New mommy questions- please help!

It is the end of our 2nd day home from the hospital.
I had DD by emerency C=section late Fri. night- so already adapting to life at home is difficult with being limited in my activities and feeling pain.

DH and I are struggling with a few things- any comments or advice you have for us is VERY appreciated to help keep our sanity!

1) DD sleeps ALL DAY= wakes up around 8ish and is alert then. Trouble is we CANNPT wake or rouse her for BF'ing every 2-3 hours like we were told. We try cold washcloth on face, stroking cheelk/feet, patting- nothing works. What can we do?

2) I'm not getting enough milk since DD hasnt been eating regularly- anything I can do to stimulate production?

3) DD has not had a poopy diaper since Sunday in the hospital and she has wet ones but not as many as is reccomended. She burps and passes gas quite often but no BM- is she constipated or is this another part of the BF'ing saga?

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

I'm sorry I don't have too much advice... just hang in there and remember that this won't be forever!

I do remember that when we were in the hospital we would always whisper, etc when DS was sleeping, and the nurses and lactation consultant kept reminding us that when it is noisy and bright a new baby will sleep because it is too much for them..... but when it is quiet and dark, they will wake up because that is what they are more used to and comfortable with. SO, when we wanted DS to wake up to nurse, we would try to be quieter and keep it not so bright in the room.... along with all the things you said - stroking his cheeks, etc....

i have absolutely no recollection of how often DS had BMs when he was brand new. it's so hard to remember when you're so tired! but i would call the ped about the lack of BMs if you are concerned. it could be totally normal of course, but i always feel better checking with the doctor. if nothing else, it will put your mind at ease.

good luck

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

Message edited 3/10/2009 10:30:59 PM.

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

first of all, WELCOME!!

1) i never woke DS while he was sleeping - but if your ped told you to do so so that your DD will gain weight, get her naked! that and changing her diaper should work

2) you can pump to increase your milk production, do you have a pump at home? you don't want to just take a supplement like fenugreek to increase production if the milk has nowhere to "go" - otherwise you'll be engorged and uncomfortable.

3) i don't know about the BMs, best to ask your ped about that

best of luck! this time is the hardest and it feels like an eternity but it does end, i promise!

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

Posted by headoverheels

first of all, WELCOME!!

1) i never woke DS while he was sleeping - but if your ped told you to do so so that your DD will gain weight, get her naked! that and changing her diaper should work

2) you can pump to increase your milk production, do you have a pump at home? you don't want to just take a supplement like fenugreek to increase production if the milk has nowhere to "go" - otherwise you'll be engorged and uncomfortable.

3) i don't know about the BMs, best to ask your ped about that

best of luck! this time is the hardest and it feels like an eternity but it does end, i promise!

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

Try squeezing your boob from the toip down to express milk so she can smekl it even if she is sleeping she may latch on

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

Did you go to the pediatrician yet? Usually with BF babies they want to see if the baby is gaining the weight that they lost at the hospital back so they have you come in either the third or fourth day that you come home from the hospital... also you are supposed to wake them up every 2-3 hours until they gain their intial birthweight once that is accomplished if your DC is sleeping then let them sleep...

when i want my DD to eat and she is sleeping i usually get her naked and she HATES that and wakes up.... also stroking DC's cheek is good

with regard to the BM im not sure since both my DC's had BM's everyday...

aslo dont worry about your milk supply b/c once your DC starts to eat regularly your milk will accomodate her feedings if not its okay to supplement with formula...


Hope it works out for you

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

1) I agree about getting DC naked. That worked the best for us at the beginning.

2) Keep trying to get her on the breast b/c that will be the best way to stimulate production. Pumping will also help. Has your milk come in yet? I had a c-section and it took about 4 days for my milk to come in. I was also pumping after each feeding in the hospital after DS wound up in the NICU at 2 days old.

3) Definitely talk to your pediatrician about this. DS pooped after most feedings at the beginning, but some babies don't poop as often.

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

thank you all for the welcome to parenting and for the help


went to the ped today- everything is fine but he said she needs to eat more (duh!)

she finally pooped tonight!!!! funny how small things are huge with a baby.

still working on the bf'ing- she's rooting and looking for it- tried the tip about rubbing it on the nipple- she finds it fine but won't stay on. she latches but then gets upset when she's not getting any b/c shes no sucking. we ordered a good pump- hoping to keep trying until it gets here so we can still give her BMilk even if its in a bottle

thanks again....i really apprecite the support

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

def. change and get DC naked. MY dear son would always become wide awake from a changing (for the first 2 weeks at least)

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

I would always get them naked (down to diaper) and change their diapers to wake them up to feed them the first couple of weeks. my babies were born small so the ped wanted me to supplement with formula until my milk came in - we continued to supplement until they got back to their birth weights, but I always nursed them first.

