Deperately need some help and support

fionashrek · Mar 24, 2014

Hi friends,
I have a twelve day old baby. Initially I had problems with latching him on and stuff like that. I learnt how to do that and things seemed ok for a couple of days.

I am supposed to increase the frequency of my feedings upto 12 per day to ensure that the baby puts on enough weight.

However, my baby wants to nurse for 1 to 1.5 hours at a stretch. Even after 1 to 1.5 hours, he roots, looks for the breast and cries a lot!! He also suckles his fingers! Aren't these indications that he is still hungry?? Or do babies root or suckle fingers all the time without being hungry??

What should I do? I am drained after 1 - 1.5 hours and am amazed that he is still hungry! My doctor had examined me on last Friday and said there are no problems with my milk production. I just cannot catch my sleep because of this. My maid tells me "you have no milk". I am emotionally and physically drained because of all this. Please help! I cry everyday because of this.

Fiona

Chitravivek · Mar 24, 2014

Fiona. An hour or hour and half is too long to breast feed. They say 15 mins each side. Seems like your guy is not getting enough milk as he sucking his finger. That's an indication that he is hungry. Is he latching continuously for an hour or just keeping his mouth? Have you pumped to see how much milk you're getting?

fellowblogger · Mar 24, 2014

Looks very similar to my case...lactation consultant told me I had lo of milk but aftrr nursing for few min my kid used to go to sleep n didnt gain weight at all....went for breadtfeeding classes but nothng helped..ended up giving her formula from day 15..I was very emotionsl for not able to feed her n cried n worried a lot...now I find it so silly because lot of momz jus dont care becausd they prefer alternating with formuls so that they get a break...I still dont knw wjt d problem was but just couldnt breastfeed my child..

nalinidiv · Mar 24, 2014

is he sucking teh fingers hard( as thought very hungry)?? some babies like dis act of sucking.. n keep doing it jus for the feel of it... if he doesnt suck hard.. please do not worry.. n ya feeding for 1 whole hour is too long... reduce the feeding time.. keep the intervals as 2 hours...only this way der wud be some milk production n he also wud be intaking more milk.. also add lot of garlic, saunf, milk and fibre to ur diet

ramyaramani · Mar 25, 2014

@Fiona Are you sure he is latching on properly? Try pumping after you feed. If you are still getting a good amount then chances are 'latching' is a problem. There is no specific number of feed like 12 etc...if you kid is latching on properly and does not cry for more feed then he would definitely gain weight. Also people would give you n number of advice/suggestions. But do what your instinct says. Right now you know best for your little one.

anuram09 · Mar 25, 2014

Are you sure he is hungry? After such long feed, how his stomach looks? My daughter for first 30 days she did the same like your DS. If DR says that you don't have issues with milk, I suspect that this is latching issue. Don't give up. Once latching issue got solved she got fond of suckling, always I had to keep on feeding her, that resulted in throwing up and indigestion.

DGcreative · Mar 25, 2014

Many have advised so but my two cents.

1.5 hrs is too long to feed. 15-20 mins each side should be enough.
Drink a glass of water before feeding. Make sure he is latching & not sleeping. If you find him sleeping, gently tickle his feet or ear lobe to wake him. Thats what my Dr told me. After feeding, try to pump milk with pumps available in the market or initially you can try with hands. You can save this milk upto 6-8 hrs & can feed him back with spoon later.

DONT listen to any maid or MIL or for that matter any one regarding your milk production other than your doctor. If doctor says milk production is fine there should just be adjusting issues with you & your LO. Use your instincts here for your LO.

For increased milk production you can try various recipes with fenugreek seeds, halim.

fionashrek · Apr 5, 2014

Thank you so much for your replies..

Today what happened was that I was feeding from one side and was leaking from the other..so
as the baby looked hungry after feed I offered the second breast too..he had milk from second
breast also. Twenty mins each side. And am sure milk was there as breast was leaking!

Even then, the baby was hungry after the feed! He was sucking his hand very hungrily and crying a lot..I am unable to understand his appetite!

Fiona
mostly

guesshoo · Apr 5, 2014

Hi,

Don't be anxious dear. And don't talk to anyone who saps your energy/ positivity. Is he gaining weight? If he is, don't worry; he probably just has a strong sucking instinct. If his weight gain isn't on track, the doctor would advise you to give a formula top up i presume.

My dd would feed for long hours and scream her head off too. She didn't gain enough weight. I was very upset about having to give formula top up when she was just a week old. However after a 15 ml too up, she sucked better.

Does your child put his tongue out of his mouth? If you haven't seen his tongue come out of his lips, he could have tongue tie. Get your doctor to check or get a second opinion if required. It is a very very quick procedure which is supposed to work like magic. Also check for oral thrush which could hamper feeding.

Look up la leche league. It has excellent resources about breast feeding and different positions which you can use for the same. Since my dd pretty much spent all evening latched on, I found something called biological nurturing in which I would recline propped up by pillows to support my back. My dd would like tummy to tummy with me. The latch was much better and she seemed more content. Plus it was easier for me too as I didn't have to hold her or bend down or worry I might crush her.

If he is gaining weight and you think he only has a strong sucking instinct like some kids have, introduce a dummy - before that try giving your clean little finger and see how he sucks. (Again my dd did have a strong sucking instinct even after she started gaining weight. I was very much against introducing a dummy but it was either that my breast. After a month, the dummy won)

don't prevent him from sucking his fingers. It probably calms him down. You can work your way out of habits like sucking fingers and dummies later. Right now your child needs to be calm and get enough sleep in order for all the intense development that he needs to go through in his first year...

Take care of yourself. Xx

gauridinesh · Apr 5, 2014

Do you burp your kid after the feed? Usually - they get a little uncomfortable if you dont burp - as lactose by itself is gas producing and plus while drinking milk, they would inadvertently get in air too..