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Infant feeding

Scared about the night ahead.

16 replies

freerangelady · 08/02/2013 21:18

So ds 1 was born by emcs late on wed night he is obviously perfection personified and we're besotted!

I'm just after some tips on how to cope with tonight, last night on our own in hospital. Yesterday and today he fed well 3 times. Last night however he fed and cried and fed and cried the whole night. He just wouldn't settle without me. He's fine in the day and settles great for anyone but last night was totally the opp. A v kind midwife took him out it the room for an hour so the poor 3 other women having to share a ward with me could get an hours sleep at least.

He's just fed again and is doing the same thing. Falling asleep on the breast and not settling in his cot. I can pay him over my shoulder and cuddle him - is there anything I can do to get at least a couple of hrs sleep?!!

Ps - I know I'm asking the impossible - anyone with the right answer I'll patents it with you and we'll be rich beyond our wildest dreams!!

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AbbyCat · 08/02/2013 21:21

Congrats! Dd was the same on her second night. She was only happy if permanently attached to the boob. I took her to bed with me! Bed rail up and a spare pillow stuffed into the gap between mattress and rail and snoozed with her latched on. Was lovely. Ask the MW for help to get her latched with you lying down if you're struggling with that. Enjoy!

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Purplehonesty · 08/02/2013 21:23

Mw told me on dd's first night that sometimes they feed too much and get sore tummies then they cry and we feed them again and it goes on and on.
So maybe when he cries just settle him back to sleep with a cuddle rather than feeding all the time? Obviously he will need fed too but not hourly etc!

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MustTidyUpMustTidyUp · 08/02/2013 21:25

Is he taking a 'full' feed?
When he falls asleep, wake him up /change nappy / snuggle a bit less and open his baby gro so he wakes for a bit more - might get you a bit more time between feeds. Try and do it with each feed, will get easier as his wee tummy grows a bit. Not always easy as you're just dying to get a bit if shut eye. Worked with mine though - had a very 'old fashioned' me who told me to ' wake the bugger up and pop him on the other side'. Btw - has your milk come in? Mine didn't until day five (sometimes happemd with a traumatic birth)with DS1 and he was very hungry and had lost a lot of weight - the midwives kindly cup fed him with formula and I expressed to get my milk in. I know this is not always a popular option but worked for me and my three and I went on to ebf for many months.
Congratulations to you Smile

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redwellybluewelly · 08/02/2013 21:26

He is building your milk supply, if you can then just 1-2-1 cosleep for a few days.

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feekerry · 08/02/2013 21:26

congrats!!? i had a emcs too. hope you heal well. i did.xx
babies are supposed to be attached to their mums. its natural.
go with it,let him nurse,suckle whatever. he has been inside you for 9 months. he doesnt want to be separate from you. relax and go with him xx

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freerangelady · 08/02/2013 22:33

Thanks for the feedback people. My milk hasn't come in yet, it's still colostrum but there is plenty of it. I'd be happy to give co sleeping a go just to get through a few weeks but when I asked a mw last
Night to show me how to do it safely she said they don't recommend and therefore I should put him back in his crib. She's scared me off
Now!

I don't think it'l feel so has at home cos he can cry whilst I try a couple of methods and dh can at least cuddle her whilst I got an hr or two.

I just called the mw again and it's a diff one. She's managed to swaddle him down to peace and said leave him to whimper for 10 mins if he does and if he doesn't calm down then feed wind and change and try again. I just burst into tears of tiredness in front of her and she was practical and helpful. The other girls on the ward also feel sorry for me. It didn't help last night having one other girl on the ward who every time my ds cried would comment 'oh FFs not again' etc when I was trying so hard to keep him quiet. Then this am when I finally got some sleep at 6 am she was purposely talking in a bright and cheery morning voice to her ds and switched on all the lights at 6.30. Guess I felt bad for keeping her awake.

Purple lady - I think your answer made sense - I was worrying today that ds was only feeding every 5 hrs not the 2-3 peo

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freerangelady · 08/02/2013 22:34

They say. But a student mw saw me feed and she said he's got such a strong suck and my supply seemed great she was really happy.

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MatriarchalDreams · 08/02/2013 22:44

My DD was exactly like this on her second and third nights after birth (also born by EMCS in the evening). I did what AbbyCat did and brought her in bed with me and just fed when she wanted to, my milk started to come in the next day (along with the baby blues and lots of tears when my notes went missing, delaying my discharge when I really wanted to go home!). Just snuggle and enjoy (if you can, I know it's difficult to get comfortable post-c section, it will gradually get better, don't do too much too soon, it took me the full six weeks to get back to normal physically). Also, once I was home I felt very feverish and couldn't sleep well at night for the first few nights - in my post-birth hormonal state I thought I must be really ill but the midwives said this was normal and can happen when your milk comes in. Good luck!

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StarlightMcKenzie · 08/02/2013 22:47

Yes. Stay in bed with him for the weekend. Rest and have lots of skin to skin and feed and feed and feed to get your supply up.

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domesticslattern · 08/02/2013 23:00

Congratulations on your new baby! and I'm another one on the bring into bed with you brigade.
But my main tip is to ignore ignore ignore the moaning other woman. People will be moaning at you about your DC for the rest of your life. On the bus, in the park, in the shops, neighbours complaining etc. etc. Just get in early ignoring practice! Smile

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habhann · 08/02/2013 23:03

Congrats on your new arrival. This happened to me too. Got the midwife to put side rails up with pillows to prevent lo falling out. Cuddled up and breastfed lying down. Got mw to help with latch in side lying position. Lo is trying to get your supply up by sucking all night. Take painkillers when offered as it helps if any soreness when latching on and post section. My big tip would be to get your dh to bring a tray into bedroom in mornings with breakfast, fruit , lots of drinks etc as this will keep your energy levels up...also don't forget to take pregnacare breastfeeding vitamins with omega 3..also found breastfeeding pillow helped to take pressure off section scar. we are week 16 post section and still breeding
good luck

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habhann · 08/02/2013 23:06

Oops phone ..should read breastfeeding ...

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piprabbit · 08/02/2013 23:09

I think that babies can be little stunned in the 24 hours after they are born - and then hunger kicks in the following day.

DD was born 8pm Sunday night, she slept beautifully and was a dream all day. Monday night was sheer hell; she cried, I wept, my boobs hurt, I had no idea what I was doing. But that was the worst night for me, afterwards I always knew that we would be able to struggle through somehow, but on the second night I felt there was a real possibility of complete failure.

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leedy · 08/02/2013 23:12

I found night 2 with both DS's by far the worst - as piprabbit says above, I think they can be kind of stunned just after the birth and then they wake up and get hungry! I think I was better able to deal with it with DS2 because I knew what to expect, but I remember a lot of crying (from both me and the baby) with DS1. The next night was much better and my milk came in the following morning.

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freerangelady · 09/02/2013 00:30

Maybe I'm really needing my milk to come in - I feel quite confident with the actual feeding. It's more that I can tell he wants food but then doesn't bother sucking he just falls asleep on the boob. Just hope that its easier at home!

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freerangelady · 09/02/2013 00:35

Ps is it secretly cruel of me to be chuffed that 2 ladies in our ward have been replaced by heavy snorers - purely for divine enjoyment of the grumpy woman I hope!!

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