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/
