questions re newborn

[Jaileth]

hi all.

not much time at the moment - we came home from hospital last night and had the night from hell. first of many, i'll assume. :rolleyes: :)

will post more about bub later - inc birth story.

a few questions for you all.

how can you space out feeds? (am breast feeding) currently, corin is feeding every hour for twenty minutes on one side. (and my milk is in - came in yesterday and am leaking all over the place! :p )

how can i keep him awake during a feed?

how safe is it to have a rolled up towel partioning off the cot so he will sleep in it? It's one of those 3 - in - 1 portacots, and he freaks if he's just put in the bottom middle.

what kind of 'play' things do you do with a newborn? You know how people talk about routine, which is usualy a variation of feed, sleep, play, bath - well what kind of play things would you do? Or how would you keep them amused when they're awake?

thanks all - and will post more when the little guy goes to sleep again.

[veve]

hey :)

firstly congratualtions on your bubs :D

- keeping awake during a feed... I still clean between Jacks fingers and toes during a feed (whenever he drops off- how do they collect SO much fluff!!!) ... he tends to stay awake then - otherwise I gently wipe his face with a cool washer.. AND I make sure he ISNT wrapped up with blankets... he is less likely to sleep then!!

- I didn't play with Jack as much as sing/ talk to him.. I pretty much have a running commentary going whenever he is awake ... we talk about what we are doing... where we are going (even if it is just the laundry!!) etc
It is SOOO much easier to play with them when they start to track things... or make eye contact (which wont be long... time flies :) )

hope this helps!!!

xxx

[Jaileth]

Thanks veve. Everything helps at the moment.

Corin's been going around in just a diaper because it's so hot - and have been trying the face washer thing, but haven't tried to clean between his fingers and toes. Will also try the running commentary. Have been trying, but don't think I've been making an awful lot of sense :p

Will give it a go. Thanks!

[aardvark]

If baby is dropping off after one breast only, you could try changing the nappy between sides. It tends to wake them up again.

Newborns don't need much "play", they tend to eat, sleep and excrete. I found both of mine woke up after 6 weeks, and then there is more scope for "play". Just talking and such is plenty of stimulation.

[Jaileth]

wake up is right - he hates having his nappy changed! lol - poor little guy. This may sound really stupid - but would you change it even if they haven't done anything? Or would you just peek and hope that that is enough to wake them up?

[AM]

Congratulations on the birth of your baby!!
I had mine on the 19th, so I hear where you are coming from as far as feeding constantly!!
The thing is, this first few weeks is an incredibly important time for establishing milk supply, so feeding as often as possible is really optimum, not only in terms of your supply, but also for baby's health and wellbeing.
He will begin to be a bit more regular with feeds as time goes by, and it really is best to let him dictate the pace, as he knows exactly how much he needs.
It won't be too long until he is getting really efficient, and will take a feed a lot more quickly, and take more at a time, remember they only have very tiny tummies right now, so little and very often is best for their digestion, and will also help minimise spit ups.
To keep him awake during feeds, i used to stroke my sons throat a bit and perhaps change him, or sit him up, but actually this time I'm not bothering with any of that, my baby pretty much lives at the breast at the moment, and feeds whenever, i don;t really notice too much, especially if he is in the sling.

Really no need to worry about play with a newborn, he is fascinated with your voice, your face, hand movements, your smell etc, I'm sure you will be able to see when he is in need of more stimulation, as I said I use a sling, and this provides a perch for him to watch the world if he feels like it, more than enough to take in for now! :)

[bpato]

Hi

I have always changed bub nappy between sides, as as a newborn he would constantly fall alseep, and yes he SCREAMED everytime we changed him. I changed him regardless of whether or not he had been. He was then always awke for the other side, and we stick to this routine even now. I used to stroke DS head just above the ear to keep him sucking during a feed.

Playing for a newborn can just be sitting and having cuddles and kisses. Give him a few weeks and just chatting to him during his nappy change time is play enough for them. Just remember at the moment it is pretty much eat, and fall alseep, so he doesn't need to much stimulation. I found to much made DS really cranky.

I've seen people do what you are talking about eith the cot, espescially with multiple births. Have you tried one of those sleeping wedges, as this may help him to feel more secure. But I can't see whay you can't partion off part of the cot.

Good luck

Belinda

[Chickadee]

Hi Shaelia,

I think you've already gotten most of your answers, but he's my 2c, as brief as possible.

- how can you space out feeds?
You don't. Don't even worry about this for the first 6 weeks. New bubs need to feed often and whenever they are hungry. You may have a week soon when his feeds naturally start to be further apart, and then he'll go through a growth spurt and be hungry every hour or two again. Try to go with the flow, this is the time to build your milk suppy by meeting his demand.

how can i keep him awake during a feed?
Blow gently on his face. Play with fingers and toes. Undress him (if he's not already). Diaper change in the middle. Tickle him under the chin or just below and in front of the ear.

how safe is it to have a rolled up towel partioning off the cot so he will sleep in it? It's one of those 3 - in - 1 portacots, and he freaks if he's just put in the bottom middle.
I wouldn't do it personally. Although most bubs don't start moving for a month or so, he might surprise you any day so it's good to start the way you'll need to continue. Wrapping him would be a better idea. On very hot days just use a muslin wrap. You can help keep him cool by having a fan in the room to stir the air around him - NOT pointed at him.

what kind of 'play' things do you do with a newborn?
Not much :) The "play" part of the routine at this point is only going to be a few minutes long. It's enough to talk to him, cuddle him, sing songs etc. As he gets a few weeks older you can extend it a bit and give him more interesting things to examine and look at, black & white pictures are good for newborns, but even then you don't play much.

[Crazy Monkey]

Congratulations Shaelia...
You have gotten heaps of good advice already and I can't really add anything new...

Just wanted to say Congratulations...

[Jaileth]

Thanks all! :)

[SassyMummy]

Chanel would fall asleep every time they made me attempt to feed her in the hospital (Oh, you've just fallen asleep? Too bad...get up and feed your baby. What? She doesn't want it? Well...let me milk you like a cow...lol). I tried many a thing...from wetting her head and blowing on it gently, to rubbing her head, to different positions.

In the end, she just kinda...would wake up when she wanted to. I didn't bother feeding her if she fell asleep. If she woke up and wanted some, I'd try again. Sometimes babies just want to suck for the hell of sucking (so I was told anyway).

One way I found worked well for me was laying next to her, facing each other, with my breast in her mouth. That way she'd suck better. I dunno why. Maybe because I wasn't snuggling her, so she didn't feel all cosy and happy and comfortable enough to sleep.