Getting enough to eat......?

Question

My daughter is 9 days old and i am breastfeeding i rotate sides just like they dr has told me but she still acts hungry after 30min of feeding. the pediatrician says not to let her feed any longer bc that starts a bad eating habit. how do i tell if my milk is rich enough and what should i do about her still being hungry?

Answer 1

I would find another ped. That doesn't sound like good advice at all! You may be having a let down problem, not enough in your diet, or one of many other things! Besides, my son ate just about that frequently at that age (maybe an hour or so). I wouldn't worry too much as long as your munchkin has 9+ wet diapers a day. Seek out a second opinion! p.s. CONGRATS!

Answer 2

Dont listen to your doctor, thats the most foolish information ive ever heard from a "professional". Breastfeeding should always be on demand. Babies grow at different times, and develop the ability to nurse efficiently at different ages. If she's hungry, feed her.

So long as she's wetting 6 diapers a day she's fine. its only the amount of diapers per day old up until 6 days. After that, 6 wet diapers or more is considered normal.

if she's nursing she's stimulating production, just like pumping would. why bother pumping and feeding when you can just let her do what she naturally wants to. Its just complicating something simple.

She probably does have gas. You have to watch what you eat. you'll find even the simplest of things will upset the baby's belly. Even things like hotdogs or sweet peppers.

Answer 3

The other ladies said it! Your doctor is wrong. I remember breastfeeding for hours upon hours on end when my son was in his first few weeks of life. It's good that they do it too. It helps build your supply and helps you lose all that pregnancy weight. Nurse on one side until it's drained, then switch, then swich and keep switching if she's still wanting it. It's very hard, but breastfeeding gets so much easier as they get bigger. In the mean time, relax. When it's time to nurse, have some water handy, get in a comfy spot, and put on a good movie or show. Enjoy this time. The best excuse in the world as to why nothing is done around the house is "Well, the baby's been nursing all day."

Answer 4

Honey you really need to go to La Leche League and see other moms who breatfeed:
http://llli.org/WebUS.html (Change the country in the upper right if you aren't American).

However the emptier the breast the more fat content the milk will have. And it is normal for your baby to eat frequently to build up your supply. Really the first 6 weeks are tough, then it gets easier. I know I have linked to a lot, but really you need to know a lot. Or go to La Leche League and get help from people who know a lot:

However if your baby isn't getting milk, or at least not efficienently they could feed forever and not be full. But this is fixable but you need help from someone QUALIFIED.

In the mean time try breast compression, to get her to drink more:
"Know how to know the baby is getting milk. When a baby is getting milk (he is not getting milk just because he has the breast in his mouth and is making sucking movements), you will see a pause at the point of his chin after he opens to the maximum and before he closes his mouth, so that one suck is (open mouth wide-->pause-->close mouth). If you wish to demonstrate this to yourself, put your index or other finger in your mouth and suck as if you were sucking on a straw. As you draw in, your chin drops and stays down as long as you are drawing in. When you stop drawing in, your chin comes back up. This pause that is visible at the baby's chin represents a mouthful of milk when the baby does it at the breast. The longer the pause, the more the baby got. Once you know about the pause you can cut through so much of the nonsense breastfeeding mothers are being told—such as “Feed the baby twenty minutes on each side”. A baby who does this type of sucking (with the pause) for twenty minutes straight might not even take the second side. A baby who nibbles (doesn't drink) for 20 hours will come off the breast hungry. You can see this “pause” on the videos at www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html"
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/b-protocol_increase_bmilk_intake.html
http://www.kellymom.com/newman/15breast_compression.html
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/milkproduction.html



Also NEVER change sideds during a feeding until your baby unlatches herself. You don't need to switch ever X minutes.


So I Nursed Him Every 45 Minutes
By Elizabeth N. Baldwin
http://www.naturalchild.org/guest/elizabeth_baldwin.html

Answer 5

Some babies nurse for an hour or more in the very begining. Its completely normal. Its tiring, but nothing to worry about.

Ignore your doctor and find a new one. Make sure your dr is supportive of breastfeeding (doesnt recomend schedules, or solids before 6 months. Doesnt have samples of formula in the office, etc...)

Babies need to nurse on demand, it teaches them to self-regulate thier food intake and ensures you build up an adequate supply.

Pumping is no indication of supply, and baby is more effective at getting milk out, so pumping will only rob you and your baby of cuddle time and possibly get you frusterated. And then if you give the expressed bottles of milk to baby, you will be risking nipple confusion and preference.

Bottom line: nurse on demand, count diapers and find a new doctor.

Answer 6

At 9 days old, I would be feeding on-demand. I agree that you shouldn't listen to your doctor on this one; listen to yur baby. You will eventually (probably by around 2 months) get on some sort of schedule where you should be feeding every 2 to 3 hours. But now it is important for your daughter to gain weight and increase your milk supply. If your milk supply begins to dry up, you daughter will not be getting enough and you will have to begin supplementing. Good luck!

Answer 7

Doctor's don't know everything. She is your child, you decide. Both of my boys had to start solids at a very early age (6 weeks and 2 1/2 mos) I was worried what my doctor would say, but he said that some kids need it, and can tolerate it. IF you choose to try it (or you can suppliment with formula but that is more expensive) start with the rice and mix about a table spoon of cereal with your breastmilk. Make sure it's really runny and put her in a bouncy chair so she's somewhat reclined and spoon feed her. Be prepared for faces and a mess. Nurse her afterwards not before or she won't take it. I used Milupa or Nestle because they have better taste and have formula mixed into them. Keep an eye on her for the next day or so, if she gets really gassy, then she's not ready for it yet. I chose this because my oldest was nursing every 30-45 min during the day and every 1.5-2 hours at night. The public health nurse blew a gasket, but my sons were both fine.

Answer 8

Forget about what your doc say. Breastmilk i s the best milk for baby. Your milk had not come in yet cos you just had your baby. Your milk will only come after 3 ~ 4 month later. So keep on feeding. I can fed my baby for about 1~2hr for the 1st month. Your baby will tell your body to produce more milk each time you fed her/him.

Good work keep it up. Remember breastmilk is the best food for BABY.

Answer 9

Children at this age are un able to recognize the "full" feeling. you can pasify the baby between feedings. If you are conserned, have the have your OBGYN exam your milk/ breast to ensure that you are producing enough milk. You can also pump your milk so that you can measure how much the baby is getting. Breast milk can be frozen to use later. Pumping your milk also allows you to monitor how much milk your baby is getting. Pumping will also stimulate milk production.

Answer 10

You should be pumping your breasts after each feeding to increase your milk production... you can try to bottle feed your baby your breast milk - that way you can see how much she is eating and see how she acts afterwards... newborns do not eat much - only a few ounces at a time...
Your daughter may be fussy because she has gas... try pumping her legs and burping...
Best of luck to you!