Hospital Stay

Hi! It looks like you've already gotten plenty of advice, but I just wanted to let you know that if you deliver at Covenant, the lactation specialists are wonderful!! They are very, very helpful!

Lots of other people have already told you that the colostrum is all the nutrition your baby needs the first few days until your milk comes in, so you don't need me to repeat it -oops, I just did :) Whether you chose to breastfeed or formula-feed is a very personal decision- and only yours to make. Having said that....

My purpose in writing to you is this: Breastfeeding is hard and exhausting- at first!! But it is SO worth the effort- it is the best nutrition of course, but it is also an amazing bonding time with your baby. In my experience, the first two months are the hardest (harder than formula feeding because they eat more often and nobody can feed them but you, it can be hard to get them latched on correctly, your nipples get sore, they have several growth spurts that take your body a day or so to catch up with and sometimes you get engorged...!), but if you stick with it through those first two months all of those difficult things pass and aren't a problem anymore AND you don't have to worry about getting a bottle ready, washing bottles, do you have enough formula with you for any outings, where will you find warm water at the store to mix the bottle, etc... After the initial tough time, breastfeeding is way easier than formula-feeding. Not to mention money you will save!! When my daughter weaned herself at 8 months and I started giving her formula- we were spending about $200/month on it!!

I am not a La Leche League, gung-ho, breastmilk or nothing kind of gal- but I am very happy that I stuck with breastfeeding through the hard part so that I got to enjoy the easy, wonderful bonding part. I really wanted to write this to you because after my first child was born everyone (my MIL, the lactation consultants) was saying how natural it is to breastfeed, women have been doing it for centuries, animals do it, etc.etc.etc... But I found it SO hard, so un-natural feeling and in the first couple of weeks even painful. BUT- it isn't always that way. Once you and your baby get the hang of it and your breasts/nipples adjust it becomes easy and natural and worth the frustration in the beginning.

Also, every woman I know who has breastfed has worried about if she is producing enough milk for her baby- we don't see the empty bottle as proof! It is very rare that a woman does not get her milk in or produce enough of it- even in third world countries where the women are malnourished they produce milk and breastfeed! To reassure yourself that your baby is getting enough- just take him/her to the pediatricians office every week to get him/her weighed! You don't need an appointment- just take your baby in and ask the nurse to weigh them for you. This can help you feed reassured that your baby is getting what they need- and help you find out early in the rare instance that they are not.

I hope this is helpful for you. God bless you and your precious baby- and welcome to the wonderful world of Motherhood!

P.

The Medist childrens hospital, is were I had both my boys. I felt kind of concerned about that too....I did even know how to change a diaper ( oh btw they also offer prereigstering your baby and parenting classes cpr ect or how actually having a baby happens along with massage techniques). If you are going to breast feed ( I did the first two weeks ). In the hospital the nurses will bring you the baby as much as you want, they will ask you if baby has peed(sp?) or poohed "Ins and outs" along with how long you breast feed the baby and even which side you did. If your sleeping when baby is hungery...they will ask if you want to be woken up or they can start baby on formula ...That hospital is wonderful!....the nurses there really care, going that extra mile ( I had an emergancy c section) to make us feel welcomed and the little extras like helping me change my baby for the first time. I hope all goes well for you. Also maybe pack an outfit for you and baby for when you leave....good luck and God bless

you could ask the nurse to do all that for you, or you could feed and change the baby yourself it is really up to you! also you could have the baby stay in the room with you for the night or have them take him to the nursary and they will bring him to you no matter what time if you want to nurse him!
if you have your heart set on nursing dont let them sucker you into giving your baby formula, it will seem to easy and thats the reason most mothers dont give nursing a real shot, speaking from experience.
good luck and take it easy!

The hospital my daughter was in changed all her diapers. I wanted to breast feed so they would bring her in to me every 2 hours or so in the middle of the night to nurse. My milk didn't come in until the 3rd day and at that point we had already been home a full 24 hours, so don't worry about that. The best tip I can tell you, that I wished someone had told me, is to give them a bottle if your milk hasn't come in by the end of the second day. Mine didn't and the third day we just almost couldn't get her to wake up. We played with her feet, we put a piece of ice in her hand, nothing worked. At best she would open one eye a tad bit and then go right back to sleep. It scared me terribly so we called the pedi on call and they asked if my milk had come in. Well I didn't know, this was my first child. She said if I didn't know then it hadn't, and she was right. Let me tell you, you know when it comes in. So I was basically starving my child. I had some free samples the hospital had given me of formula and immediately made her a bottle. Litteraly 10 seconds after she started drinking she was coming around and has been eating ever since. So definately try with the breast feeding, but if you don't get your milk by the 3rd day, give a bottle until it comes in. Hope this helps.

