FTM advice

[turquoisecoast]

I went to a day program run by our child health service in SA when bub was 10 weeks old and I was really struggling.
That link I added is really about overstimulation. There's some good info about tired signs and awake times from ngala in WA: http://www.ngala.com.au/files/files/...d_Sleepers.pdf
I always thought babies would just sleep when they need to. But babies need help with sleeping and getting them overtired leads to a cascade of awfulness.

thankyou! going to check that link out now!

[harvs]

Remember the baby blues on the 3rd day. They can hit you like a truck and it really helped me to understand what was happening to me.

Get some sunshine every day. Leave the house even if it's only for five minutes.

Have Infacol ready and available in the house (my doc said it was ok to give a half dose to infants under 2 months) and learn about block feeding in case you have a very gassy baby and BF.

Don't worry if your instinctive parenting style is different to what you imagined or if it changes over time.

It's a cliche, but seriously, sleep when the baby does. The vacuuming can wait. Everything can wait.

Don't expect to bond with your little one immediately. Some people don't. That's ok.

[Marchbundle]

I agree especially about the breastfeeding. It's your choice. My milk didn't come in with DD1 and I remember feeling overwhelmed with pressure and when she was two weeks old I took her to get weighed and she hadn't gained any weight. This time I will give breastfeeding a crack, but if things don't go to plan, I will feel comfortable with my decision to bottlefeed.

Most expensive doesn't always mean the best.

Huggies newborn nappies are awesome lol.

put singlet on bubs before onesie as they can't regulate their body temp.

Don't have a silent household while bubs sleeps. They have to get used to the noise.

Mittens are awesome to stop bub scratching their little face.

Oh yes the baby blues. Having a new baby can be overwhelming.

And I so agree that maternal instinct especially with first bub, can take a while to kick in.

This is a good thread!

[turquoisecoast]

March if your milk took a few days/weeks to come in, did you just use formula with bub in the meantime? sorry it's a really obvious question I know, but I would be feeling racked with pressure too in such a scenario so good to know its ok to formula feed in the mean time?

and how long did it take for your milk to arrive?

[gingermillie]

March if your milk took a few days/weeks to come in, did you just use formula with bub in the meantime? sorry it's a really obvious question I know, but I would be feeling racked with pressure too in such a scenario so good to know its ok to formula feed in the mean time?

and how long did it take for your milk to arrive?

My bub had to have formula as she was prem and had a nasogastric tube and couldn't wait for my milk. I actually can't remember when she went fully onto expressed breastmilk but it would have been more than a week as she was having 67ml in her tube per feed and it took a while to get my expressing up yo that level. She's now fully breastfed so the early formula didn't affect anything for us.
I think generally if bub is term and healthy they can wait a few days for the milk to come in - living off colostrum and fluids in their tummy from birth slowly dropping a bit of weight then picking it up in the first couple of weeks.

[babyno1onboard]

March if your milk took a few days/weeks to come in, did you just use formula with bub in the meantime? sorry it's a really obvious question I know, but I would be feeling racked with pressure too in such a scenario so good to know its ok to formula feed in the mean time?

and how long did it take for your milk to arrive?

I think milk is meant to come through 2-3 days after birth but mine didn't come for a week. DD was full term (39 weeks) and average weight at birth. She was just breastfed colostrum for that week. It was awful, DD was really hungry, unhappy it and wouldn't sleep. She was a spewer too and it was so frustrating seeing her spew up the tiny bit of colostrum that she actually got. I was about 12 hrs away from giving her formula when my milk came in.

I was really uneducated about it though, I thought that was normal! Looking back I should have sought help from the ABA.

[smallpotatoes]

March if your milk took a few days/weeks to come in, did you just use formula with bub in the meantime? sorry it's a really obvious question I know, but I would be feeling racked with pressure too in such a scenario so good to know its ok to formula feed in the mean time?

and how long did it take for your milk to arrive?

With my first, it took until about day 4, my second day 2. Before then is just colostrum, which is fine.

I recommend going to a breastfeeding class if you are interested in breastfeeding. There's some good info about how big a newborn's stomach actually is.

[misskittyfantastico]

If your keen for BFing info in terms of what's normal, troubleshooting etc...
Kellymom.com is your friend!

[turquoisecoast]

thanks ladies! I've emailed the ABA re a class session held next month.

will be good to get a rundown on the basics!!

[misskittyfantastico]

thanks ladies! I've emailed the ABA re a class session held next month.

will be good to get a rundown on the basics!!

I know I'm going to sound like a bit of an ABA traitor but while they're a great resource that should be supported, they're purely voluntary and sometimes the helpline is not so good.
I feel like your best bet is a really good, private lactation consultant and some kellymom.
Breastfeeding is hard work but it's like anything - you need the right support and info to have any chance of success.