problems with bf

[mo0nangel]

Ok I'm probably being too fussy but baby was born yesterday and has been feeding every 3-4hours :/ and not for very long...he didn't latch on right away and has been sleeping a lot :/
What to do? Is this normal? Should I wake him to feed him?

 

[Julesillini8]

I would say yes, maybe do every 2-3 hrs instead of 3-4 . Frequent nursing those first few days gets your milk to come in.
I'm not one for waking a baby, my babies were great sleepers at night and had 4-5 hr stretches at night very early that I would never have waken them then, but those first 1-3 days gets the milk to come in so I did wake my babies to make sure I was nursing frequently. Babies do sleep a lot in the beginning and it's common for them to fall asleep during eating, just try to stroke them or switch breasts to kind of rouse them to continue their meal. Keep at it!

 

[Julesillini8]

Oh and congrats on your new little baby! Soak them in, everything about them, because they grow and change SO quickly.

 

[mo0nangel]

Thank you!

 

[shoelaces17]

Yes wake them up every 2-3 hours. My Pediatrician actually had me waking him up every 2 hours during the day and 3 at night until he hit to the 2 week mark. They don't get to much because their stomach is so little and the colostrum isn't that feeling so they eat pretty often to get your milk to come in. Good luck the first few days can be difficult but it is so worth it!

 

[mo0nangel]

Should I try to get him to nurse from both breasts in one session or just alternate? And how long should he be feeding for? After about 10 to 15min he's fast asleep again.

 

[Elmo5]

That really depends on the baby. Let them feed on one and come of naturally. If they dont look satisfied offer the other. 15 mins might be natural for your baby it is for mine since birth.

 

[Julesillini8]

I always put my baby on both, I would say offer the second. If he does nurse, then leave it be, but maybe at least offer. As newborns, mine would take up to like 30 minutes each nursing session. Both my girls, but after a week or two, it got a little better, maybe like 15-20 min. By a few months, say 2-3 months old, they were pros, only about 8 minutes total.
Every baby is different, so it's hard to give you exact advise what to do. It's a learning curve, you figure out your baby's needs as you go.

 

[mo0nangel]

Thank you ladies! For some reason I thought it would be easier

 

[AC1987]

You might hafta wake your LO to feed because 3-4 seems a bit long for a newborn
My DD fed on the hour when she was born
I remember feeding her on one side, changing her diaper then feeding her on the other.

 

[mo0nangel]

Ladies I think we've finally found our groove, at least during the day. He is now waking up on his own every 2hrs and today for the first time he was hungry enough to want both boobs! So I'm a happy momma.
Now I just need to work on our night routine which has been rough. Its hard to get him to latch on while in bed, so he gets desperate and cries and cries.

 

[Perplexed]

Glad to hear it's been better. The night routine will also get better!