Feeding Plan for Breastfeeding Difficulties

  • Feed your baby on demand, at least every 8-12 times in 24 hours. On demand means watching for cues that your baby is ready to eat. Feeding cues may include:  smacking or sucking movements, rooting, or bringing hands to mouth or face.  Crying is a late sign of hunger and may mean that you have missed your babies more subtle cues.
  • Wake your baby for feedings. Awaken baby if he or she has not eaten within three to four hours of the start of the last feeding. It may take several minutes to wake a sleepy baby.  Unwrap baby and remove the blanket, gently rub baby’s feet, hands or cheeks.  Sit baby upright and gently rub baby’s back.
  • Skin to skin holding is important. It helps mom’s make more milk, keeps infants interested in the breast, and has many other benefits for your baby.  Plan on spending lots of time skin to skin with your baby.  Undress baby to a diaper and hat then place baby bare chest to bare chest upright between your breasts.  Cover the baby’s back with a light blanket.  Remember dads can hold babies skin to skin too if mom needs a break.

At every feeding:

1)      Start with several minutes of skin to skin holding

2)      Offer baby the breast

a)      If baby does not latch well or eats poorly, continue encouraging baby to latch and feed.  Make sure to maintain a happy and positive experience for you and baby. If baby is still not eating and needs assistance, feed with expressed breast milk (formula as last option), by bottle (a slow flow or newborn nipple is preferred and try to have the feeding last 15-30 minutes).  Make sure to follow supplementation with pumping. Pump each breast for 10-15 minutes with a hospital grade pump including hand expression and massage helps to remove more milk from the breast. A good video to watch can be found here:  http://newborns.stanford.edu/Breastfeeding/MaxProduction.html

Keep a daily record of baby’s feedings at the breast, supplements given and wet and dirty diapers.

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