Breast feeding - crying in the first 48 hours?

[thelilbump]

I attended a breast feeding class last week in which i have to admit the leader was very good and appeared to know her stuff. She came up with an interesting theory though and i was just wondering how true it is in practice.

She stated that quite often a woman that breast feeds will find that on the second day the baby becomes quite clingy and will cry once he's been put down for a short while. She explained it's because the babies senses are telling them to keep their food close, basically a nurture-survival state. The mw continued to inform us that this phase does pass as a womans breast milk matures within 3-5 days and becomes more nourishing for them. She warned us that this 'crying' time can be very stressful for the mother as they can't figure out whats wrong and presume thats its because their baby isn't getting enough food and this causes a lot of women to give up breast feeding. Apparently it's easier not to put baby down to sleep and just cuddle him between parents this day.

So, I was wondering if any of you ladies had experienced this and what you did at the time? Is this theory true? Hopefully i explianed it well!

 

[Hevz]

Mine were so knackered after being born that I used to have to wake them for feeding....probably coz they were all a bit early and jaundiced too which makes them tired.

My sisters baby did this though and she didn't hardly put baby down even while she was asleep which left my sister exhausted and resenting baby a bit at times as she couldn't move without baby crying....the baby is 8months now and still the same.

People have their own views on this and I'm not saying to let baby scream for hours on end. But...I find that if I'm halfway through doing something and baby cries I finish what I'm doing eg...washing up, hanging clothes on the line etc then go to baby as a minute or two does no harm. If I've not started a chore and baby cries then I usually do pick them up straightaway. Does that make sense?

Baby's do need to be put down every now and again or you will go mad and get nothing done, even going for a wee in peace is bliss sometimes. I reckon they need to be held and cuddled lots but also need to learn to lie down or sit in their bouncer too for a few minutes here and there so Mummy can chill (or have a wee in peace).


Do what's right for you though....most of these decisions are very personal and what's perfect for some of us may not be right for others


Good luck babe

 

[Margerle]

I'm not sure "keeping food close" is as acurate as keeping MAMA close. If it was merely a food thing, then they wouldn't cry to have their diaper changed, or cry to be held and loved.

Mama gives everything the baby needs, not just food. Baby and mama begin a type of dance upon birth that lasts several months. They develop a symbotic relationship through feeding, caregiving, and through love... all of which are needed by the baby.

For breastfeeding, baby tends to feed constantly for several reasons:

To learn and practice sucking
To help bring mama's milk in
To establish prolactin receptors in mama's breast for efficient milk production
To release oxytocin which enables uterine contractions which help stop bleeding and bring the uterus back to pre pregnancy size.
The same oxytocin is a love hormone and facilitates the bond between mama and baby.
To help mature baby's digestive tract.

Baby also needs caregiving and love. His cries help communicate that to his caregiver (Mama) and they start to develop a 'language' between them that promotes trust and love. When baby cries, he communicates he needs a new diaper - mama figures out what baby's cry means and changes his diaper. The next time she hears that cry, it doesn't take her as long to determine what the problem is. Pretty soon mama and baby are in synch, and baby doesn't need to cry for food or diaper.

But as noted above, baby also needs love... cuddles and hugs, and closeness with mama. He will cry to communicate that as well. I think this is the most misunderstood cry of all in our industrialized cultures. We figure if baby has food and dry clothes, then the love and cuddles should be given in a limited quantity so as not to 'spoil' the child. Not one study has concluded such a thing, and in fact studies tracking this found the opposite to be the case... IOW babies who were loved as quickly as fed and changed, and love wasn't rationed, they found those babies to cry and act out less as toddlers and children.

So, though I think the lady in the bf class was correct, I think she was missing a whole load of other reasons for her observation. None of which trumps the other for importance. They all happen together in just the right combination for mama and baby.

 

[thelilbump]

Thanks ladies. I don't think she meant it was a long term issue just an issue that arises and many women phone her about on the second day after birth. In a way it was meant as a friendly warning that the second day is tough and probably will be the toughest. Once milk is more matured she implied the situation should calm down.

If it did become a long term issue i would figure that it wasn't breastfeeding that is the cause, unless theres other issues such as weight loss or illness and i'd have to discuss with my OH on how to handle the situation.

 

[Margerle]

Oh my... the first couple days were a breeze for us...

Fast forward to weeks 3, 4 and 5 now THAT was painful. And it is very normal for the hardest parts to be those weeks... not sure why she would imply day two (or so) as the hardest?

 

[Serene123]

I quit because of that day! I found it so hard to start again.