Depending on the hospital, I think, the baby would stay with you and if the baby cries too much that you can't get sleep you can ask for the nurse to take em to the nursery. But basically you feed and change him. I had a c-section and was up that night walking my room. (they make u). I tried to breastfeed but my son wouldn't latch on. I didn't make him, I just kept his feeding schedule every 2 hours.

I know that you have already gotten a lot of responses to your questions, but I thought I would add mine in too. I have three children, and had them all at the same hospital. I think that they would have taken my children if I wanted them to. I was always afraid that someone might take them if they weren't with me, which was silly, but it was a fear of mine. My husband and I kept them in the room with us the whole time, except when they were running tests on them. Other than that, my husband changed them every time, and I nursed them when they were hungry. Your colostrum is plenty for the baby. Your milk will usually come in in a couple of days. If you let them feed your baby formula, then your baby might not ever breastfeed. It causes nipple confusion, and can make breastfeeding very hard and tiring for you. I know this, because with my first child, they fed him a bottle of formula in the nursery one night when they took him in for testing. I didn't realize that they had done it until afterwards, and it really messed things up. I only breastfed him for a month, because it was so difficult. My other two breastfed perfectly. I was very adament at the hospital that they not be given a bottle at all. They were sure to only take them when I was done nursing them, and they brought them back if they were ready to eat again. The good thing is that none of the tests take that long, so they weren't gone for very long. It is a good bonding time for you and your baby. Don't feel bad if your baby is really fussy and you aren't getting any sleep, you can ask them to take your baby to the nursery and bring the baby back when they are hungry. Either way, this may be your last time to have help, so take advantage of it. However, I don't recommend letting them give your baby a bottle, if you are wanting to breastfeed. I hope this helps you.

The nurses will tke care of the baby when it is in the nursery, but for most of the day and maybe the night (up to you) you will be feeding the baby and changeing it. Your milk comes in a couple of days after the baby is born, colostrum is good for them till then, but if your worried there not getting enough to eat you can suplement with formula. Talk to the hospitals lactation specilist.

Oh my goodness you are cute.
Depends on the hospital that you are in but when I had my girls (3...not at the same time)LOL. I was like a mother LION. I wanted my baby with me ALL the time. I had one at Lackland & they don't do anything for you AT ALL. SO that worked out fine for me.
The 2nd I had at Humanan Women's & children & from the time I was ready she was with me. The nurses all thought that was funny.
the 3rd was at Methodist. Same there. She was with me all the time.
The only times they weren't with me was when they needed to have some tests done.
It really depends on you...I know girls who didn't ave their baby with them until right before leaving. Everyone is different.

I found that those little sack things were best at first. The onesies I used after they came home. Either way it's not really a huge deal. With my first I was really nervous about the cord. Not so much with the others.

I'm sure you will do fine.

all the other responses here are all correct. the nurses just help. and show you/ tell you what to do. colostrum is what the baby eats for the first few days which it wont be much by our standards but the babys stomach is very small. milk will come in about 2-3 days after birth. good luck with everything. i will be in the hospital in late august haveing my 3rd and last child. so best of luck to you.

I think it depends on your hospital but basically you do all the care that you are able to do. The nurses usually give the first bath and of course run the tests etc. Then they are all yours. If you have a c-section or have to be sedated they of course care for the baby for you while you are knocked out. Most if not all hospitals room-in and the baby is always in your room unless it is medically necessary that they be out like for their hearing tests etc. You want to breastfeed from the get go to make your milk come in. Unless your baby has a blood sugar issue or again some medical concern they will expect you to breastfeed for every meal. You can always check with your particular hospital and ask questions about their particulars like if you can bring your own nursing gown etc. They usually will tell you that on tour.
Best wishes and congrats!
S.

