once my milk came in. I think pumping and always putting him to the breast helped my milk come in faster.

Does anything come out if you manually express? I would try to express a few drops before your DS latches. That will help him latch and stay on the breast. Good luck! BFing is really tough, but it gets better.

Re: My first BF question...coming live to you from the hospital :)

Are you at LIJ Manhasset?? If so there was an older (short) LC woman with blondish hair who was the only one that kept coming to me and helping me. She literally spent over 3 hours with me. All the other LC's never came back!! If you are in Manhasset, I would ask one of the head nurses if there is a LC that looks like this. I wish I remember her name, b/c she truly was the ONLY one that helped! After you come home I would def. recommend going to a BF support group. I live in Suffolk and know of two, not sure where you are located..

GL and congrats, your DS is beautiful

Re: My first BF question...coming live to you from the hospital :)

I just wanted to wish you some luck because I remember how HARD that time was


GOOD LUCK!