When they send you home with a brand new human being it can be daunting to get your head around this huge responsibility. I bet you’ve read that the “fourth trimester” is about bonding with your baby, but instead, you might be finding yourself feeling lost and confused with only Google and your Mother-in-Law’s “helpful” comments for company.
If you’re nodding whilst staring bleary-eyed at the back of a formula bottle or wondering whether you should wake your sleeping baby for a breastfeed, then worry not. Take a breath and read my foolproof newborn feeding tips.
HINT: My first tip is to put your coffee in a thermos, trust me, it’s a game-changer!
1. Focus on regular frequent feeding in the day
Newborn babies usually feed every 2-3 hours (3-4 if formula fed). But, like adults, every baby’s appetite is a little different and they can’t tell you when they’re feeling peckish.
When I’m helping a family with feeding I focus on encouraging their baby to get the maximum amount of calories during the day. Why?
- Giving your baby regular and frequent feeds during daylight hours helps them sleep longer at night (more on that later).
- In the first 2 weeks, the focus is getting your baby back up to their birth weight.
- If you’re breastfeeding then this regular feeding has the added bonus of building up your supply, which can take around 6 weeks to become fully established.
When it comes to working out if your baby is hungry or not, there are some telltale hunger cues to watch out for:
- Sticking out their tongue
- Rooting actions (looking for your breast)
- Sucking on everything
- Opening their mouth a lot, and
- Licking their lips
So, if it’s been around 3 hours since a feed, then “yes” you do need to wake up your little snoozer, however cute they look in their bassinet!
2. Invest in hero products
I’m not a fan of long lists of “must-haves” for your nursery. Most are created by companies who want to sell you all of their stuff. And a lot of it you don’t really need. However, I recommend these to all of my families:
- The Haakaa: a silicone hand breast pump. No off-putting noises while you try to pump discreetly and no complicated tubing system to clean. You can use this to build up a freezer stash for when you feel able to get out of the house.
- Breast shells: lifesavers in the early days when both you and baby are getting used to how everything works. They work to protect your sore nipples and to collect extra milk.
3. Think about sleep
I know, you spend most of your time thinking about sleep right now (in between sniffing the top of your baby’s head and trying to work out how many muslins one tiny human can get through). But food and sleep are intimately connected in a newborn’s little life.
I’m not a fan of the term “sleep training” and I prefer to focus on prevention. Making sure that you’ve got feeding sorted is the first step towards avoiding sleepless nights.
Once your baby has hit their birth weight then you might want to think about cutting back on night feeds. This is where my strategy of maximum calories during the day comes into its own. You can still make sure that your baby is getting all the calories they need to grow their tiny bodies and brains, whilst encouraging them to wake less during the night.
One of the most effective strategies I use with families is splitting evening feeds. Give your little one a feed at the beginning of the bedtime routine, then splash your way through bathtime, before an extra feed to top up the tank for night time.
4. Ask for help
Even with all the useful Google pages in the world, this is hard. You’re exhausted and your baby hasn’t read any of the books.
My bespoke baby and newborn packages offer tailored advice and personalised routines that fit with the rhythm of your household. Whether you need an outsider’s perspective, to troubleshoot a particular problem, or just a sympathetic listening ear, get in touch.
It takes a village to raise a child. I’d love to be part of yours.
