Breastfeeding In The Early Weeks: What To Expect

Congratulations! You just welcomed your baby into the world. It may be your first child, your second, or even your fourth! This may be your first time breastfeeding or you may consider yourself an “old pro”. Every mom finds themselves at a point in those first 6 weeks questioning themselves. Even the most experienced mom hits a point of “wait, maybe something is off here!” So what can you expect in the first 6 weeks? What is normal? What are red flags something is wrong??

What is normal:

Nursing, and lots of it. Newborns cluster nurse and they do this frequently! Many time a mom feels like they can not possibly have enough milk or their child wouldn’t be nursing all the time. The fact is that cluster nursing is normal and is telling your body to produce more milk! Remember breastmilk digests quickly and babies have small stomachs. This means frequent nursing!http://kellymom.com/parenting/parenting-faq/fussy-evening/

Wanting to be held 24/7. Remember, your baby was inside the womb for 9 months. All it knows is that warm secure environment. The world is a big new place! Babies want to be held, snuggled and feel secure. You may feel like the only time your baby is happy is when they are on you, and that’s normal. 

Gas and grumbling stomachs. Your baby’s digestive system is still maturing and this means, gas. It is very normal for babies to have excess gas, especially around growth spurts. Bicycle legs and stomach massaging can help. Gas can also be caused by many supply boosting herbs so you may want to consider cutting those out. http://kellymom.com/parenting/parenting-faq/gassybaby/

Spit up. Moms often freak out over spit up, but 9/10 times it is harmless. Babies are happy spitters most of the time and the amount of liquid they spit up is often much less than what you believe. Spit up is only a problem if your baby screams in pain or is loosing weight. http://kellymom.com/health/baby-health/reflux/

Not sleeping. At this age most babies nurse every 2 - 3 hours around the clock. That can be very exhausting for a new mom, but also very very normal. Remember especially during growth spurts babies nurse frequently. Typically by about 6 to 10 weeks babies will go a 3 - 5 hour stretch at night. Remember: for a baby sleeping through the night is sleeping more than 5 hours in a row! 

What is not normal:

Bleeding cracked nipples. There can be some initial nipple tenderness when nursing, but anything more than that is a sign something is wrong. It could simply be a baby not getting a deep enough latch or it could be an indicator of a lip or tongue tie. If you are in that much pain you should seek out an IBCLC as soon as possible. 

Low weight gain. Poor weight gain is a sign something isn’t right. While most moms jump to the conclusion of low supply, a poor transfer can also be the issue. If your baby is not gaining weight well a visit with an IBCLC should be your first stop. http://kellymom.com/bf/normal/weight-gain/

Remember, those first 6 – 12 weeks of breastfeeding can be exhausting. Babies go through a ton of growth spurts and it seems like just when you have things figured out, something else changes. It’s very normal for them to have a period of fussing at night, or a witching hour. It’s very normal for them to want to be held all the time and cry when put down. It’s perfectly normal for them to want to eat every 1 – 3 hours around the clock. It is exhausting, but all normal!http://kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing/

How Does Food Really Affect Your Breastmilk?

Do any of these sound familiar?

“You’re not eating beans are you?! That will give your baby horrible gas!”
“You can’t eat that candy cane, mint will cause your supply to dry up!”
“Are you sure you want coffee? That’s going to keep your baby up all night long!”
“Bell peppers gave my kids horrendous gas. You should avoid them at all costs!”

We’ve all been told well meaning advice about what we should and should not eat when breastfeeding. Everyone will tell you a food that you should avoid, everything from broccoli to chocolate! But how much do we really need to be concerned with what we are eating when we breastfeed? 

First, let’s get one thing straight. No matter what you are eating, your body will still produce the perfect breast milk for your baby. 

So why do people suggest avoiding specific foods? First off, gas. How many times does someone say something made their baby gassy. Just because a food makes you a little gassy does not mean it will do the same to your baby. Newborns digestive systems are still immature, hence the gas. Often times gas is worse overnight or early in the morning, which is why women often think something they ate the night before is the cause. In most cases it’s just normal newborn gas. Thrush, oversupply, and a strong letdown can also cause gas issues in newborns. Gas is also notorious for showing up during growth spurts which are plentiful in those first months! These are much more likely culprits than something you may have eaten the night before. (http://kellymom.com/parenting/parenting-faq/gassybaby/) 

Another thing people are told to avoid is coffee and/or caffeine. While yes, some babies can be sensitive to caffeine, most are just fine. From Dr. Hale it’s rated an L2 and found at low levels in breast milk. And just because your LO suddenly wakes up at night doesn’t mean it’s the coffee! Remember sleepless nights are a large part of the first year due to growth spurts, teething, and sleep regression. In fact caffeine peaks in your system 1 – 2 hours post drink so unless you are having a late night coffee binge its probably just a fluke! (http://kellymom.com/bf/can-i-breastfeed/lifestyle/caffeine/) 

And what about supply lowering foods? Moms are told often to avoid specific foods because they will cause supply to decrease. While some herbs can have a negative impact on milk supply, the amount needed to do so is therapeutic quantities. This means that eating mint flavored chocolate or adding oregano to your cooking isn’t going to affect your supply. (http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/herbs_to_avoid/) 

When IS it appropriate to change your diet for baby? When you notice excessive spitting up, consistent green and mucousy poops, bad “baby acne” or eczema, dry skin, colic and fussiness.
Cutting out large amount of veggies and fruits from the diet (ie, eating a “bland” diet of starches and meats) is actually one of the worst approaches to this problem. In many cases the culprit turns out to be a dairy/soy sensitivity. 

So what is the take away here? Babies have gas, its normal. The chances are if your baby is gassy it is NOT something you ate. Babies not sleeping at night is normal, it’s probably NOT due to caffeine. If you are worried about your baby showing signs of a food sensitivity, keep a food log to try and track down the offending food. Dairy, Soy, and Gluten are 3 big offenders. 

Happy Eating!