few questions

Annie - posted on 04/27/2009

6 wet diapers? She has a lot of poop diapers, but she only has one or 2 wet ones a day. I thought it was because she was getting the colostrum and not breastmilk. And yes, i think she does cluster eat.

You will not get six wet ones a day until your milk is in.  Your Milk will come in somewhere from day 4 to day 7.  For most FIRST time mums it is closer to day 5 or 6.  Your body has to adjust, as does hers. 

The fact that she has a lot of poop diapers is a good sign at the moment.  It will reduce to once or twice a day once all the black gooie poo is gone and she is on milk. Just make sure you always have spare clothes cause they tend to poo everywhere when breast fed .

You are doing fine, and second guessing is what we all do, but you will know if there is a problem with bubs, and she will let you know.  You are and will continue to be a wonderful mum, it is scary for first time mums, and second time and third time and so on because they are all soooooo different.

Let us know how you and her get on once the milk comes in.  Just be prepared for extra feeds (she will get the taste and want more - may feed every two hours for the first night - then you will know it is coming and it will be there the next morning in full force).  You have already given her the best part - the colostrum - so now relax and enjoy it.

Brittany - posted on 04/26/2009

Quoting Dawn:

Hi Brittany,

I don't have experience with bottle feeding, but I do with breastfeeding. The best way to reassure yourself if she's getting enough is by counting diapers. She needs at least 6 *very wet* diapers in a 24 hour period. This will let you know she is getting enough. There is no RIGHT way to time things for breastfeeding. I had one who ate every 2 hours on the dot (around the clock!) for 10 months and for only 5-10 minutes at a time...My current little one would cluster eat. What I mean by that is she would want to nurse multiple times close together (sometimes only an hour to an hour and a half apart), and then she'd go for a while. Just go with the flow. Also, keep in mind that your very sleepy little one will wake up a little more in a few days and likely be a little easier to get to eat!

A REALLY good resource for you would be the La Leche League. They have an awesome website all about breastfeeding that answers tons of questions.

Congratulations and good luck!

6 wet diapers? She has a lot of poop diapers, but she only has one or 2 wet ones a day. I thought it was because she was getting the colostrum and not breastmilk. And yes, i think she does cluster eat.

Brittany - posted on 04/26/2009

Quoting Annie:

Breast feeding is hard for the first time. You worry about how much they are eating, are they getting enough, and when they throw some back you start to worry all over again. If she is crying a lot then she is probably hungry, if not then when she feeds she is getting enough. My little girl set her own feed routine. You will find that she will
want extra feeds at about 4 weeks when she goes through a huge growth spurt, and these happen on a regular basis after that.
Now for the slimy stuff in her vagina. That is there to help protect her vagina from infection - basically it is to stop her poo from going into it - so DO NOT WIPE IT ALL AWAY - it is NORMAL and required.
Good luck with being a first time mum, take it slowly and do it your way. Do not feel guilty if breast feeding is too stressful and you go to bottles. They all thrive and grow the same.

Thank you! I kind of figured that's what the slimy stuff was for but i just wanted to be sure.

Victoria - posted on 04/25/2009

thank you. With the breastfeeding, it seems that she doesn't eat hardly anything and i became really worried when she started spitting up a lot. The hospital made me paranoid because they kept saying "she needs to eat every 4 hours" if she won't eat, I can't force her. She would go through moods, before they started saying that i figured she'd eat when she was hungry.

Breastfeeding is hard work.  Feed on demand, she is only 2 days only and it'll take a while for your milk to get established.  I'd ignore what the hospital said, feeding every 4 hours is not recommended for breastfeed babies.  You are right, she will feed when she's hungry.  Please feed on demand, as often as possible to start with to increase your supply.  Your baby will take what she needs and in the long run breastfeeding is a lot easier than bottle feeding.  It is normal for babies to lose weight after birth and unless she is losing a dramatic amount of weight, I wouldn't be too worried. Just persist and, I'm not sure where you live, but if your in Australia call the Breastfeed Associate (1800 mum 2 mum) or look on the net for your country's equivalent.  Good luck.

