newborn reassure me!
 

Hello all, my wife and I had our first child on April 7, 9:22pm! A healthy baby girl named Liley Ann, wt. 6lbs 8.5oz. We are breastfeeding her and everything seems to be going well. But I have some questions or hopefully pointers from you seasoned parents. First we have noticed that she only really feeds during the night, and very often, usually about 10-15minutes per session, and about 1-2 hrs apart. During the day, say 8am-11pm she needs to woken up to feed, and only really latchs for about 5 minute periods. The time of day that she is feeding is not a big deal, so far my wife and I are enjoying every minute with her and don't mind getting up to feed at night. But I was just wondering if anyone else had a similar experience with such irregular feeding. We have been keeping track of her feedings and in the last 24hrs she has feed 17 times varying in lenght from 5 to 20 minutes. She has been pooping and peeing often so it looks like she is getting enough milk.
thanks for any comments or ideas!

oh and we have taken her yesterday to a breastfeeding councellor and had the latch checked..etc nurse stated everything is cool, but still feel like a worrying dad.:(

I know what your feeling, and I'll tell you the same thing my kids pediatrician told me when I was in your shoes, "As long as she eats, pees, poops, and sleeps, then she's getting enough liquid." That's what babies do, she's just doing it her way. My son seemed like he always was hungry, then he'd eat for 5 minutes and sleep for 15 then wanna eat again. He's 8 now, and come to think of it....he still does this except instead of sleep now it's play. Congratulations on the addition to your world, that little girl is gonna take over your life, and you'll gladly let her. Welcome to the most incredible experiences you'll ever have.

thanks for the input, :) and the kind words. She is hypnotizing, I just find myself gazing at her for hours, watching her breath. If this is what if feels like at day 4 I wonder what it will be like when she starts to date! -----note to self, purchase gun greeting boys------:D

It's normal for some babies to have a totally different wake sleep cycle than adults normally go by. Very often this can change even from one week to the next. Like cj2112 said - if everything else is functioning fine then don't worry. If the baby is happy and you have plenty of diaper to change then you know they're fine. With my daughter she tended to feed very frequently and for short periods of time. I nursed her as well and breastmilk is more easily digested that formula so some records of how often a child should eat can be a little off if they are based on formula and not breastmilk. Personally I co-slept with my daughter for the first couple months. Partly because it was so difficult to get in and out of bed with a C-section for the first couple weeks. I got much better sleep when I was with her. It was funny my body somehow knew not to roll over at all. Sometimes I'd even wake up because I'd laid so long on the same side. After a while when she was able to start rolling over and moving around a little I would even wake up and she will have latched on while I slept. It saved me a lot of extra waking up and work.

Congrats. They are all beautiful to us. Keep taking good care of your new little girl.

Your newborn is doing just fine. All newborns have different sleeping patterns. These vary day to day hour to hour. I would be more worried if your child slept like a normal adult or an older baby. Having spent the first 9 months of her life in the womb and going through the trauma a birth, things are going to be a bit strange for a while. Things will settle down to a routine in a while. Of course, this will last for a short time and then something else will throw your baby out of wack. Like teething (my son) or getting a cold.

Congradulations on your new addition.

sounds like your typical newborn to me, enjoy these times, they will be gone soon enough.

thanks all, oh yes the patterns change! last night she slept through the night, only feeding at like 3am, 4am, and 6am. and has been awake most the day today. very nice to see those blue eyes staring back at me. the feedings are usually small in length during the day still, but power feedings at night. monster poops as well! hehe.

Congrats!!!
My son wanted to "snack" every 1/2 hour, especially at night, which lead me to Post-Partum Depression. I had to stop breastfeeding at 3 mo. because he demanded to much out of my small body and I was just run down. Try to either use a breat-pump or use formula if you guys feel comfortable with that. Try to sneak in some so that she gets full. Other than that, ya just have to keep feeding her when she's hungry- her feedings will lessen sooner than you think. Give her a few months.

thanks again for all your help! my wife is still going strong on the feedings, although i am getting a bit jealous of the boob action the baby is getting j/k. the feedings have slowed down now in frequency but the length has increased which is good for the missus. cheers all for your thoughts.:)

Keep telling yourself, "all is well."

Because it is.

she's off to her first doctors appointment today, for a scheduled check up and weight check. getting easier everyday. i never thought the hardest part of being a parent would be the worrying.

just an update, liley is healthy and gaining weight, to the tune of 6lbs 10.5oz! a little porker! already gained back her full birth weight and then some. sweet. :D

Oh wow, April 7th: That's my birthday!
Congrats on the girl. It's gotta be a trip looking at such a thing you two made. I hope my first child will be girl. I think it'd be awesome to have a daughter... until like, 13 years old. Heh.

Hold on a minute. Your new born weighs over six pounds, is breast feeding and not ventilated? Something sounds fishy here.

Just kidding.

Sounds like everything in your realm is going perfectly. Congrats on the little lady. May she bring you joy for the rest of your life.

best,

-bear