My daughter is three days old. I have large breasts and have been having to use nipple shields to help her latch on. Unfortunately, while she does latch on and suck well, she doesn’t get much colostrum/milk that way, because she sucks so hard that parts of my nipple start to get sucked through the holes in the shield.
Anyway, I’ve been pumping after trying her on the breast and then bottle-feeding her the pumped milk, because she has already lost 10% of her weight after three days. How many ounces is she supposed to get per feeding (every two or three hours)? I am only producing about one ounce per pump right now and want to make sure I am giving her enough.
October 12th, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Nearly all newborns lose weight after they are born, that is normal. So, don’t fret too much about that at only 3 days old. She’ll put it back on soon enough, but it may take a few days. Some babies even take a couple weeks to get back to their birth weight. If your breast milk has not come in yet then you will only be producing a few tablespoons of colostrum and that is normal as well. If she is latching on well with the nipple shield and then sucking that hard, she may very well be ready to try latching on without it. It varies from newborn to newborn, but typically breast fed newborns will drink 1-2 ounces every 1-2 hours. 1 ounce per pump at only 3 days after giving birth is actually quite a good amount. If she is having plenty of wet diapers and seems content for at least 30-60 minutes after finishing a feeding then she’s getting enough. It is quite common for breast fed newborns to eat every 1-2 hours around the clock for a few weeks and for each feeding to take as much as 30-45 minutes to accomplish. This frequent nursing is the way your baby and your body work together to produce enough for her needs. Not all babies go through this, but some babies begin to nurse at the breast less if a bottle is offered since it is so much easier to empty a bottle than a breast. Many babies can breast feed and bottle feed with no problems, but some are into taking the easy way to a full tummy.
October 12th, 2009 at 10:39 pm
It’s hard to say an exact amount, because when babies breastfeed from the breast, there is no actual way to determaine how much they are getting.
I would just offer her the expressed milk and let her drink what she wants. Is she drinking all the milk in the bottle you give her?
October 13th, 2009 at 3:13 am
She’s not going to get much. A newly newborn will eat about 2 Tbsp. of colostrum. Your milk will change to suit the baby’s growing needs.
October 13th, 2009 at 6:44 am
She will not get very much until your milk comes in, which can take 2-5 days from birth. It is normal for babies to lose weight right after birth. She will gain it back over the next two weeks.
Is she absolutely unable to latch on to your breast? I would not recommend nipple shields OR pumping unless she absolutely cannot latch on to your breast (and by absolutely I mean you have tried for a day and not been able to latch her on). Remember that, now is the time when she will learn her “breastfeeding habits” and if you teach her to suck from a bottle or with a nipple shield, it will be more difficult to get her to suckle straight from your breast. You will have to wean her from the nipple shield.
Nursing Tips For Large Breasted Mothers:http://www.plus-size-pregnancy.org/Nursi…http://www.breastfeeding-basics.com/html…http://www.llli.org//llleaderweb/LV/LVMa…
Nipple Shieldshttp://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby…
I would recommend that you breastfeed on demand, from the breast. That will help establish good nursing habits AND a steady milk supply. Do not worry if things do not go smoothly right away. You will get the hang of it faster than you think… all mommies go through this, its normal.
October 13th, 2009 at 7:33 am
At the moment, your daughter’s stomach is only the size of a cherry..This will be the case for the next few of days.So you can imagine that it doesn’t take much to fill her up!
If you want her to feed more so she sleeps for longer,and she is falling asleep on your breast, BUG HER.
The best way to tell that she is really full and satisfied, is if you hold up her little arm and it falls limp when you let go.
If she isn’t limp, bug her more..Run your fingers on her back, rub her head, etc.
I know it seems silly, but it works..
It is also a great idea to undress her to nurse.
This does two things, makes sure she nurses for longer because she doesn’t fall asleep as soon..and the other great thing is that it promotes skin to skin contact.
And every two to three hours is just great!
You are doing a great job, mama!!
Congratulations and Rock on!
October 13th, 2009 at 10:05 am
You should never, ever, ever use a nipple shield until mom’s milk is in, that’s just bad practice. That combined with the fact that you are using bottles tells me the lactation consultant you are using is not very good. You should be cup or syringe feeding, there is no reason to use bottles, its not even any easier.
If you absolutely must use one (and they rarely improve situations) they do come in different sized and I think you are probably using the wrong size. I used one, thankfully I found the help I needed to stop using one before it caused my supply to dry up or me to give up. The end of the nipple shield was 3/4″ away from the end of my nipple.
