with short breaks of around 15 minutes..What happens is she feeds about 30-40 minutes and then falls asleep on the breast. I then put her to bed and she wakes up screaming 15 minutes later sucking on her hands and wanting to be fed again...this has been going on for four days now...I'm exhausted and my nerves are frayed...She was such a good baby for the first 3 weeks and was following a routine. I know this is must be a growth spurt but is there anything I can do to stop these marathon feeding sessions which leave me totally drained and with no time at all to do anything around the house.

I really feel for you - this is a really hard time but is fairly common with newborns. My little girl used to feed like this from about 5pm - 9pm - it was hard but eventually I just got organised with books, snacks and food and sat it out. It could also be that she doesn't want to sleep on her own at the moment - there's no reason you can't keep her downstairs in a moses basket or even wear her in a sling as she may be craving company more than milk. Hang in there, all these things pass in time (which I know isn't useful for you now). hugs.

you could try a dummy as she is maybe just wanting the comfort of sucking rather than the milk. Could not have breastfed any of my dc without the dummy to have a break, a lifesaver in the early days with the cracked nipples etc

As you say, it's likely to be a growth spurt.

It's hard, and it's exhausting but it won't last forever.

Can you put everything else on hold so you're not stressing trying to get other things done in the short times she's not feeding? The housework will wait.

Do you make yourself really comfy with a big cold drink, snacks, mags, the tv remote, lots of cushions?

Have you tried feeding lying down? My newborn is doing marathon all-nighters at the moment, but I take him to bed with me, feed lying down and I doze while he feeds. It's not as good as real sleep, but it's resting, and it's better than not.

Sorry not to be much help, but wanted to say you're doing well, and things really will settle down again soon.

iT'S REALLY HARD.
aT THIS AGE,YOU REALLY CAN'T BE THINKNING ABOUT A ROUTINE. It's waaaay too early.
You shouldn't even be thinking about getting stuff done around the house.Establishing b/feeding is a f/t job.

Get yourself comfy and go with it.
If it really gets too much, hand her to someone else and take a walk or have a bath.

We really know what it is like.

Don't worry about other things around the house. My dd fed for 7 consecutive hours once. If I'd had formula in the house she'd have got some, but luckily I didn't.

The first weeks are difficult, but it gets easier.

It's so hard isn't it. But it really won't last long. You'll look back on this stage and barely be able to remember it, honest. DD3 i snow 7 months ild and did exactly what your DD is doing. It was a killer and I thought it would never end. Can barely remember it now, feels like it never happened. Stick with it, don't fret about anything and just try and enjoy it and relax as much as possible. It really is such a short stage the newborn one and it rushes past. As an old lady in the supermarket said to me once - enjoy it dear, blink and they're 57!" (her son/baby was obviously 57 yrs old!!)

Are you 100% sure she is latched on properly? Might be worth getting a midwife or BF counsellor to double check.

I would second the advice to feed lying down- it helped me get through growth spurts as you can doze with the baby

Yes, agree with the others that this seems to be quite normal for newborns to feed all evening at some stages. (Which NO-ONE TELLS YOU ABOUT BEFOREHAND I MIGHT ADD). So I have no tips for getting her to stop but can assure you it will wear off fairly soon.

Wind? Possibly she's only comfort sucking - is she actually drinking much? Or could well be a growth spurt.

your baby needs to build the supply up so just feeding is the best thing. it will probably shift back to a more manageable routine in a day or so... trust me! it feels like it will never end but it will, growth spurts just have to be got through...

My newborn (2 weeks old) fed from 6pm til 10pm two nights ago. Exhausting - especially when DH asked me where his dinner was..............

thanks everyone. will try a dummy. Jenkeywoo, my dd also starts at 5 or 6 and goes on till 9/9.30 by which time am i right in thinking there is no point in waking her up for her 10/10.30 pm feed? I have also been using nipple shields as DD would not latch on without them. The midiwfe suggested we try them as DD become dehydrated as she wansn't getting enough for the 1st two days of her life and it was either the shields or expressing or formula..I wonder if anyone has experience weaning a baby off nipple shields as it makes feeding in public really fiddly.

growth spurt 3 / 6 / 12 and 16
we are at 16 and i think the fact i knew when they were coming helped. Thy tend to last 4-5 days for us before she settles but have been told 16 is the worst so am on day 3 of no sleep . lot's of grizzling etc.
Forget doing anything other than feeding and if you do it's a bonus.
It does go so quickly and i stopped bf dd1 at one of these growth spurts and bitterly regretted it!

Re. is it worth waking up for 10pm feed - I would say not if she has been feeding from 5 until 9.30pm. At the moment my DD is 2 weeks old and I am feeding her approximately every 3-4 hours during the day but to be honest am going with the flow ie feeding her when she wakes up and wants feeding. The routines can kick in when more established.

This happened with DS too - I remember DH going to the pub with me sitting there feeding DS and I was still there when he came back hours later - there are times when it all feels absolutely hopeless and you want to just collapse but you WILL get through tonight and tomorrow will be a new start. Once this stage is over it all gets so much better. Good luck. Feeding lying down is good, Sky Plus is also a godsend, I used to rack up editions of ANTM to watch back to back.

PS it is also not unusual for babies to 'cluster feed' in the evenings, like you describe for a number of hours. Mine, now aged 9 months, has just fed every 45 mins or so since 7pm... The supply is often lower in the evenings so they need to feed more and some people think they fill themselves up for a longer sleep at night.

So if it's a 24hour feedathon, it's a supply building thing and these happen at different times but typically every few weeks; if it's an evening thing, it may be a pattern that will stick. You will have to decide if a dummy is what you want as it may interfere with the supply in the evenings?

egyptianprincess are you using shields full time for all feeds?

yes fishie, i am...have tried lots of times to get dd to latch on without them but she panics, starts bobbing her head up and down rooting for the breast then proceeds to cry..the midwife and HV said it's not the end of the world but i would love to get her off them...