How can I tell if he is not breastfeeding well?
Clare Byam-Cook says
If your baby is doing any of the following, he is not feeding well:-
- He keeps crying for a feed but then falls asleep after only a few sucks at the breast
- He becomes sleepy and listless and stops waking for feeds
- He is not passing much urine
- He is feeding for hours on end but never seems satisfied
- He wakes and starts crying every time you try to settle him in his own bed
- You can only stop him crying by cuddling him and / or taking him into bed with you
- He has lost more than 10% of his birth weight
What can I do if my baby is not feeding well?
See if you can find a midwife or breastfeeding counsellor to check your baby is latching correctly and also to check how much colostrum and /or milk you have. If you still can’t get your baby feeding better, try to hand express some colostrum and feed it to him with a syringe.If your milk is in, you can use a breast pump to express it and feed him with a bottle. (see section on nipple/teat confusion and Expressing) If you cannot express enough colostrum or milk for his needs, you will need to give him some formula until your supply improves(see low milk supply). Make sure he continues to be fed (by breast and/or bottle) at least 4 hourly until he starts passing plenty of urine, settling well and gaining weight. Putting a tissue in his nappy will help you see whether he is passing urine.
Note: Continue to seek help if you keep needing to give bottles because you cannot establish exclusive breastfeeding.
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