Smarty - posted on 04/25/2009

You've gotten enough comments on the first part of your question - so I'll answer the second part: YES. It is the white coating that is all over their bodies when they are born (vernix caseosa) - and it protects them from the amniotic fluid while in the womb. The coating that has collected on each side of the labia will work its way out with time and there is no need to struggle to clean it. If you have concerns, however, I would ask your pediatrician on your next visit ;)

Dawn - posted on 04/25/2009

Hi Brittany,

I don't have experience with bottle feeding, but I do with breastfeeding. The best way to reassure yourself if she's getting enough is by counting diapers. She needs at least 6 *very wet* diapers in a 24 hour period. This will let you know she is getting enough. There is no RIGHT way to time things for breastfeeding. I had one who ate every 2 hours on the dot (around the clock!) for 10 months and for only 5-10 minutes at a time...My current little one would cluster eat. What I mean by that is she would want to nurse multiple times close together (sometimes only an hour to an hour and a half apart), and then she'd go for a while. Just go with the flow. Also, keep in mind that your very sleepy little one will wake up a little more in a few days and likely be a little easier to get to eat!

A REALLY good resource for you would be the La Leche League. They have an awesome website all about breastfeeding that answers tons of questions.

Congratulations and good luck!

Victoria - posted on 04/25/2009

thank you. With the breastfeeding, it seems that she doesn't eat hardly anything and i became really worried when she started spitting up a lot. The hospital made me paranoid because they kept saying "she needs to eat every 4 hours" if she won't eat, I can't force her. She would go through moods, before they started saying that i figured she'd eat when she was hungry.

Breastfeeding is hard work.  Feed on demand, she is only 2 days only and it'll take a while for your milk to get established.  I'd ignore what the hospital said, feeding every 4 hours is not recommended for breastfeed babies.  You are right, she will feed when she's hungry.  Please feed on demand, as often as possible to start with to increase your supply.  Your baby will take what she needs and in the long run breastfeeding is a lot easier than bottle feeding.  It is normal for babies to lose weight after birth and unless she is losing a dramatic amount of weight, I wouldn't be too worried. Just persist and, I'm not sure where you live, but if your in Australia call the Breastfeed Associate (1800 mum 2 mum) or look on the net for your country's equivalent.  Good luck.

Annie - posted on 04/25/2009

Breast feeding is hard for the first time. You worry about how much they are eating, are they getting enough, and when they throw some back you start to worry all over again. If she is crying a lot then she is probably hungry, if not then when she feeds she is getting enough. My little girl set her own feed routine. You will find that she will

want extra feeds at about 4 weeks when she goes through a huge growth spurt, and these happen on a regular basis after that.

Now for the slimy stuff in her vagina. That is there to help protect her vagina from infection - basically it is to stop her poo from going into it - so DO NOT WIPE IT ALL AWAY - it is NORMAL and required.

Good luck with being a first time mum, take it slowly and do it your way. Do not feel guilty if breast feeding is too stressful and you go to bottles. They all thrive and grow the same.

Joy - posted on 04/25/2009

I forgot to answer the other part of your question. My friend had her daughter a month after my son was born and we were both surprised when the nurse came in to help change her diaper and there was a slight red stain in it. The nurse said that baby girls have a discharge that is similar to a period for the first few days.

Joy - posted on 04/25/2009

1) Breastfeeding : If you're going to breastfeed there is no way to measure how much to feed her. You should just do it whenever she wakes up. For my son, I breastfed him for the first 6 weeks and it was every two hours baby wakes up, change diaper, feed, and back to sleep pretty much.

2) Bottlefeeding : Now if you bottle feed with formula, I would start with 4 ounces at a time. Some babies like it warm, some like it room temperature. My son preferred it to be room temp. Don't wake the baby to feed her. She will let you know when she is hungry. In the begining, chances are that when she wakes she will be hungry every time. When she wakes, change her first and then give her a bottle. One mistake I made in the begining when I first started bottle feeding is OVER feeding. When you burp her, if she spits up a lot each time, then maybe go down an ounce. Never make her finish a bottle. When she's hungry she'll turn her head side to side (it's called rooting) looking for a nipple. When she's done she'll either fall asleep or just lay there not sucking on the bottle.

Congratulations Mommy! If you need any help, I'm glad to offer a hand!

Karen - posted on 04/25/2009

well whatever works for you but try pumping as much as you can cause if you dont breastfeed as much as you cam you lose tthe milk!!!! when i breast fed i also thought that he wasnt getting enough milk but then i saw afert about 2 monhs it really does get easier and they get satisfied formula is heavy for theyre stomachs and they cause collic i reccomend you keep trying and dont give up good luck!!!!

