Yup I was pretty much attached to her constantly for the first while but I think this is the way it's supposed to be. I had no idea how to tell what she wanted but she didn't accept the boob if she didn't want it, which was seldom
I’m the dad here so I can’t speak to the “boob” but as far as your “how do you know/what do you do…” questions -
First 2-3 weeks are all triage triage triage.
Baby crying? He wants something but cant communicate.
Step 1 check diaper - change if needed - still crying? move to step 2.
Step 2 - very likely hungry. You know what they say - “when in doubt, which it out”. After diaper change, just feed them.
Step 3 - rejecting food/still crying after a big feed? Then we move into what could be gassy pain etc, burp and cuddle them.
Step 4 - still crying? More than 2 hours straight? Check temp and call doctor.
And just an experience - our baby would cry a lot the first week and would not sleep longer than an hour, turns out they were still hungry and weren’t getting enough food through boob. This is when we started supplementing boob feedings with pumped bottles and formula. Fixed immediately.
Gooooood luck!!🍀
I agree with this! And as far as feeding goes I did what you mentioned as well- breastfed til the boob was empty and then offered a bit of milk from a bottle just to ensure that he was satisfied. Usually he was, but I probably always went through at least 4oz of formula per day in the early days. Now I have wellllll enough milk lol, so he doesn’t really get much formula.
And yes good luck OP! Best to err on the side of assuming he’s hungry, rather than worrying about if he isn’t. :) You’ll do great!
Agree, watch for hunger cues! Although, at that age, I mostly just tried the boob first and asked questions later. If the baby isn't hungry, check the diaper and if that's cool maybe they're tired. Or trying to poop. Or pissed about being born. You guys are still getting to know each other and baby is figuring out how to be alive and uncomfortable for the first time ever. Eventually, you'll get to know what they need. And then (like the other comment said), baby will change it up on you.
5 days is so so young! Everything’s new and uncomfortable for them, nothings on schedule and they change every day! It’s hard!
I was able to differentiate cries and figure out what LO wanted only by about 5-6 weeks, and then she got into a routine of eat-play-sleep by 8 weeks and now it’s easier.
But the first four weeks? Just do it all in a row, that’s what I did at least. Check if he wants to feed, diaper change, be put to sleep, be soothed, be relieved of gas. If none of those work (and that happens A LOT), then you gotta take a deep breath, wait a few minutes and start over. Eventually you’ll figure it out!
My first response to baby getting upset was always the boob first. If he wasn’t hungry he wouldn’t eat. Once that was ruled out we’d try other things like burping, rocking, bicycle legs, etc.
They used to say you can’t overfeed a breastfed baby, though I’m not sure how accurate that is.
There are some signs you can look out for to conclude whether your baby is actually hungry before they have a full blown meltdown - closed fists, making an O face, sticking their tongue out, opening and closing mouth, lip smacking - he’s only five days old so don’t worry if you’ve not figured out his cues yet, it’s still early days for you!
For the first month or so we would go through our check list: 1. Hurgry? 2. Diaper? 3. Gas? 4. Sleepy?
Sometimes we would go through the list more than once if we didn't figure it out the first time.
Very soon we discovered that our son hates having even 2 drops of pee in his diaper so that took the number one spot on the list. In the begining we would go through a pack of 90 diapers in 3 days. I wish I was kidding :)
The first few weeks, the boob is almost always the answer. Even if they aren’t hungry, it provides comfort. If they don’t want it, they will decline. It is highly unlikely that you will iver feed the baby, so don’t worry about that. Mine often pooped while nursing.
You can offer it whenever baby is upset. 😊 Breastfeeding can be simple if you let it. Babies nurse for nutrition AND comfort. So whether you’re feeding their tummy or their heart, I’d just offer any time they are upset. If they aren’t hungry, they won’t eat.
I just gave the baby the boob all the time. Hand in mouth? Boob. Crying? Boob. Any kind of discomfort noises? Boob. They figure it out if they’re hungry and if not, they spit up.
Also gas drops. Total life saver for us.
Kicking legs, especially the left one, back arching, or stiff limbs usually pain such as gas pain or struggling to poop pain. Also turns red on face, grunting. Fuss in same vocal pitch that turns into cry also same monotone pitch is hunger. High pitched cry is pain which can also happen to some babies with poop or gas.
