Breastfeeding a Newborn - New York,NY

Hi Kate,
Yes, definitely keep her in your room with you while in the hospital. I'm really surprised to hear that hospitals still put otherwise healthy babies in the nursery, frankly. That inhibits breastfeeding, mother/child bonding and skin-on-skin contact. Also, right after giving birth, while still in the delivery room, have the nurses help you bring her to the breast. Babies brought to the breast immediately are more successful nursing because when they are born, they are very, very alert -- and already rooting for the breast. Several hours later they are sleepy and hard to wake up. I would also refuse ALL formula while in the hospital. This will not help with your milk supply if there is no baby to draw it out. And btw, my milk didn't come in until 4 days after our daughter was born. But she was receiving the colostrum, packed full of protein, nutrients and antibodies. Good luck!

Absolutely keep that beautiful new baby with you in the room after she gets here! It's the best way to establish a solid breastfeeding relationship. It's best to get them started right away. This helps your uterus contract back down quicker, gives her that liquid gold colostrum. Breastfed babies don't take in the same amounts as a formula fed baby right off the bat and that's ok! It will work the way it's supposed to just get started on the right foot. The earlier you start nursing the better off you can be. If you want to nurse do it right from the start. This signals your body that it's go time!

I had 2 c-sections-my first was a preemie but my second was full-term and she roomed in with me. I just needed help the first day to lift her out of the cradle. She was super easy. She'd nurse and go right back to sleep.

And don't feel guilty about what happened with baby 1! Many times they will give a baby formula when they are jaundiced because more fluid helps push everything thru their system so it wasn't anything you did. She was actually getting more fluids (because you let them keep her in the nursery and give her formula) than she would have nursing so there is *nothing* you could have done to prevent it.

But just keep that precious baby close after she gets here and enjoy establishing a wonderful breastfeeding relationship.

Best to you and baby!

I had 2 butterballs and my diet had nothing to do with it!! (my husband didn't believe me that the kids would be bald either - he was shocked and weirded out because his sister only had hairy babies!)
ANYWAY!! You can't compare children. THis is hard, but if you ask for the nurses to keep the babies over night (I did the same because I had c-sections and needed to sleep) this is not going to harm them without breast milk - you are still taking care of them during the day. Ask the nurses to come in and stay for a few minutes while you feed for the first day or two. They will be happy to help - most hospitals have lactation specialists as well that will come in for a while to work with you and let you know what is going on with your body. RELAX - I just posed a question last night about my 4yo not eating his dinner - they all give us a hard time at every age!!!
Good luck, rest, and enjoy!!
AFTER READING DORI's POST - I guess you can't see that I'm promoting breast feeding - I breast fed both of mine - I'm just saying get the rest at night because you'll feed the baby breast milk all day - you may even wake up in the middle of the night to the feeling of your milk letting down. In which case you can also pump (that REALLY gets the milk flowing.) You're going to know what's best for you when the time comes - Dori gave you lots of wonderful information.

I haven't heard of that one. My DD was 8lbs and I didn't do anything special. My DH's family runs in big babies.

I would keep her in your room. Some places don't even have a nursery anymore for well babies. I think that it might be less sleep, but you have more opportunities to bond right away and begin the nursing relationship and no one will be sneaking her anything else to mess up the nursing. You won't have real milk right away, but she'll get the colostrum. I would also be very firm that this child is nursing and NO formula.

I would also start talking to a lactation consultant about what you experienced and how to avoid it. I had trouble with my daughter because I was seriously engorged and she couldn't latch, but I was able to use nipple shields to get her to nurse. I was also told how to express just a little to take the tension off so she had more room for a good latch.

Remember, about your other child, you got through it and you nursed her for 14 months. You should be proud of that.

I nursed right after the baby was born and constantly in the hospital. By the time I get home I'm very tired, so my hubby mixes up a bottle of formula and give the baby that while I get some much needed sleep. Then it's back to breast feeding. We realy watch the babys at first. I breast feed for and hour or two and then my hubby will give the baby a bottle while I pump for 15 min. to make sure every thing is out. My breast milk always takes 3 days to come in. Good luck. Everything will be fine.!

I didn't have my daughter "room-in" with me, but breastfed her exclusively. The hospital nursery staff would bring her to me when she needed to feed at night. I kept her with me during the day, but sent her to the nursery at night.

I had a c-section and didn't find that it interfered with breastfeeding at all as some posters mentioned. However, everyone is different.

I would try to exclusively BF and see if that helps. Of course, if your baby needs formula, then don't hold back on it and don't feel guilty. Plenty of Moms supplement nursing with formula and the babies and Moms do just fine.

I would also suggest consulting a good lactation consultant. Check with the hospital you are delivering at and see if they have one on staff that you can talk with, even before the baby is born.

Good luck! And, don't beat yourself up if you end up supplementing with or feeding exclusively with formula. Plenty of babies do just fine with that -- ultimately you have to do what is best for you and your baby. Try exclusively breastfeeding and go from there if it doesn't work out.