Brittany - posted on 04/25/2009

Quoting Crystal:

okay first i can't say anything about the bottle feeding but i strickly breastfeed and i let my kids feed from the breast when every they cryed to bring in my milk cause they ofteen fell a sleep on the boob and i was very worryed about what they wear getting so plus the more you feed throw the breast the more milk comes in it is a supply and demand kinda things .

and your question well my daughter will be 5 in a month i beleive it is normal it is kinda like their cycle in a few weeks it should stop so do not be to concerend but if you do go to the docter you can always bring it up but i would not go just for that because i am sure my little girl had it and it was completly normal

thank you. With the breastfeeding, it seems that she doesn't eat hardly anything and i became really worried when she started spitting up a lot. The hospital made me paranoid because they kept saying "she needs to eat every 4 hours" if she won't eat, I can't force her. She would go through moods, before they started saying that i figured she'd eat when she was hungry.

Brittany - posted on 04/25/2009

Quoting Karen:

hi brittany
youre baby should be eating about 30 ml of formula i dont know exactly how many ounces that comes put after about 3 weeks she shuold be eating 50 60 ml .
if youre breast feeding there is no time anytime she wants the more the better that way youle produce more milk if youre breastfeeding try to feed her as much breastmilk you can and try not to give formulla unless very nessesary . she will let you know when shes done
hope i helped good luck!

thank you. I was going to breastfeed and i thought i was doing well, but the hospital told me she needs to eat every 4 hrs. Sometimes she will not wake up for feedings, she gets it from her dad. I would try and the most i'd get her to do would be 3 sucks and then she'd be asleep again. I brought her home last night and she was waking up every hour and only eating about 5-10 mins. Today, she started spitting up really bad so i became worried that I couldn't see how much she's eating so i don't know how much of what she ate she spit up. I gave her a 2 oz bottle of formula (i just looked at the bottle, that's equal to 60 mL) which would probally make sense because she had spit up what i had tried to feed her earlier. Her father fed her about 4 hours after and she drank 30 mL of formula so that sounds perfect. I'm thinking of trying to feed her formula in the daytime and breastfeeding at nighttime because I was planning to do that later anyway. If I have to pick between one I'm starting to lean towards formula because it seems to satisfy her more. She's been sleeping a lot better since she started eating it.

Crystal - posted on 04/25/2009

okay first i can't say anything about the bottle feeding but i strickly breastfeed and i let my kids feed from the breast when every they cryed to bring in my milk cause they ofteen fell a sleep on the boob and i was very worryed about what they wear getting so plus the more you feed throw the breast the more milk comes in it is a supply and demand kinda things .



and your question well my daughter will be 5 in a month i beleive it is normal it is kinda like their cycle in a few weeks it should stop so do not be to concerend but if you do go to the docter you can always bring it up but i would not go just for that because i am sure my little girl had it and it was completly normal

Karen - posted on 04/25/2009

hi brittany

youre baby should be eating about 30 ml of formula i dont know exactly how many ounces that comes put after about 3 weeks she shuold be eating 50 60 ml .

if youre breast feeding there is no time anytime she wants the more the better that way youle produce more milk if youre breastfeeding try to feed her as much breastmilk you can and try not to give formulla unless very nessesary . she will let you know when shes done

hope i helped good luck!

Karen - posted on 04/25/2009

hi brittany

youre baby should be eating about 30 ml of formula i dont know exactly how many ounces that comes put after about 3 weeks she shuold be eating 50 60 ml .

if youre breast feeding there is no time anytime she wants the more the better that way youle produce more milk if youre breastfeeding try to feed her as much breastmilk you can and try not to give formulla unless very nessesary . she will let you know when shes done

hope i helped good luck!

Karen - posted on 04/25/2009

hi brittany

youre baby should be eating about 30 ml of formula i dont know exactly how many ounces that comes put after about 3 weeks she shuold be eating 50 60 ml .

if youre breast feeding there is no time anytime she wants the more the better that way youle produce more milk if youre breastfeeding try to feed her as much breastmilk you can and try not to give formulla unless very nessesary . she will let you know when shes done

hope i helped good luck!

Karen - posted on 04/25/2009

hi brittany

youre baby should be eating about 30 ml of formula i dont know exactly how many ounces that comes put after about 3 weeks she shuold be eating 50 60 ml .

if youre breast feeding there is no time anytime she wants the more the better that way youle produce more milk if youre breastfeeding try to feed her as much breastmilk you can and try not to give formulla unless very nessesary . she will let you know when shes done

hope i helped good luck!

Karen - posted on 04/25/2009

hi brittany

youre baby should be eating about 30 ml of formula i dont know exactly how many ounces that comes put after about 3 weeks she shuold be eating 50 60 ml .

if youre breast feeding there is no time anytime she wants the more the better that way youle produce more milk if youre breastfeeding try to feed her as much breastmilk you can and try not to give formulla unless very nessesary . she will let you know when shes done

hope i helped good luck!