{"id":2435,"date":"2021-05-04T06:00:11","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T13:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/?p=2435"},"modified":"2024-02-01T10:34:25","modified_gmt":"2024-02-01T18:34:25","slug":"breastfeeding-a-newborn-tips-for-the-first-few-days-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/breastfeeding-a-newborn-tips-for-the-first-few-days-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Breastfeeding a Newborn: Tips for the First Few Days"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s face it \u2013 the first hours and days of breastfeeding can be rough. You feel\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/the-big-deal-about-breastfeeding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">committed to breastfeeding<\/a>\u00a0and know it\u2019s the healthiest, best choice for both you and your baby. But you may be exhausted after delivery, and small setbacks can feel overwhelming. I get that. I\u2019ve been there!<\/p>\n<p>The first time I tried to breastfeed my first baby, things didn\u2019t go well. A lactation consultant came to help me get started, and with her there, it seemed so easy \u2013 position, latch, suck. Piece of cake (with a side of milk)! After she left, I tried again on my own. My baby just wasn\u2019t interested. So I waited and tried again later but couldn\u2019t get him to latch on. I couldn\u2019t get comfortable or figure out how to hold him the \u201cright\u201d way. I felt like a failure and just sat there crying.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily that wonderful lactation consultant came back! Here\u2019s what she taught me:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Try to rest when your baby sleeps. Your baby is tired after birth, just like you. They\u2019ll be awake and soon ready to feed very frequently. Most babies go from sleepy and hard to wake on the first day, to wanting to feed all the time on the 2nd or 3rd day (usually at night).<\/li>\n<li>Hold your baby skin to skin, and they\u2019ll let you know when they\u2019re ready to breastfeed. Breastfeeding is more than food to the baby, it\u2019s comfort and security! Skin-to-skin contact lets them smell, touch, and get to know you.<\/li>\n<li>Watch for cues they\u2019re ready to try to feed again: lip licking, rooting, putting their hand to their mouth.<\/li>\n<li>Try to feed every 3 hours. It\u2019s normal for your baby to be sleepy, but don\u2019t stress if they don\u2019t feed well every time. Practicing breastfeeding is important, too!<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t worry if you don\u2019t get much milk volume \u2013 just a little bit is enough to satisfy your newborn\u2019s tiny tummy. Your first milk called \u201ccolostrum,\u201d comes out in small amounts and is the perfect food for your newborn \u2013 it\u2019s exactly what they need in the beginning! Your milk will come in fully by day 3 or 4.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Before I was sent home with my son, my lactation consultant gave me a few more tips.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Breastfeeding gets easier\u00a0with time.<\/strong> You and your baby are still learning. Every time you nurse, your body gets signals to make more milk.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Try not to worry that you aren\u2019t making enough milk.<\/strong> You and your baby are a team that\u2019s naturally built for success! We expect babies to lose some weight in the first week of life, but they\u2019ll start gaining soon. We\u2019ll let you know if they\u2019re getting enough milk after weighing them at each appointment.<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s normal for your baby to cry\u00a0<\/strong>\u2013 in fact, newborns may cry for up to 2 hours a day! Crying doesn\u2019t always mean your baby is hungry or that something is wrong.<\/p>\n<p>Use these steps to help calm your crying baby:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>\u00a0Try to figure out why they\u2019re crying \u2013 diaper change, too hot\/cold, overstimulated, tired, hungry, uncomfortable.<\/li>\n<li>Hold your baby close to you skin to skin.<\/li>\n<li>Repeat the same action over and over \u2013 singing or speaking softly, gently rocking\/swaying\/bouncing, softly massaging back\/arms\/legs. Be patient; calming your baby takes time.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Cluster feeding, or feeding in spurts, is normal<\/strong>. Frequent nursing is your baby\u2019s way of increasing your milk supply. While this can be tiring, hang in there. It gets easier with time! Aim to feed 10 or more times per 24 hours \u2013 but not on any schedule yet. This averages to every 2 to 3 hours, but often occurs in spurts of feeding and then sleep time. Sleep when they sleep!