The other mom is right, the nurses don't really do much for you, except guide you. However, I had the option to keep my son in the nursery all night so I could get one last good night's sleep. The nurse, I think, kind of looked down on me for actually doing it, but hey, I had a lifetime of sleepless nights ahead of me! It's good that they don't do it for you though, otherwise you'd be at a loss when you get home and have no one there to help.

A.-

Since you will be trying to nurse, the nurse(s) will bring him into the room with you and help you with nursing. After they take all his vitals and get him cleaned up, they'll bring him into the room to let you nurse right away. At least that's what they did with me. My son also stayed in the room with me while I was in the hospital. You can change the diapers and attempt to nurse or bottle feed. My milk came in about 3 days after he was born. Also, the nurses want you to feed your baby about every 2 hours. That didn't work with my son. After I brought him home, I threw the whole idea of scheduling out the window and fed on demand. You do what feels right for you. You may seem nervous and scared all at the same time right now, but all that changes once the baby is here. Hope this helps!

Hi A.,
I just had my baby boy 5 months ago and it seems like just yesterday. The hospital will actually go by what you want. If you want to be the one to change the diapers and strickly breastfeed then they will bring the baby in to you when he/she is hungry. When I was in the hospital, I kept my son in the room with me all the time. The only time he was away from me was when the nurses would come and get him in the morning and take him to the nursery so the doctor could see him while he did his rounds and also for the circumsition. There was one night that I asked the nurse to take the baby to the nursery so I could get some sleep and asked them to bring him in when he got hungry so I could breastfeed. With my son, I had to supplement with formula because he was hungry all the time and he wasnt very good at breastfeeding at first. Once he got the hang of breastfeeding he ate almost every hour for about 30-45 mins. I know that you will want your baby with you the whole time you are in the hospital but it is ok to ask the nurse to take him/her to the nursery so you can get some rest. I was given some good advice during my lamaze class. The instructer said to take advantage of the help you get in the hospital because you may not be able to have help 24/7 at home. So I took that advice and had the nurse come in one night (at 1am) and take my baby to the nursery. That hours of pure sleep helped me so much.

If you want to breastfeed, do not give the baby a bottle. your colostrum is perfect and is very thick and satisfying for them. If you are very consistent with that, your milk will come in within a week. Many women think that because they aren't producing milk, that their baby isn't getting enough. That is NOT true. What did people do before formula? Also, the nurses will do whatever is best for you. When i had my sons, the nurses took him around 10pm and brought him in every 3 hours for me to nurse him and since i had a c-section, i was unable to get up to change his diaper, so they did it for me. If you want the baby in the room with you, so you can do everything yourself, you can do that. but you get a lot more sleep if you let them take care of the baby for you at night. Some women mentioned that the baby needs that bonding time. You will get plenty of bonding time with them! Take advantage of those teims you can rest and let the nurses take care of them. it's just for a day or 2. Good luck!

you should check with your hospital and see if they have a birth preparation class. It could be free or for a small fee, mine was 35 dollars for me and the labor partner. They will go over hospital procedure, breastfeeding, ways to labor, when to go to the hospital... It is amazing how much info they teach you in one day. I don't know if you have time, but I would also read a couple of books on labor. Birthing From Within is an awesome book. Oh, and if you have trouble with your milk supply, start drinking mothers milk tea right away the stuff works like magic. you can find it at a health food store. :) Congrats, just remember if you can have a baby
the rest will just flow

A., everything depends on your hospital. I am the mother of 3 children & what I found to be easiest is to let them know that you are going to be breastfeeding your child so make sure there are no pacifiers in the bassinet & that they bring you the baby for feedings. At my hospitals the baby stayed with me in my room unless I asked for him/her to go to the nursery. For tests & such they take the baby to the nursery. I changed diapers, but with my first child I was shown how a couple of times & observed a few times by family members & nurses. They even helped me dress him before we left the hospital as I was terrified of hurting him. All in all ... you being to bond with your child right there in the hospital. You make the decisions in regard to your baby.
Hope this helps!

When I had my son I didnt produce milk so if I was sleeping they would feed him for me and they changed him too, I know for sure that when I was awake I did the changing and tried to breastfeed. A great thing was my mother was there in the hospital and she fed my son a time or two while I was sleep.

