Can you really not oversees a breastfed baby?

[reren]

I am determined to exclusively breastfeed my 3 week old baby and we've been v lucky ( w great support from midwife)that he has latched on well and is feeding well. In fact that is my problem it seems to be constant w particularly long feeds at night and all evening. It's wearing me out a bit so I hoped some expert mums could give some words of encouragement to help spur me on. I've been told that after a while the feeds will be more efficientand less frequent - please tell me this is true! He is suffering a little w wind but is generally so good tempered and alert and happy - I'm sure all the feeding must be good for him - and of course I know all about the health benefits for me and for him. I know its worth it but I feel a bit like a prize dairy cow at the moment!

[Smiler]

Hi reren, I had the same thing with my daughters. Constant feeding for what seemed like hours, especially in the evening. Feeding frenzies basically! The midwife said it is the baby's way of generating more milk and it did seem to work. This time it has calmed down gradually, but even now (11 weeks) she likes lots of feeds in the early evening. I have just gone with it and think she has relaxed as the milk supply has increased. Knackering though! Hope it settles down for you soon.

[LeilahB]

I am having a similar experience with my two-week old. Last night she fed from midnight-3am and again at 5am and 6am. Our midwife also assures me that this will calm down but I am finding it a bit difficult, especially when I get up having had about 4 hours sleep and then have to deal with a toddler. Any tips on how to bring the mammoth feeds into daytime hours would be massively appreciated!

[Smiler]

I think it is unrealistic to expect anything else in the early weeks - Gina Ford et al have a lot to answer for! Hard-going for us mums though!

[ladywotlunches]

Hi There

Sorry that you are feeling worn out - I think at 3 weeks it really is one of those times when you wonder if it is ever going to get easier. It does, I promise!!

Not to scare you at all, and it is probably not the case, but have you read Moos' thread about tongue tie? Very long feeds I think can be normal, but hours on end of constant feeding (rather than keep on coming back for snacks) might be a sign. I think the mw can check for this very quickly, and if it did turn out to be the case, a tongue tie can be quickly rectified, so is nothing to worry about but worth checking for.

good luck x

[reren]

Ah it is nice to hear others feeling the same way -btw the post heading is supposed to be entitled 'can you really not OVERFEED a breastfed baby- that's 3 hours sleep plus overactive spell check for you!

[berryberry]

we've all been there. The cluster feeding drove me a little crazy so I upped my milk supply by expressing milk with a pump. It was just a more effective stimulant for the milk production and led to shorter more efficient feeds.

[Dudley]

Dear Reren,

I have a 13 month old and am still breastfeeding her after exclusively feeding her for the first 6 months.

My advice is that breastfeeding is very, very demanding on Mum especially in the beginning but it is worth it.

Mine feed for what felt like all evening. I remember just lying on the coach and with her beside me and her feeding on and off while watching TV. They will cluster feed at this time. From what I have read this is because your milk is lower in

the evening but remember the more you feed the more milk should be produced.

You probably do feel like a dairy cow but remember your little one is only 3 weeks old and he will not only want to feed but also wants to be as close as possible to his favourite person in the whole world - his Mum.

And what better way than feeding.

I don't know if you are co-sleeping but (and I know there are different views on this) my advice is that if you are breast feeding one of the benefits is that you don't have to get out of your bed at night to feed. So try to co-sleep or have him very close to you.

Other things I can think of is, although I never gave formula or even expressed (there are no bottles in the house),

if you are finding it really hard I don't think there is any problem in giving some milk you have expressed in the morning to baby in the evening. (or formula - 1 bottle a day I am sure won't make a difference) I know people who have done this and it might give you a little break.

Also during the day I can't tell from your post if he is a 'crying when he is put down baby'- so then you feed him.

If he is doing this (mine did in the early days) my advice is to get a sling/baby carrier.

He probably just wants to be close to you. If you carry him around in your sling you should notice he cries and wants to be feed a little less during the day. It might also allow you to do a few things around the house or go for a light walk or just sit down for a well earned cup of tea.

If you can I do recommend reading a Sears baby book esp as you are breastfeeding. They can be helpful.

Finally as I said - it is worth it but it is hard. This phase will pass very quickly and try not to put yourself under too much pressure.

I always think there is so much pressure on new Mums these days. This is time for you and your baby to connect and feel secure.

That does not mean sacrificing your own well being. But just take it easy at home and let friends and family do things for you and not the other way around.

Good luck!

[charlottep]

IME it has been somewhere between 8-12 weeks when the hourly feeding has levelled out to feeding more efficiently and less frequently - about every 3-4 hours. It makes such a huge difference once this happens and then the whole thing becomes so much enjoyable and you can really understand why it's so much easier than messing around with bottles.

One thing i wld say about cluster feedings in the evening. Again IME i'm sure my two were doing this more for comfort and because they were tired and as soon as i introduced a 7pm bedtime (with a mini routine) the evening cluster feeds stopped. I did this as early as 3 weeks with my youngest and although i felt a little nervous about leaving her in the bedroom on her own, she did stop cluster feeding and started to sleep well all evening. i wld normally feed her again at my bedtime.

[echo]

With my first I had a similar experience and she fed and fed and fed.... I used a co-sleeping cot and I really do believe that it helped me to cope with her feeds. As I could just lean over to feed her after hearing her smacking her lips together to tell me she was hungry... without me having to get up... The more rest and sleep you are able to get the easier it will be to continue b/feeding.

I also found the Sears The Baby Book very useful and helped me to understand my baby's behaviour and how I could help her to feel safe, secure and keep her well fed!

The early days are hard, but it really does get easier:) Best of luck