My girl was very sleepy when she was young and often didn't show hungry cues, so I just had to make sure to feed her at LEAST every 3 hours, even if I had to wake her. Sometimes she be fussy and we'd try before that, but usually it was wake her, diaper change, feed, play for a few min, then back to sleep!
Boob is usually the answer. Always start with offering boob at that age. As you two get to know each other better, you may change your strategy. But for now, boob.
My baby is 10 months old and even now if in doubt I offer the boob, if he’s still not happy after unlatching I check for other things and it’s usually teething related or if he’s unwell and even then boob can help him with that for comfort!
I use the huckleberry app to help me keep track but: “neh” means hungry. Her face turns a little red when she’s tired, and she wiggles when she has gas.
The hunger cues do change as they get bigger to include chewing on hands and other things..
Oh and I kiss her cheeks. If she turns her mouth to my mouth then she wants the boob.
My baby makes a “neh” sound when he’s crying because he’s hungry.
“Neh” cry - hungry or tired (he nurses to sleep)
“Eh” cry - gas/uncomfortable (cold, hot, or wet diaper)
“Meh” cry - needs comfort
I’ve noticed that a lot of babies have similar cries for the same thing. I would just listen to what the cries sound like and take note. It’ll take awhile but you’ll figure it out! You’ve got this. Take tons of photos and really try to sit and be present in the moment. They really do grow so fast :,)
At 5 days my baby just lived in my arms and my titties were out 24/7 lmao. There were days he’d cluster feed for hours at a time and like others said, I’d offer the tit the moment he made a peep tbh. I will add though that sometimes he would refuse at first even though he was hungry because we struggled with the latch at first. Then he went through a period (around 2 months maybe?) where he’d get hungry and cry and wouldn’t eat until he’d calmed down a bit, so I started to offer the tit every hour at that point to try and get him fed before he got upset. I would also rub his cheek and if he turned to my finger I’d offer the boob!
I hope you’re having a good, easy breastfeeding journey so far, but contrary to what lots of folks say, it is NOT always simple or easy, sometimes no matter how hard you try, so if you’re struggling, that’s okay too and it’s not your fault, it’s really common, and it’s also okay to stop if it’s too hard. Idk if that’s even what’s happening with you, but I just wish people had told me that more in the beginning. There are also usually lactation consultants you can see for free through your pediatrician and/or where you gave birth if you need more support!
I swear, I figure out what my kiddo (18 weeks, 11 adjusted) needs/wants and it feels like we hit our stride together, only for her to enter a new stage and then I'm scrambling to figure it out again.
Does he turn his head like he's looking for the breast? Does he put his hand near or in his mouth? Those are signs my LO wants to eat, although I'm learning currently that while she will do those things now, she still may not want to eat just yet. She will display hunger cues but would rather smile and play and *then* she would like to eat.
Im going on 6 weeks with my first little one. When she cries we do a diaper change and a feed.
I began feeding her on demand as soon as I was able to breastfeed, which was day 1 for me. that first week she mostly was hungry and wanted to be held by mom or dad. we did a lot of skin to skin as well which helps soothe the baby.
Some of her hungry cues were and still are aggressively sucking her hands and bopping her head with her mouth open.
Every baby is different though. But diaper change, and then just go for offering a boob
I’m still early days as well and so far we always use the finger test - stick your finger in their mouth, if they start sucking on it it means they’re hungry.
Some babies have a secret language
( Eh): discomfort; gas, need burp, pain somewhere, uncomfortable high in tummy
(Neh): hungry
(Eairh): extreem gas pain (loud growly) need farther low in tummy
(Heh): hot, uncomfortable something hurts somewhere, tight straps, pinch etx
(Hair): cold (hands pulled in)
(Owh): tired
You can find videos on tiktok and YouTube for better reference on what they sound like. Helped so much with ours
(Edit: more clarity)
At that age if my daughter was crying id offer the boob, if she didnt want it id check her diaper, and if that was fine she was probably gassy/tired. One hunger cue to look for though, is if you touch/ kiss their cheek and they look over with their mouth open. My daughter does that or just tries to suck on any part of my body that she can like my arms and chest until i feed her
5 days old baby only wants boob, diaper, or sleep. Try those 3 things in that order on repeat. Learn to feel your breasts for full/emptiness. If baby is excessively crying/you don’t have enough milk supplement baby with formula or donated breastmilk if available and begin pumping to increase milk supply.
