Need advice and tips on nursing. Feeling over whelmed?

Early nursing behavior can be really routine OR it can be really frequent - both are normal. Colostrum is very thick & slow flowing, so nursing tends to be a bit longer than it is later for many babies as well as very frequent. There isn't much for sugar or fats in colostrum. It is primarily made up of proteins. The reason being that the antibodies you give ot he baby are in the form of protein chains. Right now you are mostly giving him an amazing immune system super dose - so he may nurse a lot less constantly once the milk comes in OR you may have a boobie addict (I have had one too) and he may just love to live on the boobies. Even if that is the case - you WILL get longer than 15 minute breaks. Just try to be patient in this early part. Get yourself a Moby wrap ASAP. It is NOT my favorite overall wrap/carrier (an Ergo is once baby is a bit older) - it IS hands down the easiest wrap to breastfeed handsfree in. It is also much more secure so baby has an easier time staying latched while you are moving around. This will help you in a couple of ways - you mention wanting to be able to nurse in public like while shopping. This allows you all the coverage you could possibly want AND it allows you to keep moving if you want to...so you can continue to get things done even when the baby is a marathon nurser. It also will free you up at home to do things like nurse the baby WHILE bathing your 22 month old (or playing or whatever you need to do). There is a little learning curve with getting it wrapped well - but I am fairly uncoordinated & I got the hang of it in a few days so I am sure you can figure it out. :) This video gives you the basic idea - although I always pulled the center a bit higher, etc - you adjust until you get it secure & you can feel when it is snug. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7Tn-vtLFic Whiel driving you treat it the same as you did your baby that was bottlefed. You feed on cue & if it is time to nurse, pull over & nurse. All you are looking for right now is good diaper output. That will tell you everything you need to know about "how much". I know you said this is totally backwards & while it might be quite different, it is actually completely forwards. This is how babies are meant to be fed. If knowing "how much" was going in was important, our breasts would come like measuring cups. All you need to know you can find out from diapers. You cannot poop or pee out what does not go in. Here is a good diaper chart: http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/enough-milk.html And do not worry about putting him on any schedule. He will let you know when he is hungry & when he is, feed him. The first several weeks are bit chaotic & then it slowly but surely starts to settle out into a basic pattern or routine & you can have some idea of what to expect. The most common pattern of nursing is about every 2 hrs - meaning 2 hrs from the beginning of one feed until the beginning of the next (and even babies who do that most of the time will occasionally want to feed more or less frequently). This is just due to how easily breastmilk is digested. It is broken down completely within 2 hrs. He may feed more often or he may go as long as 4 hrs between feeds (I've known one baby who did that from almost day one). You just wait it out & see what he does. Keep in mind too that you will hit growth spurts. when you do the baby nurses like crazy & acts a bit fussy & will often seem to be starving, your breasts will also tend to be softer than usual at that time due to so much nursing. Do NOT mistake that as lack of supply. That is the baby signaling your body to make more milk. these come at about 7-10 days, 3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months & then every 3 months thereafter. Do NOT offer pumped milk or formula during these times. It is only going to prolong the behavior (acting starving, nursing constantly, fussing at the breast, etc) because it will delay your body getting the right signals to catch up. if the latch is fine & you aren't having pain & the baby is pooping & peeing enough then the ONLY obstacle to successful nursing is mom's lack of confidence in the natural process. Trust your baby & your body & you WILL be fine. Good luck & kudos to you for pumping those 11 months - I did it while at work only & that was more than enough pumping for me. LOL It is a lot of work & hassle & hard to keep up supply. If you did that, once you get to 12 weeks, you will be AMAZED at how easy nursing becomes.