I have two daughters and had both of them in the room with me right away. The nurses would come in and wake me to feed my oldest daughter every 2 hrs and if I had questions they would help me but I was pretty much on my own. With my 2nd daughter they didn't come in to wake me they just let me wake up when she was fussing to eat and I changed her on my own. I think it depends on the type of hospital you give birth in, mine was a low risk hospital and didn't really even have a nursery. I breastfed both of my girls and did not supplement with formula with my 1st, the colostrum was fine. However, with my 2nd I did supplement with formula but only because she was not latching on properly in the beginning. I would recommend supplementing at least 1 bottle of formula a day to get them used to it, I have had friends that had problems with their babies taking a bottle because they only liked being breastfed.

A., about an hour the latest you'll feed the baby. It's recommended an hour after birth to feed the baby. Since your breast feeding, the nurses will show you how to do everything if you just ask. They are there to help you out. If you want to do everything yourself then you can. Maybe one night your to tired, they will take the baby for you. My first one I had the nurses just bring him in for the feedings and diaper changes and then had then take him back. My last one I kept her the whole time. She was never in the nursery. So It's up to you really. You choose whats best fro you at the time. Your gonna need the rest bc after you leave that hospital its all you, lol. Your milk supply should come in about two to three days after birth. The colostrum will get the baby through until the milk comes in. Drink plenty of water and eat good and it should keep ur milk supply up. Hope I have helped. Take care and congradulations on the baby.

A.

When my baby was born a year ago me and the nurses changed the baby. When they had him in the nursery they changed him and when he was in the room with me I did it. I breastfed also. I fed him every time. If the nurses had him they brought him in at the same times day and night for feedings. Apparently what I was giving him was enough to get him by. I hope this is helpful to you and good luck!

You can do whatever you want to your child...change them, burp them...dress them. But the nurses are there to help you when you want to nap or rest. Take advantage of it because when you get home, that help may not be as often.

This is the time for you to bond with your baby. You do as much as you can. I know that when I had my daughter she was in my room all the time. I breastfeed her, I told the nurses that I was breastfeeding and that I didn't want them to give her anything. My milk came in a few days later and we had to give her some formula but it all worked out. Remember to ask for a lactation person to come in and help. They were a livesaver when I was trying to figure everything out. If you don't have a Boopy get one they are the best when breastfeeding, take it to the hospital with you.

The time right after you have your baby is very important to the bonding experience. Your baby needs you, your touch, your attention - not the attention of whatever nursing staff happens to be on duty.

Room in if you can. This means that the baby stays with you in your room. It will help with the bonding, and will help you feel more competent when you're ready to leave the hospital.

Since there have been people in the world, mothers have breastfed their babies. Animals do it, people do it, it's completely natural and right. You won't produce much colostrum, and your baby will lose a little weight. That's exactly how things are supposed to go! Your doctors will know exactly how much weight the baby is supposed to lose, and within a few days, your milk will come in and the baby will start to gain weight again.

Colostrum passes your immunities to the baby, keeping them from getting sick as easily. It will not get them fat, but it will get them all the nutrition they need. Also, because you don't produce a lot of colostrum, your baby must nurse frequently. This increases the bonding time, but also the bonding hormones that your body and your baby's body produces. Also, your milk will work on supply-and-demand...the more the baby suckles, the more milk you will produce. This is true whether your milk is just coming in for the first time, or if your baby is over a year old.

How much formula do you think women gave their babies 200 years ago? None! And their babies didn't die of starvation...they drank colostrum. We've made many medical and social advances since then, but the World Health Organization, The American Medical Association, and virtually every medical organization in the world all agree that breastfeeding is the best for babies...starting with exclusive breastfeeding in the early days when all you are producing is a little colostrum. In fact, these first few days are considered the MOST important for exclusive breastfeeding.

How far will your colostrum get your baby? All the way!

A.,
While you are in the hospital you will be doing all the work. The nurses will help you in anything you need but you will have to learn how to do all of this while you are in the hosital so when ya get out you will be able to do it alone. any other questions just ask

A.

Hi A.,
As far as your hospital stay is concerned, the nurses in the nursery will feed and change your baby when the baby is in the nursery. When the baby is in the room with you, you take care of most of it. They will assist you if they are in the room or if you ask for help. And they usually ask you to mark it down, how many wet/soiled diapers you changed, how many ounces of formula the baby takes. At least this has been my experience with my 4 children. Good luck!