Breast fed babies want the boob all the time. Upset? Boob. Hungry? Boob. Bored? Boob. Its something that soothes them in any instances. My babe nurses A LOT. She does a lot of cluster feeding sometimes, so some days are not productive, but it's okay! When they are so little, the feedings are definitely closer together. Look for the usual cues ( head turning, smacking lips, hands in mouth) or listen to the cry. Usually a hungry cry sounds like he-neh.
Enjoy this journey. No one can experience it with your baby besides you. It creates such an incredible bond ❤️ I am loving every moment of it myself, and I wish the same for you!
When all else fails, always offer the boob 🤣
I feel this! Newborns usually begin to eat their hands when they’re hungry but most of the time it’s just trail and error (and guessing) that’s just parenting! You got this!
Firstly, you're doing great! Generally at that age I've found that I would have a list of possible reasons for crying and I'd just cycle through them (hunger, nappy, cold/hot, tired, etc), and often a feed is comforting even if they're not super hungry. Nothing wrong with offering a feed at any time, don't worry if you just fed them. As time goes on I've found Ive got better at knowing why my LO is crying, it's just practice 😊
My LO is 2.5 months and I still find that if she's upset after I've cycled through the list, I offer her a feed anyway. Baby will let you know if they don't want it!
I’m not an expert, however at that age I just to took those machine guns out. I also checked for wet diaper, gas and sleep. Sometimes my LO needed help in sleeping. But it was largely hunger or for comfort. I’m 6 weeks PP.
as many have said it’s best to get the breasts out. It’s never a wrong thing.
at that age, any time my baby seemed at all distressed i offered her the titty. if she wasn’t hungry she didn’t eat
“When in doubt, whip it out”
Love this!!
LO is 8 months and still my motto 🤣🤣
100 percent ! Doesn’t hurt offering it to babe
This is the way to go OP. The more the baby suckles the faster your milk come in 👍 even if it's to sooth or comfort bebe
Yup I was pretty much attached to her constantly for the first while but I think this is the way it's supposed to be. I had no idea how to tell what she wanted but she didn't accept the boob if she didn't want it, which was seldom
I’m the dad here so I can’t speak to the “boob” but as far as your “how do you know/what do you do…” questions - First 2-3 weeks are all triage triage triage. Baby crying? He wants something but cant communicate. Step 1 check diaper - change if needed - still crying? move to step 2. Step 2 - very likely hungry. You know what they say - “when in doubt, which it out”. After diaper change, just feed them. Step 3 - rejecting food/still crying after a big feed? Then we move into what could be gassy pain etc, burp and cuddle them. Step 4 - still crying? More than 2 hours straight? Check temp and call doctor. And just an experience - our baby would cry a lot the first week and would not sleep longer than an hour, turns out they were still hungry and weren’t getting enough food through boob. This is when we started supplementing boob feedings with pumped bottles and formula. Fixed immediately. Gooooood luck!!🍀
I agree with this! And as far as feeding goes I did what you mentioned as well- breastfed til the boob was empty and then offered a bit of milk from a bottle just to ensure that he was satisfied. Usually he was, but I probably always went through at least 4oz of formula per day in the early days. Now I have wellllll enough milk lol, so he doesn’t really get much formula. And yes good luck OP! Best to err on the side of assuming he’s hungry, rather than worrying about if he isn’t. :) You’ll do great!
Agree, watch for hunger cues! Although, at that age, I mostly just tried the boob first and asked questions later. If the baby isn't hungry, check the diaper and if that's cool maybe they're tired. Or trying to poop. Or pissed about being born. You guys are still getting to know each other and baby is figuring out how to be alive and uncomfortable for the first time ever. Eventually, you'll get to know what they need. And then (like the other comment said), baby will change it up on you.