As for the pooping, mine are not every day poopers either. Sometimes it is every other day, sometimes longer. Ped said it was fine, they can even go up to a week without it - it just means they are growing and using everything they are eating.

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

Congratulations!!!

1) DS was the same way with sleeping, it would feel like he would sleep 24 hours a day and just wake for feedings and he'd fall asleep during a lot of the feedings too. I would try undressing or using a damp cloth, but don't be alarmed if that doesn't wake her. As the weeks go on they become more and more alert. I also never woke DS to feed, he'd wake when he was hungry.

2) If you are exclusively BFing your milk will come in the more you put her to the breast. It doesn't seem like anything in the beginning but as long as she has enough wet diapers she is getting enough. I didn't start using a pump until around 6 weeks. You can always try to pump to keep up your supply if you are really concerned she's not getting enough. The Mother's Milk tea (you can buy it at GNC) helps with your supply too.

3) I'm not too sure about the BM, I would ask your ped about it.

Congrats again! The beginning is hard but before you know it you will be a pro. It gets easier as the months go on. Enjoy her!!!

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

Put a warm compress on your breast, then after a couple minutes take it off and massage the breast. Start at the top and push down towards the nipple. Thiss will help the milk drop. Strip the baby and express some milk onto the nipple. It should only take a suckle or 2 for the milk to come since you prepped the breast. If she falls asleep tickle under her chin or blow on her face (my ds hated me blowing on his face but it worked). I had a very hard time nursing but eventually got it and nursed ds until he was 14 months.

Ds would go days without pooping. The ped said they can go up to a week. Bf babies don't get constipated. The breast milk is the perfect food so they are just using it so there is little to excrete in bm.

To boost supply, I always ate oatmeal evey morning. And drank Gatorade. Gatorade always did the trick. Good luck

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

if she is having trouble sucking then have the ped check her tongue to see if she is tongue tied.

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

The nurses in L&D told me that no matter what, I should be waking DD at least every 3 hours to nurse.

I woke her up once. It wasn't a pretty sight. After that, I learned to let a sleeping baby lie. Try letting DC sleep and tell you when to nurse. In the first week, there were some times that she slept 4-6 hours. She continued to gain weight. I wouldn't stress too much if DC isn't waking every 3 hours to eat.

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

We have had similar issues with my DS since he was born.

He was born at 8lbs11oz and left the hospital at 7lbs 6oz, which is more than they would like him to lose. He was not eating well, he would fall asleep whenever I put him to the breast and my milk didn't come in well. We were also counting wet diapers and he was always low or borderline. I treid pumping, but my breasts don't respond well to pumping and I get very little milk (this is common in my family so we bought the top of the line pump, but still it doesn't work weel for me - the most I have ever gotten is 2oz from both breasts combined). We ended up supplementing with formula, starting on day 6 - but his constipation/gas got worse, we switched to Soy after a week and it improved slightly. The gas/constipation problem didn't go away until I removed all dairy from MY diet as well.

My milk supply is much better now (DS is 11 weeks) but we still have to supplement a little with formula (4-8oz per day)

Good Luck, you may want to try supplementing if you can't get the baby to feed. I know many people are against it, and I had a hard time doing it (I cried for about a week) but in the end, for me, I knew the most important thing was that the baby received nurshisment regardless of the source.

Re: New mommy questions- please help!

I brought my DS to the ped the other day and found out he was not gaining enough weight. I supplement with formula to make sure he was getting something. Usually two bottles a day. My milk is finally is in but it took a good 5 days. I still don't know how much I'm producing. What I do know, is my DS is starting to sleep longer, and seems more content after eating.
A couple of ways I figured out my milk might be in is
1. I saw milk on the babies tongue.
2. I heard him swallowing while eating
3. His poop turned from black to mustard color with seeds. The Ped said the is a good sign.
4. He has a good amount of wet diapers and not many poop diapers. I read that means he is gaining weight. This is for BF babies not FF.

I change his diaper right before feeding him. That always wakes him up. He hates to be naked.
Good Luck!! I feel your frustration.

You might be against it, but it really helps to supplement with a little formula. It makes me feel better knowing he is getting something. I'm down to one bottle a day. My DS takes to both wonderfully!! He has no nipple confusion. The ped said it was perfectly fine to give a bottle.

Message edited 3/12/2009 1:30:35 PM.