"i dont no if he is getting enough" But how did you know your daughter was 'getting enough'? The numbers are meaningless; there isn't a reliable metric for 'a baby of X age and X weight requires X milk/day.' Human milk changes throughout the day and throughout a feed; it's impossible to know what's 'enough' -- letting the baby regulate it is the way to know baby is getting enough. However: http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=doc-IMB "how do you nurse in public like at the grocery store or what do u do if the baby wants to nurse while youre driving?" Find a comfy chair; with a baby young enough to start crying, pull over. "when and how to start putting them on a schedule" ?!? Scheduling is associated with breastfeeding failure -- strict scheduling is associated with 'failure to thrive.' Don't. He will settle down with the nursing before long; in the meantime, make sure the latch is just right. Latching videos: http://www.breastfeedinginc.ca/content.php?pagename=videos

It sounds like he's hungry. He's only 2 days old so your milk probably has not have fully come in yet. My milk came in 3 or 4 days after birth and some women, it takes up to 7 days. If your milk hasn't come in yet, he's got to be latched all the time because you really don't produce much colostrum at one time (significantly less than when you start producing milk). Just keep allowing him to nurse right now. It'll help bring in your milk faster! Also, you probably could see a lactation consultant - not a maternity nurse but an actual consultant. They can see how his latch is, whether it's efficient, whether he's sucking well..etc. Are your nipples sore at all? If they are, then it might be that he's not latched on quite right just yet (doesn't mean that it won't come, or that he's not geting anything, it just means that you've both got to learn how to do it a little better). Once your milk comes in, providing your milk supply is good (and it will likely be fine since you did well with your daughter), he will start feeding less often. You could also start drinking mother's milk tea (you can find it in health food stores). It'll help boost your milk supply if you're at all worried, As for nursing while driving - you simply can't. You'll have to drive with him crying. Maybe just stay home until your milk comes in, that way it'll be less stressful for you. If you do have to go out in the car, don't go far from home. When I took my son out, I always put him in a moby carrier or maya sling (upright position). I would go out after he'd been up for a while, so when I made it to the grocery store, he'd sleep well (they sleep so much better when they are pressed up next to you). I never carried him around in his carseat carrier because it actually curves their little spine a lot and makes it harder to breathe, and it can flatten their head if they are in there too long. Also, he would never sleep very long in the carseat. There were two times when he woke up and I had to nurse him, while I was grocery shopping. I just took my cart over to the customer service desk and asked them to watch it (don't get the frozen stuff until the very end lol) and went and found a bench (either in the adjacent mall or outside) and would nurse him. I was never embarrassed about nursing in public - and I never used a cover - my son would have nothing to do with it. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do, especially when you have a hungry newborn lol. I think you're doing fine. NBs do feed a lot, especially the first 2-3 weeks. They also take forever to nurse (45 minutes for a feeding). Just go with the flow. Don't worry about a schedule right now. I know you're overwhelmed but it will get better. Also, 'wearing' your son will probably make your life a lot easier. You'll be able to strap him onto you and do stuff with your daughter.

The best way to tell if he's getting enough is if he's pooping and growing. It is totally normal for them to eat a ton the first couple of weeks. They are doing so much growing. My daughter had trouble latching on one side so we started using a nipple guard, which is supposedly for the purpose of protecting your nipple when it's irritated, but we used it to help latch. And we just used that thing all the time until I weaned her. This is the one I used: http://www.cvs.com/CVSApp/catalog/shop_product_detail.jsp?skuId=260269&productId=260269&WT.mc_id=Shopping_Feed_Products_Google_Free_Listing When you nurse in public try to find a dressing room, people are very accommodating. Or else use a nursing cape to cover yourself (by law you don't even have to cover) and find a comfy spot out of the way somewhere. I can't tell you how many times we nursed in the car (make sure you pull over!) Once your baby stops nursing constantly, maybe a couple of weeks down the road, you can feed on a regular schedule, usually every 1 1/2 or 2 hours. Just feel it out to find what works best for you. You can even do one side during a feeding, or do both sides. Most people like to do both sides during one feeding, but I only did one side each time until the very end when we started weaning, because that just worked best for me. If you do both sides in one feeding, make sure you start with the last one you left off with to ensure it is getting completely emptied, which will help your production.