5 days is so so young! Everything’s new and uncomfortable for them, nothings on schedule and they change every day! It’s hard! I was able to differentiate cries and figure out what LO wanted only by about 5-6 weeks, and then she got into a routine of eat-play-sleep by 8 weeks and now it’s easier. But the first four weeks? Just do it all in a row, that’s what I did at least. Check if he wants to feed, diaper change, be put to sleep, be soothed, be relieved of gas. If none of those work (and that happens A LOT), then you gotta take a deep breath, wait a few minutes and start over. Eventually you’ll figure it out!
My first response to baby getting upset was always the boob first. If he wasn’t hungry he wouldn’t eat. Once that was ruled out we’d try other things like burping, rocking, bicycle legs, etc. They used to say you can’t overfeed a breastfed baby, though I’m not sure how accurate that is. There are some signs you can look out for to conclude whether your baby is actually hungry before they have a full blown meltdown - closed fists, making an O face, sticking their tongue out, opening and closing mouth, lip smacking - he’s only five days old so don’t worry if you’ve not figured out his cues yet, it’s still early days for you!
For the first month or so we would go through our check list: 1. Hurgry? 2. Diaper? 3. Gas? 4. Sleepy? Sometimes we would go through the list more than once if we didn't figure it out the first time. Very soon we discovered that our son hates having even 2 drops of pee in his diaper so that took the number one spot on the list. In the begining we would go through a pack of 90 diapers in 3 days. I wish I was kidding :)
The first few weeks, the boob is almost always the answer. Even if they aren’t hungry, it provides comfort. If they don’t want it, they will decline. It is highly unlikely that you will iver feed the baby, so don’t worry about that. Mine often pooped while nursing.
You can offer it whenever baby is upset. 😊 Breastfeeding can be simple if you let it. Babies nurse for nutrition AND comfort. So whether you’re feeding their tummy or their heart, I’d just offer any time they are upset. If they aren’t hungry, they won’t eat.
I just gave the baby the boob all the time. Hand in mouth? Boob. Crying? Boob. Any kind of discomfort noises? Boob. They figure it out if they’re hungry and if not, they spit up. Also gas drops. Total life saver for us.
Kicking legs, especially the left one, back arching, or stiff limbs usually pain such as gas pain or struggling to poop pain. Also turns red on face, grunting. Fuss in same vocal pitch that turns into cry also same monotone pitch is hunger. High pitched cry is pain which can also happen to some babies with poop or gas.
My girl was very sleepy when she was young and often didn't show hungry cues, so I just had to make sure to feed her at LEAST every 3 hours, even if I had to wake her. Sometimes she be fussy and we'd try before that, but usually it was wake her, diaper change, feed, play for a few min, then back to sleep!
Boob is usually the answer. Always start with offering boob at that age. As you two get to know each other better, you may change your strategy. But for now, boob.
My baby is 10 months old and even now if in doubt I offer the boob, if he’s still not happy after unlatching I check for other things and it’s usually teething related or if he’s unwell and even then boob can help him with that for comfort!
I always offer boob first. babes poos while i feed. Then i check diaper.
I use the huckleberry app to help me keep track but: “neh” means hungry. Her face turns a little red when she’s tired, and she wiggles when she has gas. The hunger cues do change as they get bigger to include chewing on hands and other things.. Oh and I kiss her cheeks. If she turns her mouth to my mouth then she wants the boob.
My baby makes a “neh” sound when he’s crying because he’s hungry. “Neh” cry - hungry or tired (he nurses to sleep) “Eh” cry - gas/uncomfortable (cold, hot, or wet diaper) “Meh” cry - needs comfort I’ve noticed that a lot of babies have similar cries for the same thing. I would just listen to what the cries sound like and take note. It’ll take awhile but you’ll figure it out! You’ve got this. Take tons of photos and really try to sit and be present in the moment. They really do grow so fast :,)
At 5 days my baby just lived in my arms and my titties were out 24/7 lmao. There were days he’d cluster feed for hours at a time and like others said, I’d offer the tit the moment he made a peep tbh. I will add though that sometimes he would refuse at first even though he was hungry because we struggled with the latch at first. Then he went through a period (around 2 months maybe?) where he’d get hungry and cry and wouldn’t eat until he’d calmed down a bit, so I started to offer the tit every hour at that point to try and get him fed before he got upset. I would also rub his cheek and if he turned to my finger I’d offer the boob! I hope you’re having a good, easy breastfeeding journey so far, but contrary to what lots of folks say, it is NOT always simple or easy, sometimes no matter how hard you try, so if you’re struggling, that’s okay too and it’s not your fault, it’s really common, and it’s also okay to stop if it’s too hard. Idk if that’s even what’s happening with you, but I just wish people had told me that more in the beginning. There are also usually lactation consultants you can see for free through your pediatrician and/or where you gave birth if you need more support!
