Am I teaching my 2 month old bad nursing habits?

[@llli*tanpixie]

Hey,
So as you know I'm a first time Mum and having some difficulty with things - breast feeding for the most part has been ok, more mental issues than physical.

I think though I may be creating bad habits or not letting habits form as I'm so paranoid about her getting enough milk that I offer her the breast at any given opportunity- all it has seems to have done is make her cry a lot when I offer it to her or she'll take it and then wait for a let down then pull off - now it seems i have no idea when she's hungry as I see every thing she does as being a cue, hands in mouth, tongue in and out, head bobbing around.

eg : this morning she fed at 8am - she only had a small amount of pee in her diaper from the night so I thought she ws dehydrated as it was a little dark and incredibly hot here, so she fed well but then I offered it to her about at 8.40 as she was doing mouth cues and she kinda ate but fell asleep and then again at 9.20 she got a little but then cried and then again at 10.30 - only a little and cried and now at 11.20 - all these times I've initiated it through thinking she was hungry - but all times she's cried but still wetting diapers - so I think I'm being a bad Mum by doing this but can't figure out what to do!

I feel like she hasn't fed since 8.30.

Any help or thoughts would be great - I think she may have an upset tummy as she did a particularly runny brown splog today normally they are yellow and seedy.

I know i need to chill and be less stressed and I'm trying honestly but any thoughts on how I can allow her to eat when she's hungry as opposed to me just feeding her all the time, which I think is not good for her.

Thanks!

[@llli*auderey]

Mama, chill out!

Feeding a 2 month old all the time is just what breastfeeding is about. It's pretty much the only thing she needs right now. You cannot feed her too much. If you offer and she takes it, fine. If you offer and she doesn't take it, fine. As long as she's gaining.

Have you ever heard of the idea that human babies have a "4th trimester"? That our heads are so big, we are born way earlier than other mammals, and so the first 3 months is basically just getting up to where other mammal babies would be at birth? That means that til then, babies do very little. Not much communication, not much mobility, etc. Before you know it she's going to be crawling all over the place and then demanding milk very clearly.

But more importantly - where are all these stressful ideas coming from? Are people criticizing you? Are you reading crap like What to expect when you're expecting? Have you sat down with your Womanly Art of Breastfeeding yet?

You are doing an awesome job of hangning in there with the breastfeeding, but you are SO RIGHT when you say your issues are mostly mental So chill. Relax and enjoy your baby and stop worrying so much!

[@llli*tanpixie]

ok you're right thank you for replying, I guess if she doesn't want it she's not hungry - she's gaining beautifully and is a very happy baby but with an over cautious and slightly paranoid Mumma .... goodness me I do need to relax you're right, I count diapers every day even have a log, check her poop, time her feeds, (only for myself never for her) whilst all this is probably good, it's probably not so good for me when I'm paranoid about everything!!
Thanks - will use the rest of this day to just laugh, change her when her nappy is wet and feed without fear!

That should be a name of a breast feeding book, 'how to feed without fear!'

xo Thanks Auderey

[@llli*tanpixie]

OH I don't have a copy of Womanly Art of Breast-feeding, will look online now.

[@llli*auderey]

Thanks - will use the rest of this day to just laugh, change her when her nappy is wet and feed without fear!

YES! good for you. do it.

i can sometimes go overboard with the tracking stuff ... it's in my nature to count ... but try to let it go. there's no reason at all for you to be timing her feeds, counting her diapers anymore. release yourself to just enjoy your baby!

WAB is the LLL book, and it's great. amazon for $13ish.

[@llli*tanpixie]

I just purchased it - thank you!

[@llli*auderey]

enjoy! your baby and the book!

[@llli*mommal]

Excellent advice from the PP. Chill out, mama! . As long as baby is gaining weight and having the appropriate number of wet diapers in a 24 hour period, there's no reason to worry about an occasional dry diaper or a diaper that seems to have dark-colored urine or whether or not the baby had a big meal or a tiny snack... Just let the worry go.

Your baby's nursing cues are very confusing right now, but that's normal. Newborns often have very clear hunger cues- mouthing, rooting, sucking, making small urgent cries- but as newborns turn into babies those cues become much less reliable because babies start experimenting with their voices and their mouths and their hands, trying to learn what feels good and what gets mom's attention. Luckily, you cannot overfeed a breastfed baby, so you can offer to nurse whenever baby seems to be cueing or fussy or whatever, and just have faith that things will work out.

[@llli*jenna562]

yep stop tracking and enjoy your baby. There is an essay about why African (?) babies dont cry and the answer is that mom is BF for every issue. This is they way you are supposed to do it! Keep it up mama your instincts are correct.

[@llli*worknpump]

You're doing great! I know it's hard to relax. Honestly as babies get older (my DD is also exactly 2 months) the cues do become more confusing. Some of that head bobbing, rooting around stuff is just tiredness and over-stimulation, I think. I always offer the breast when I see those cues but if she doesn't take it then I assume she's just tired and I put her to sleep. Sometimes I think she just wants to suck but doesn't want milk. Anyways, hang in there. Think how far you've come!