As far as pointers nursing a newborn -- it takes a lot of patience to get everything right. Nipple soreness, if any, does go away and there are things to help with it. I would also try to get the baby used to taking a bottle as soon as possible, my lactation consultant suggested waiting 2 weeks, so others can feed the baby. You might want a break, need some extra sleep, etc., so get try and get the baby to take both breast and bottle at the appropriate time.

Nursing the baby solely definitely allows your milk to come in faster and even though most pediatricians recommend a combination of formula and breastfeeding at the beginning, I feel that it does hinder milk production to supplement formula.

My son had to be admitted to NICU while we were still in the hospital. I had breastfed him from birth and for two days prior to him going into NICU. He remained there for a week and during that time, I pumped at home or at the hospital and fed him the milk in a bottle. The hospital allowed me to breastfeed as well but since he is my first, I was not experienced in breastfeeding and sitting on a hard, straight backed chair did not make it easy. As a result, I am at 6 months now but my milk is almost gone. Also, I never made enough to freeze, was constantly playing catch up to fulfill his needs and supplemented with formula. Thankfully, he is at above average weight and growth.

I had planned on nursing until he was a year but it may not be the case. I feel that the first month of nursing definitely makes a huge difference in setting up your milk production. I was not there when he likely needed to cluster feed and so my milk production did not adjust to what he needed.

As to baby size, your first sounds pretty normal for present day babies. My son was a month early and so was a bit smaller at 6 lbs. 9 oz. But if he had be on term, doctors predicted that he'd be a 8 or 9 pounder, as well. I had a fairly strict diet and exercise regimen. I don't know whether diet matters in size but my doctor believed in the carb thing, too.

GOOD LUCK and CONGRATS!

I don't think size had anything to do with it. Really, there is no reason to avoid having a big baby, even though I don't think there's much we can do. One of my twins was 8 lbs 7 oz and nursed just fine without becoming jaundiced. For nursing a newborn, feed him/her on demand. It's up to you if you want to room in with the baby. I didn't room with my twins because I had a c-section and didn't feel confident yet. But, I told the nurses at the hospital to bring them to me every time the needed to eat. As long as you feed your baby every time, nursing will become easier and your milk will come in faster. Just be patient, though, because it takes anywhere from 30-45 minutes to nurse in the beginning.

If you want help with BFing, try to find a good, educational, non-zealous Lactation Consultant. I needed one cause I got shingles right after being discharged and it screwed everything up. She was excellent - and was very pro-breastfeeding but also supported formula use if it was going to help get back to 100% BFing.

Also, did you have a glucose tolerance test with your first to test for gestational diabetes? Your OB saying to watch your carbs makes me wonder. As the OB about this test and get it done. If you test positive, you get training on how to eat, etc. You don't diet, really, you just eat differently. I felt like I was eating like a pig and gained only about 20 lbs.

Good luck!

If you had a c-section, that can effect the milk coming in, due to blood loss. Nursing on demand, whether the baby rooms in with you or is in the nursery, is the way to go--that is the very best way to get the milk supply coming in. Also, have the lactation consultant come in while you're in the hospital (our insurance covered that as part of the delivery coverage, if it was done in the hospital), to make sure the baby is latching correctly.

My son was born by emergency c-section, and I lost a liter and a half of blood, so my milk was very slow coming in (I was a wreck--exhausted, in pain and deeply traumatized); my son wanted to bite instead of suck (a common effect of having the cord around his neck, according to the lactation specialist), high an overbite, a slight tongue tie and a very high palate.... We had the lactation consultant come in 3 times and many of the delivery/postpartum nurses were great with helping me to get him to learn to suck instead of bite and help with latching. He nursed despite all these obstacles nonetheless, and though he dropped weight in the hospital (I had no milk the first 3 days) and was given formula for a couple of feedings, I went to nurse him until he was just over 2 years old.

I've never heard of watching your carbs in relation to the baby's size unless you have gestational diabetes.

Yes, if you delayed nursing, that could be why it took your milk took so long to come in.

As far as keeping the baby in your room or in the nursery that's a personal choice, but should have nothing to do with breastfeeding. You need to instruct the nursing staff that you will be breastfeeding exculsively and that they should bring the baby to you.

Breastfeeding starts right after birth... the colostrum is 'liquid gold' - because it coats the open GI tract to lubricate it, gives a major dose of antibodies from your system and gives them the immediate nutrition they need. White milk comes in with 3 days - but the colostrum is all the baby needs until that point.

Babies are going to have jaundice - they have a partially matured liver - so that is to be expected.

Babies are going to loose some noticeable weight... when you loose water weight, you do too - - imagine floating in water for a looonog time, then once out of the water, you must looe the extra you were carrying. Again very normal.

Breastfeed as soon as the baby is completely out of you vagina! Let them clean and weigh... blah blah blah then demand to have the baby in your room and keep the baby close to your body with easy access to your breasts. Nurse as often as baby wants.