6 Day old Baby, Question on Breastfeeding?

Question

i have a six day old baby and im breast feeding, every how long am i supposed to feed him and how many ounces?

Answer 1

Just feed him until it goes to sleep

Answer 2

Congratulations on your new baby!

Watch the baby, not the clock - this is what La Leche League would tell you. Look them up at llli.org for lots of good info and support groups in your area.
Also, pick up the book, The Nursing Mother's Companion.
In the meantime, your baby should nurse every 2-3 hours, about 10 min per side at least. This is actual latch time, not the time you're with him nursing and burping and switching etc. He should be having someting like 6-8 wet diapers a day and several soiled diapers. If this is true and he's gaining weight then everything is OK.
He will nurse more frequently when he's having a growth spurt. These are usually around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months, but every baby is different. Some days it will seem like all you do is feed and change him...
My lactation consultant and pediatrician advised me not to let my son go over 3 hours between unless he was sleeping, and then to wake him up if it was 4 hours.
Also, if you have a sleepy baby, you should try to keep him up long enough to eat, by touching him under the chin, playing with his ears or feet etc. Otherwise he won't get a full tummy and he'll be hungry again in an hour. Don't wait for him to cry before you feed him. Look for early hunger signs like rooting, sucking on his hands, and sucking motions with his lips. When he's done he will turn away when you try to get him to latch again.

After the first few weeks you may notice that he nurses for shorter periods - this is OK as long as he is satisfied, and is because your supply is up. Fro a while my son only nursed for 7 -9 minutes total!
If you are pumping because you have to leave a bottle, there's no way to really know how much he needs until he drinks it... my son once took 6 ounces when I thought he would take 3-4. So you should always have extra set aside just in case.

Oh, and breastfed babies are statistically healthier, suffer less from colic and allergies, and are less likely to develop ear infections. But don't believe me, look it up in one of the sources below. This is a great thing you are doing for your son. The 1st 2 weeks are the hardest.

Answer 3

A week old baby will probably feed for half an hour at a time, every 2-3 hours. You won't know how many ounces they are getting but if your feeding for the above times then he should be well fed. Sometimes they will feed for longer and some babies will want both breasts at each feed where others will only feed one side at a time. My kids could never manage to drink from both breasts at each feed, they would take one side for half an hour and then sleep and then 2-3 hours later take the other breast for half and hour. Just remember which breast you used last! I sometimes got a nappy pin and pinned it to my bra so I would remember which side to feed from!
If he seems happy, is sleeping well and puts on weight, then you're doing it right! There is no set rule so you kinda have to figure out what works best for your baby and you.

Best of luck and congratulations!

Answer 4

Do NOT formula feed. Breast feeding is the BEST thing for your child. That is wonderful you are breast feeding and shows you really care about your child. This is a great bonding experience too! Some people have health reasons and can not breast feed. Otherwise I do not see why anyone would formula feed.
You will know when your baby is full. He will stop eating or fall asleep. If you do not feel like you are producing enough supply, maybe call the Dr. But otherwise your milk should be in pretty good supply in 6 days. You should feed the baby every 3 hours for now. Google breastfeeding and a million sites will pop up with all your concerns. Great Job and Congratulations on your little one!

Answer 5

You don't need to worry about ounces since there's no way to know how many he's getting at each feeding. You could try pumping but it is well known that a pump will not extract as much milk as the baby will so that isn't going to tell you how much he's getting either. This early on let him have the breast as often and for as long as he wants at every feeding. This will bring your milk supply in. Also realize that while he may take forever right now to finish a feeding he's still learning how to breastfeed as well and will quickly become more efficient and quicker at nursing as he ages. You'll know when he's full. He'll either just let the nipple fall out of his mouth or fall asleep. FYI if he falls asleep but is still sucking on your nipple go ahead and let him keep the nipple since this stimulates the hormones to increase your milk supply. Also if you need to take him off the breast DON'T pull him off...stick your finger in the corner of his mouth and break his suction first! This will save you alot of misery from chapped and irritated nipples.

Answer 6

Sorry, Svetlanna, but you're just wrong. Breastfeeding doesn't cause health problems & certainly doesn't make babies 'fussy'. Formula is necessary in some cases due to medical reasons, but shouldn't be used otherwise. Breastmilk is the best food for a baby.

As others have said, you won't know how much your baby is taking at each feed, & the amount of time taken during & between feeds will vary often. This is part of the beauty of breastfeeding - your baby will take as much as he needs, as often & as long as he needs. Don't spare another thought for ounces & length of feeds - that information is purely for formula-fed babies.

Good luck & congratulations for giving your baby such a great start in life!

Answer 7

You dont have a way of telling how many ounces with breast milk.
Feed the baby as often as it is hungry.You just cant go wrong.Breast milk is digested much faster than formula,so go ahead let your baby feed as often as it wants.If you feel you have excess milk you can pump it out and you can buy freezer bags made specifically for breast milk and freeze it for long periods of time.So if you are in a place where beastfeeding is not possible then you can bottle feed your own milk.

Answer 8

No offense Svetlanna ... but your answer is not correct. Breastfeeding is the best thing for a baby. For the first six weeks, your body/boobs are getting used to what baby needs. Enjoy this time and feed your baby whenever he wants to latch on. Don't worry about times and ounces. It's a natural process that women have been doing for years. I've had three children. When they were that age, they nursed about every two hours for about 45 minutes total. Yes, half my day was spent nursing. It's so good for them, though. My children are rarely sick. I'm done having children, but I truly miss nursing. Enjoy this special time you have with your baby. And don't stress about nursing ... relax ... it's a natural process ... you and your baby will find you groove and it will be wonderful!

Answer 9

You won't know how many ounces he is actually feeding. But you let him feed until he doesn't want any more. During the first few days, sometimes weeks you feed for about 1/2 hour each side, so all in all he feeds for about an hour.

Answer 10

JC gave an excellent answer and I just want to add, try also the Womanly Art of Breastfeeding as an alternative. I have both this one and Nursing Companion. Honestly I bought the NC book because I read that the LLL book was radical...just goes to show you should trust your instincts because the Womanly Art of breastfeeding is an EXCELLENT source and is from lots of different nursing moms. Both would be great to have in your librrary of resources and definitely try to get to a LLL meeting in your area.
And sorry Svetlanna I don't know who you're hearing your information from but you are way off base.

Answer 11

Every 2-3 hours at least, and as much as they want from the breast. I never used bottles, so don't know ounces. You need to keep that up for the first six weeks and then your supply will be well established.