Newborn and very dry mouth, in pain! new mom needs help quick!!!

Question

My lil man was born 8/6 and we got home today everything seemed to be fine he just has jaundice but other than that seems to be ok, I'm not too sure if he's getting anything to eat though I am breastfeedin and aware that it takes a couple days for milk to come in and in the meantime he gets colostrum but im not even sure if thats comnig in....how do I know forsure if he's getting anything to eat? and how do i get rid of his dry mouth why is it so dry? hes crying so much and is drawing up his legs i need help what do i do?

Answer 1

Call your hospital. When you were discharged from the hospital they should have given you a phone number to call with any questions. The baby should be okay but I would call a professional--you can't play around when it comes to a newborn baby!!  

Answer 2

If they draw up their legs it usually means they have gas or are having trouble pooping, bicycle his legs!  If you want to see if you are producing colostrum just make your hand into a C shape and put your thumb on the top of your boob and the rest of the fingers on the bottom, roll them down and if you get yellowy clear stuff then you are producing colostrum and it is fine.  It may take a few tries and it is quite a bit of pressure.  You have to hit your areola with your bottom fingers.  If you want your baby to have less gas then eat a lot of fruit and high fiber foods, because he/she will get it through our milk.  Try not to eat to much chocolate, cheese and other dairy products, brussel sprouts, colley flower or brocolli.  It helps a lot!  Trust me, I went through the same thing.  If you still think your babies mouth is too dry then feed him again after he calms down because babies do not eat well when they have gas!  Hope that helps you solve your problem!

Answer 3

i would put a lil bit of water like an ounce or less and give it to him to help with the dry mouth. use baby formula if ur not sure if the breast milk is in yet

Answer 4

You need to take him to the hospital, babies can deteriorate very quickly with dehydration. Dehydration kills. Water is not the answer, it can also be dangerous for babies if you get the quantity wrong.

Th best thing you can do until you get medical attention is to put him to the breast. You will have colostrum if your milk hasn't come in yet. It may look like you have very little but the baby is much better at extracting it than hand expressing.

Jaundice babies need extra feeds and can dehydrate quickly. Has you baby had an SBR done? Jaundice can be dangerous if left.

Remember- put the baby to the breast!

Answer 5

If his mouth is dry, he's not getting anything to eat.  He's probably pulling his legs up because his tummy hurts from being empty.  

Try giving him some water from a bottle, see if that helps him until your milk comes in.  

Answer 6

Congratulations and your baby boy.

As a mommy of 2 children Benjamin 6 years and Isabella 10 weeks I only breast feed my children. Both of them were slightly jaundice too. I have a couple of suggestions for you, I hope they help give some peace of mind.

       One, please don't give your baby anything but the breast, not even water. Even though you only have colostrum right now, the more that you breast feed him the faster your milk will come in, if you start giving him other things your milk will take longer to come in, and your baby doesn't need anything but his mommy's milk. Hopefully your nurses told you that in the first couple of days your colostrum is the most important nourishment that your baby can receive.  

      Two, count the amount of wet diapers he has (write them down if you have to), if he has between 4 to 8 wet diapers then he's doing great.

      Three, keep a note pad with you and write down the time and length of time that he breast feeds. This will help give you peace of mind. If he's eating every 1 1/2 hours to every 3 1/2 hours then he's doing great. Just alternate which breast he starts on each time and if you need to, give him a chance to breast feed on both every time you feed him. (note that it's important to let him feed on one side until he pulls off and then offer the other side to him) if he's still hungry he'll take it, if not then he's had enough for a while. It's important not to give him a time limit, as each baby eats at his or her own pace and time length. When I breast fed my son, he eat every 1 1/2 to 2 hours for about 30 minutes at a time. My daughter eats every 2 to 3 hours for about 30 minutes at a time. And even then, there are days when my daughter decides that she wants to eat 1 1/2 to 2 hours for about 20 minutes at a time.

       Have you tried swaddling your son? Remember, he's been in his mommy's tummy use to being held tight, if he's drawing his legs up, maybe he's trying to be in the tight ball he was in, perhaps if you swaddle him, it will help calm him down and help him stop crying. It could also be possible that your baby has gas pains, which is common, if you're really concerned about him drawing up his legs and he's crying as though he's in a lot of pain, don't hesitate to call or take him into the dr. Also, to help with the dry mouth let him feed frequently, it could help, but that is also a question that perhaps his ped dr could answer for you.

       Don't worry, as a new mommy it's going to take a while for both you and your baby to get into a comfortable pattern, you are still getting use to each other, but it will happen.

       My last suggestion is that you contact a local La Leche League member or call the hospital to talk to a breast feeding consultant if you're still concerned about how much he's consuming.

Answer 7

I dont breast feed ( i tried it just didnt work out for us ) I think the rule is they need to be having 4-6 wet diapers in a 24 hour period. If I were you i would call your pediatrician's on call service just call leave your # name and a message and someone should call you back pretty soon it will make you feel better and dont worry they wont think you are crazy or over protective.  

Answer 8

he is getting enough, he may be really gassy though my son is only 3 weeksold and farts like a grown man. if u want to know if any thing is comming out pinch yur nipple and if theres fluid then hes eating yur milk will come in probly in the next 12 hrs so watch out it does hurt

Answer 9

Go to the hospital.

Answer 10

When is your next dr appt?  They'll weigh baby and be able to tell you if he's eating enough, or make an appt if your worried

Answer 11

is he having wet diapers? in not the dry mouth and not wetting would mean dehydration. I would call the hospital that you had him at and tell them what is going on. and in the mean time nurse him as long as he wants as often as he wants.  

Answer 12

call the hospital and talk to the nurse from the,whatever you call it,the nurses that were taking care of you and your baby. I did that like 3 times our first day home from the hospital. They were very nice and helpful. If you thinks he needs to see  a doc right now,then just go to the E.R. dont feel foolish ,as they will understand your a new parent and you are worried. Its not a good idea to give a baby that young some water. please just call the hospital and talk to one of the nurses that took care of the baby after he was born.