<\/p>\n<p><strong>It\u2019s normal and healthy for babies to wake and feed frequently during the night<\/strong>. Nighttime feedings help increase your milk supply and give your baby more calories and protein. Have your baby\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/your-faqs-about-infant-sleep-answered-part-1\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">sleep in your room\u00a0<\/a>in a bassinet or crib next to you. Keeping your baby nearby is safest, makes breastfeeding easier, helps your milk volume increase, and calms your baby.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Keeping your baby safe and well fed starts with taking care of you<\/strong>! Rest, eat, and drink enough fluids to keep your urine clear. Don\u2019t wait until you feel thirsty to drink. Try to sit back and let your family take care of you, the housework, and chores \u2013 you\u2019re busy growing a baby and healing!<\/p>\n<p>Remember, there\u2019s a learning curve for you and your baby \u2013 it\u2019ll get easier! And when it doesn\u2019t feel easy at all or you have questions, know that it\u2019s normal to need support for breastfeeding.<\/p>\n<p>At Kaiser Permanente, we have lactation consultants to help you:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>In the hospital after giving birth<\/li>\n<li>By phone 24\/7 at our Appointment and Advice Call Center at\u00a01-866-454-8855<\/li>\n<li>At most of our pediatric offices<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>We feel so strongly that every mom should have those resources that we\u2019ve integrated them into pediatric care.\u00a0We\u2019re here to help.<\/p>\n<p>Resources for breastfeeding mothers include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\/ncal\/health-guide\/mdo-app\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">My Doctor Online App<\/a>.\u00a0Download our app and use it to email your doctor and your baby\u2019s pediatrician.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">My Doctor Online<\/a>. Visit our website for\u00a0breastfeeding information and advice.<\/li>\n<li>Appointment and Advice Call Center at\u00a01-866-454-8855. You can call us anytime, day or night, if you have pain with latching on, questions, or need other help.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s face it \u2013 the first hours and days of breastfeeding can be rough. You feel\u00a0committed to breastfeeding\u00a0and know it\u2019s the healthiest, best choice for both you and your baby.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":2096,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[667],"tags":[275,366,367,602],"class_list":["post-2435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-newborn-care","tag-breastfeeding","tag-breastfeeding-newborn","tag-breastfeeding-tips","tag-newborn","ages-baby"],"metadata":{"_edit_lock":["1706815035:8"],"_edit_last":["8"],"slide_template":["default"],"video_format_choose":["youtube"],"_custom_body_class":[""],"_yoast_wpseo_content_score":["60"],"qode_animate-page-title":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-text":["no"],"qode_show-page-title-image":["no"],"qode_show-sidebar":["default"],"qode_hide-featured-image":["no"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":["667"],"_yoast_wpseo_primary_ages":["287"],"_thumbnail_id":["2096"],"wpfp_favorites":["3"],"qode_seo_title":["Breastfeeding newborn"],"qode_seo_keywords":["breastfeeding, newborn, baby"],"qode_seo_description":["Tips for breastfeeding newborn"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw_text_input":["breastfeeding"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":["breastfeeding"],"_yoast_wpseo_linkdex":["76"],"ase_chapter_enable_timeline":["off"],"_yoast_wpseo_estimated-reading-time-minutes":["4"],"_yoast_indexnow_last_ping":["1706812465"],"_wpb_vc_js_status":["false"],"_yoast_wpseo_focuskeywords":["[]"],"_yoast_wpseo_keywordsynonyms":["[\"\"]"],"_yoast_wpseo_wordproof_timestamp":[""],"ase_map_component_start_point":["a:2:{s:3:\"lat\";d:29.76;s:3:\"lng\";d:-95.38;}"],"ase_mapbox_style":["openstreet"]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2435"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4435,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2435\/revisions\/4435"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kpthrivingfamilies.org\/pediatricsblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}