It depends on the hospital for some of those things. My first was born in a Navy hospital and after I nursed they took him to the nursery and changed him. He also slept in the nursery which was good for me because my husband wasn't allowed to stay the night and I couldn't even sit up so I could not have been able to move around. The second was in a very nice women's center with private rooms and my husband could stay and the baby stayed in the room with me. I was physically more capable of doing things for myself. As far as the nursing goes I nursed both of mine for 15 months and started as soon as they were born. Your milk won't come in for a couple of days but that's okay. They will bring the baby to you when they need feeding or if they are in the room with you, you will know. They will help in any way you need but because I was planning on nursing I did not want them to give the baby a bottle. Another word of advice. Pacifiers are a god-send. Use them if you need. They are easier to take away then a thumb down the road. Good Luck, enjoy. It's the best time.

The nurses will help initially. They should be teachers/guides and you do most of the changing etc unless the baby is in the nursery while you get some sleep etc. There are wonderful lactation consultants that will help you with the breastfeeding if needed. They have lots of tips etc. Your milk will come in when its ready and the baby will be fine. The nurses will not let the baby lose more than 10% of the initial birth weight. If he does, you may need a formula supplement once or twice but it is no biggy. I have two girls. I breastfed my first until she was 11.5 months and walked away from it and I have a three month old nursing well and growing now. Good luck and congrats....

If I repeat anything I apologize ahead of time... I wanted to give you a heads up on one possibility at the hospital from some of the nurses. Normally it takes 3 to 5 days for your milk to come in. While in the hospital the nurses/doctor wants the baby to gain a couple of ounces in the couple of days that you are there however, it is extremely common for the baby to lose weight in the first few days. Do not be alarmed (as long as everything else checks out normal)!!! I have 3 children (4, 3, 19 mos.) who were each breastfed for at least 9 months. Anyhow, with my first child the nurses told me (being a 1st time mom) that if they didn't see an increase in feeding/weight they would give him formula. I was adament about not wanting him to have a bottle. In the end, even though while at the hospital my baby lost weight, I did not let them give him a bottle. My reasoning: sometimes the baby will then reject the breast because with the bottle the milk flows freely- they do not have to work at it.

Also, during the first couple of weeks or more, I would recommend Lansinoh Lanilon. It is safe to use for nursing mothers and will keep your nipples from cracking and bleeding.

I hope this helps.

I think it depends on the hospital. Both of the ones we were in the babies stayed in room, and we changed diapers. At the first one a couple of times the nurses took my son to be evaluated or whatever and they would change him if need be. I did have a bit of a run in with the nurse the night he was born, since she wanted me to bottle feed him because he wasn't nursing yet. Even though I had read they don't eat much the first few days and that it takes a few days for your milk to come in, I was kind of freaked out because he didn't weigh very much. I nearly gave in to her demands, but it all worked out and the other nurses weren't concerned. So if you thing something they tell you isn't right, ask to speak to another nurse or a doctor, don't let one gripy nurse who thinks breasfeeding is bunk disuade you.

A.,
Every hospital is different. Contact your hospital to learn more. Have you taken a childbirth class? That answered a lot of my questions.

The colostrum is all a baby needs until your milk comes in which will happen naturally after a couple days. If you want to breastfeeed it is recommended that you breastfeed exclusively for the first two to four weeks so that you extablish a bond with your baby before you start pumping. SO that answers the question to if the nurses will feed the baby, you will have to feed your baby every three hours or so. It really depends on the hospital if they have a nursery wehre you can leave the baby but more and more hospitals tend to do roomin-in wehre you have your baby all the time and care for him/her. THey do show you how to sponge bath your baby and they are there for you when you have any questions.

Depending on the hospital the baby stays with you the whole time. They give you a sheet to record how many wet diapers and how many dirty diapers and what times and if you have trouble nursing and want to supplement the baby, they have formula that they will bring to you. Hope this helps

I had all of my babies room in with me. We changed all of their diapers (with the exception of maybe one or two with each child). Don't worry about your milk. The baby does not need anything other than colostrum at first and the more he/she nurses the sooner your milk will come in. Don't let anyone tell you that colostrum is not enough. Sometimes milk can take up to 5 days to come in.