[Breast feeding during the first few days after birth: sometimes insufficient]

Abstract

Two newborn infants that were receiving breast-feeding were admitted to hospital for drowsiness and jaundice on the 6th and 4th day of life, respectively; these were a male infant that had been yellow since the very first day and a female infant that did not grasp the breast properly. Both recovered thanks to phototherapy and the administration of extra fluids. Seven days after discharge, the female infant was readmitted for the same symptoms, after which the breast-feeding was found to be insufficient and the infant was put on bottle-feeding. In infants that are being breast-fed, insufficient intake can result in dehydration with all of its consequences. Such insufficient intake may be difficult to recognise. Weight loss greater than 5% implies that more frequent feeding is necessary and a loss of more than 10% may mean that supplementary feeding is necessary, albeit temporarily.