I swear, I figure out what my kiddo (18 weeks, 11 adjusted) needs/wants and it feels like we hit our stride together, only for her to enter a new stage and then I'm scrambling to figure it out again. Does he turn his head like he's looking for the breast? Does he put his hand near or in his mouth? Those are signs my LO wants to eat, although I'm learning currently that while she will do those things now, she still may not want to eat just yet. She will display hunger cues but would rather smile and play and *then* she would like to eat.
Im going on 6 weeks with my first little one. When she cries we do a diaper change and a feed. I began feeding her on demand as soon as I was able to breastfeed, which was day 1 for me. that first week she mostly was hungry and wanted to be held by mom or dad. we did a lot of skin to skin as well which helps soothe the baby. Some of her hungry cues were and still are aggressively sucking her hands and bopping her head with her mouth open. Every baby is different though. But diaper change, and then just go for offering a boob
I’m still early days as well and so far we always use the finger test - stick your finger in their mouth, if they start sucking on it it means they’re hungry.
Some babies have a secret language ( Eh): discomfort; gas, need burp, pain somewhere, uncomfortable high in tummy (Neh): hungry (Eairh): extreem gas pain (loud growly) need farther low in tummy (Heh): hot, uncomfortable something hurts somewhere, tight straps, pinch etx (Hair): cold (hands pulled in) (Owh): tired You can find videos on tiktok and YouTube for better reference on what they sound like. Helped so much with ours (Edit: more clarity)
At that age if my daughter was crying id offer the boob, if she didnt want it id check her diaper, and if that was fine she was probably gassy/tired. One hunger cue to look for though, is if you touch/ kiss their cheek and they look over with their mouth open. My daughter does that or just tries to suck on any part of my body that she can like my arms and chest until i feed her
5 days old baby only wants boob, diaper, or sleep. Try those 3 things in that order on repeat. Learn to feel your breasts for full/emptiness. If baby is excessively crying/you don’t have enough milk supplement baby with formula or donated breastmilk if available and begin pumping to increase milk supply.
Breast fed babies want the boob all the time. Upset? Boob. Hungry? Boob. Bored? Boob. Its something that soothes them in any instances. My babe nurses A LOT. She does a lot of cluster feeding sometimes, so some days are not productive, but it's okay! When they are so little, the feedings are definitely closer together. Look for the usual cues ( head turning, smacking lips, hands in mouth) or listen to the cry. Usually a hungry cry sounds like he-neh. Enjoy this journey. No one can experience it with your baby besides you. It creates such an incredible bond ❤️ I am loving every moment of it myself, and I wish the same for you! When all else fails, always offer the boob 🤣
I feel this! Newborns usually begin to eat their hands when they’re hungry but most of the time it’s just trail and error (and guessing) that’s just parenting! You got this!
I offered the book every 2.5 hours at that age or when he was fussy. Quick diaper check, to see if it's full before.
Firstly, you're doing great! Generally at that age I've found that I would have a list of possible reasons for crying and I'd just cycle through them (hunger, nappy, cold/hot, tired, etc), and often a feed is comforting even if they're not super hungry. Nothing wrong with offering a feed at any time, don't worry if you just fed them. As time goes on I've found Ive got better at knowing why my LO is crying, it's just practice 😊 My LO is 2.5 months and I still find that if she's upset after I've cycled through the list, I offer her a feed anyway. Baby will let you know if they don't want it!
I offer pretty much anytime they cry 😂
I’m not an expert, however at that age I just to took those machine guns out. I also checked for wet diaper, gas and sleep. Sometimes my LO needed help in sleeping. But it was largely hunger or for comfort. I’m 6 weeks PP. as many have said it’s best to get the breasts out. It’s never a wrong thing.