Hey ladies! I just gave birth to our beautiful little boy on Friday.. at 5am!! Immediately after birth I started breastfeeding.. he took to it wonderfully and ate for approx 30 minutes on one breast.. then was done.. after that we've struggled!! He latches on but it seems that he doesn't have any interest.. or wait... I think he has interest because he latchs on but.., maybe hes not getting anything ?? does that make any sense ? how do you know if you are producing ENOUGH colostrum ? I know i have it. . i have had it since the end of the 2nd trimester.. when i squeeze my breasts its there.. I even pumped some to make sure it was still there but not a lot comes out. I get drops on my nipples.. is this normal ?? When I pump my breasts to get it flowing it takes a while to get a good drop.. so i can only wonder if he's getting any or not.. since he doesn't suck as hard as a pump.. I don't want him to starve!! He is a wonderful baby.. isn't fussy after he eats.. he usually just goes to sleep but i don't know if its enough.. so last night i gave him some formula and for sure he did great..and i know he ate..it was very reassuring.. but i really want to breastfeed.. can someone help me please!!!

I figured.. maybe I could use formula until my milk came in.. (yah i know you need nipple stimulation to get the milk to come in so i figured i'd pump to get stuff flowing).. that way I know for sure he's getting something.. tonight I gave him the breast and he latched on for 30 minutes.. and he's again sleeping.. seems content.. do i assume he got enough colostrum ?? ugh its so confusing.. please help

I didn't proof read this.. or edit so its probably just a bunch of rambling . Let me summarize.

Here are my main questions..
1. How do you know if you are producing enough colostrum for your baby ?
2. Did any of you have just drops of it on your nipples ?
3. Do you think he's content now after feedings.. the feeding tonight was very intense and my nipples started hurting through the middle of it.. i wasn't sure if he was just sucking for the sucking feeling or if he was sucking for the colostrum..

HELP!!

TIA

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congratulations on your little guy!

from what you've said it seems that he's getting all he wants/needs. what you can express from your breast isn't nearly as much as what baby can get from the breast, because his ability to suck is the best way to get collustrum and milk out. so if he is acting content, most likely he is.

also, babies nurse for more than just food. he's got a strong need to suck, so he may be sucking for the sake of sucking after he's gotten sleepy and finished eating. that's okay too. he's happiest near you and nursing. and he'll want to nurse frequently, maybe even every hour and a half to two hours.

just be careful about the soreness. make sure you are getting him latched on right and you are positioning him properly. i nursed three kids successfully and still had problems with latch with my last. it's much easier to prevent problems than fix them when they happen (like cracks). just a word of caution.

bfing in the beginning can be a little overwhelming. try to relax and enjoy your baby. (i love his name by the way!)

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Lori
bfing mommy to Reilly Olivia
born 10/22/07

Lori has some great advise!

I'd like to stress that a baby is MUCH better than a pump and your baby is getting more colostrum than the pump is. His suck is stronger, but it doesn't feel stronger than the pump because of the shape of his mouth. Just stick your pinky finger in his mouth and see how strong his suck is. Some people don't respond well to a pump even when they have plenty. Colostrum is stickier than the milk and won't "squirt" so drops on the nipples is completely normal.

Formula is the first step in supply issues, if you are committed to exclusively nursing your baby then you need to trust your body and nurse nurse nurse! The more you nurse the faster your milk will come in. And the more you nurse the more milk you make. Giving a bottle of formula is one feeding that your body isn't supplying to your baby, and since it is a supply and demand system you will start making less milk.

Just hang in a little bit longer and your baby will have all the milk he needs. Colostrum is a powerful fluid, and a little goes a long way. Your milk should come in a couple of days (4-5 days after birth) and will come in sooner the more he nurses. But he is getting what he needs already! Be prepared for him to lose weight, all babies do, but as long as it isn't more than 10% of your birth wieght he's just fine. Colostrum isn't high in calories, and he will gain it all back lickety-split when that milk comes in.

Sucking is very comforting to babies (think about pacifiers and thumb-sucking) and most babies will nurse for comfort as well as for nourishment.

Congratulations on your sweet boy, and I love his name too!

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I can't than you ladies enough for your advice and words of wisdom!! I'm so greatful for any help I can get!!

My milk finally came in last evening.. now the problem we are having is when he latches on he falls asleep.. and doesn't nurse for long.. and we have to wake him for his feedings.. He hardly ever tells us he is hungry.. he's hardly ever fussy.. sleeps all the time..

is this normal ?? I expected him to want to nurse nurse nurse.. instead all he wants to do is sleep sleep sleep!!

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Perfectly normal. When my DD was first born we had to wake her every two hours to nurse and it was quite a struggle to keep her awake. She would constantly fall asleep at the breast. Sounds like you are off to a great start. Congratulations!!!

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Just you wait! Soon enough he'll be wanting to nurse nurse nurse and you'll miss that sleeping baby. Expect that he'll go through many many different stages of nursing and they all bring with them various struggles. He sounds totally normal to me!!! I worried about it too in the beginning and made my dh keep a clipboard to write down all her feedings. What a waste of time. Follow your instincts and trust your body and you'll do great.

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how are things now?

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The first few weeks are always an adjustment. I thought after I had my first baby that I knew what I was doing but each baby had to learn how to nurse and I had to learn to adapt to their individual needs. Once you get into a routine breastfeeding is so easy. Do whatever you can to get through the first few weeks while you both adjust and you will have a great breastfeeding experience. Good luck!

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Busy Mommy - Surviving Motherhood One Mess at a Time