You have just had your baby and are still in a haze of awe and wonder at the tiny little feet and hands your baby has. Life is just perfect and you look forward to feeding, changing, bathing and growing together as a family.
For many new mums and dads, the magic soon takes a back seat.
You may begin to feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of getting your baby fed or correctly interpreting each cry, cough or snuffle (normal). You may even begin to feel anxious that your mistakes will have a lifelong effect on your baby (totally normal)…. and then the wheels come off and you begin to worry (so normal it is expected).
Is your baby getting enough milk? Are you feeding often enough? How do you KNOW when the breast is empty and that you need to offer the other side!?!
You will learn a lot in the next few days and you are in the same boat as every new parent, so don’t be too hard on yourself, your partner or baby. Everything will fall into place before you know it.
With regards to feeding, just bear these few things in mind:
1. Look and listen for swallows. A visible sign is the deeper drop and longer pause of your baby’s lower jaw, usually preceded by 2-3 sucks. The audible cue is the little bubble popping sound you will often hear from your baby’s nose, similar to the nasal exhalation you do when you swallow. If your baby goes to sleep while feeding, massage your breast. You should see that your baby begins to suck and swallow again. Wake your baby up with some winding or a nappy change and then offer more food.
2. Look at what and how much is coming out the other end. Are you moving toward the scrambled egg yellow everyone keeps talking about? If so, good! Remember from birth you have 5 colours of poo and 2 days for each colour…black, green, brown, orange yellow by day 10. Thereafter, it should be yellow all the way. How many? Roughly 8 by day 8 and then 8 everyday thereafter until the 4week mark where it reduces drastically! You can also keep an eye on your baby’s wet nappies, you want to see that they are becomming clearer and that the nappies are heavier. The more hydrated your baby is, the clearer the urine.
Becoming a mum or dad for the first time is a little mind blowing, in a good way! Don’t put too much pressure on you, your other half or your baby. Just take each day as it comes. Before you know it, it will all be a normal part of your day.
Tags: how often should I feed, is baby getting enough, tips, when is breast empty