At 3 days old your baby’s stomach is only 3/4-1oz in size:http://www.llli.org/FAQ/colostrum.html
How much expressed milk will my baby need?http://www.kellymom.com/bf/pumping/milkc…http://www.kellymom.com/newman/26baby_re…
A nipple shield started before the mother’s milk becomes abundant (day 4 to 5) is bad practice. Starting a nipple shield before the mother’s milk “comes in” is not giving time a chance to work. Furthermore, used improperly (as I see it often being used), a nipple shield may result in severe depletion of the milk supply.http://www.kellymom.com/newman/03a-sore_…
Nipples shields are not recommended for sore nipples, because, although they may help temporarily, they usually do not, or they seem to help only. They may also cut down the milk supply dramatically, and the baby may become fussy and not gain weight well. Once the baby is used to them, it may be impossible to get the baby back onto the breast. In fact, many women who have tried nipple shields find that they do not help with soreness. Use as a last resort only, but get help first.http://www.kellymom.com/bf/concerns/baby…
Often, nipple shields are recommended within the first few days of birth. Frequently in these cases, the shields are not needed and are handed out without proper instructions for using and weaning from them – a shield should generally not be used during the first week after birth unless there is an obvious problem such as prematurity or difficulty latching which is attributable to some physical characteristic of the baby. Here is more information on when a baby refuses to latch on, sore nipples, and getting a good start on breastfeeding. http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/b…
Look at the Baby, Not the Scale
By Dr. Jay Gordon and Cheryl Taylor, CBE
It sounds simple doesn’t it? Yet I have seen so many moms whose babies have looked healthy, nursed well, met developmental milestones one right after the other and have lost all confidence in breastfeeding due to someone telling them that their baby’s weight was not on the charts. This someone was looking at the scale and charts, rather than the baby.
In the first 24 to 72 hours after birth babies tend to lose about 3-10% of their birth weight and then regain that weight over the next 2 to 3 weeks. If a mother receives lots of IV fluids during labor, the baby could be born “heavier” because of the increased water. The somewhat higher weight could be measured if a baby were weighed right before it peed for the first time. The difference of this extra fluid retention might only be a few ounces, but some parents are told to be concerned when, at their baby’s two week checkup, the baby is a few ounces under birth weight.
Another common problem at early checkups is a baby that is not gaining what the practitioner considers to be “normal weight gain.” There is not general agreement on normal weight gain and the range in texts are from 4 to 8 ounces a week. Some babies are genetically destined to be a lot smaller or larger than others. As I mentioned in the first paragraph: Easy concept, isn’t it?http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough…
WET DIAPERS: 5 – 6+ sopping wet diapers per day (after 1st week).
Expect one wet diaper on day one, increasing to 5-6 by one week. To feel what a sufficiently wet diaper is like, pour 3 tablespoons (45 mL) of water into a clean diaper (if baby wets more often, then the amount of urine per diaper may be less). Urine should be pale and mild smelling.
DIRTY DIAPERS: 3 – 4+ dirty diapers per day (after day 4).
Stools should be yellow (no meconium) by day 5 and the size of a US quarter (2.5 cm) or larger. The normal stool of a breastfed baby is usually yellow and is loose (soft to watery, may be seedy or curdy). More on infant stooling.http://www.mother-2-mother.com/normal.ht…
It is normal for breastfed babies to lose from 7% to 10% of their birth weight, and it can take up to 3 weeks for the breastfed baby to regain birth weight. Weight should always be calculated from lowest weight ever, not birth weight, for the most accurate picture of the baby’s growth. See “Why Babies Lose Weight” for more information.
A breastfed baby’s rate of weight gain may vary widely. A
October 13th, 2009 at 11:21 am
hello
I cant answer your question but i have to reply. Please dont use the sheilds . I had this exact problem with my boy . Big breasts not latching he developed mega bad wind and cried alot he made it very hard for us to bond untill we moved 6weeks later and my new health visitor said’its breast feeding , not nipple feeding’ please find a feeding expert you baby will latch you both just need to be taught, giving her bottle and breast so early can cause nipple confusion. Im not sure your country but if you email me flossy_cotton_tail @yahoo.co.uk ill try to help especially if in uk
Sorry if this looks funny i have typed it on my mobile , dont worry too much your doing fantastic and its obvious you care so much about your baby after all my problems i fed my son for 8months
October 13th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
I too would say not to use the shields. I have large breasts with flat nipples which made it hard for my little one to latch on, but with a lot of help with an LC we got if figured out. If you go on doctor jack newmans web page he has tons of videos on how to get your little one to latch on. I found when I first started out that the football hold was the easiest for me. Also if you pump a little then put her on your breast will help her if she has a hard time latching on to your nipples. you can also roll your nipple between your fingers then put her. Remember to tickle her lower lip tell she opens wide then put her on your breast. Don’t bring your breast to her. I hope any of this helped.