Cluster Feeding

[Sesame2013]

I have a 5 day old that is cluster feeding through the night for about 5-6 hours. As I have an 18 month old it is totally exhausting. For example last night I fed continuously from midnight until 5am then my 18 month old was up from 6am so I have had a maximum of 15 mins sleep at any time, totalling about 1.5 hours.
My question is , has anyone experienced this and how long did the cluster feeding last until some kind of routine was established?
How did you get a routine going? Did you leave baby to cry?
And lastly someone suggested co sleeping so I can get more rest at night whilst breast feeding? Has anyone tried this technique and of so did it make baby more clingy?
Thanks for your advice ladies!

[PenguinPoser]

Oh you poor thing it sounds exhausting. The feeding along is tiring nevermind having a toddler too. My dd is almost 10 weeks now and doesn't cluster feed as much anymore. Still wouldn't say she has a routine but touch wood she sleeps more at night than during the day now.
You can't spoil a newborn baby. I co sleep from 5-6am if dd needs feeding otherwise I don't get back to bed. I think it's a lovely way to have cuddles and bond. Just google the rules for safe co sleeping if you do choose to do it. Obviously it's not recommended by health visitors etc but honestly at this point in time you do what you need to do to get some rest!
Congratulations on your baby

[PenguinPoser]

And personally I wouldn't leave baby to cry in hope of establishing a routine. Other people may think differently but imo they're way too young to understand anything like that and might just get more distressed.

[tiktok]

Sesame, the first weeks with any new baby can be a bit like this, but cluster feeding through the night is not something that happens every night beyond the first week or so....for most people. This full-on night time thing tends to stop, long before any actual routine emerges. It's a reflection of the baby's newness and need to be close - less than a week ago your baby was inside you, and staying close and feeding is a way of replicating that in a way, and brings soothing comfort to the baby. When these needs are met, the needs become less intense.

Co sleeping does not make a baby more clingy - at least there's no evidence for it. It's a practical response to the baby's need for night feeds and the mother's need for rest :)

It's not true to say it's not recommended by HVs etc....plenty of them recognise the benefits of safe co-sleeping and support it. As long as the safety guidance is followed, there's no reason not to, IMO :)

[Artistic]

Could you try feeding more often in the day? Perhaps baby is trying to complete her milk quota with these cluster feeds - so feeding her more in the day might make her feed a bit less at night?

I've tried my best to avoid cluster feeding by giving my DD 20-25 mins at each boob and then taking her off. If she cried then I held her/cuddled her & distracted her a bit for about 30 mins before putting her back on the boob. This meant that she was ready to have a big feed & typically fed well & quickly & then fell asleep. She's never tried cluster feeding more than two rounds.

Good luck!

[tiktok]

Artistic, the OP's baby was five days old at the time of posting, now she is just seven days old. Trying to engineer timings and lengths of feeds with a tiny newborn is not a great idea....it's more appropriate with older babies.

[Whoami24601]

Hi I'm going through this with 19 day old DS. Also have DD (2.11) so I know what you mean about being exhausted!

This cluster feeding is important in the beginning as it is building up your milk supply, so as hard as it is, you just have to put up with it! Lots of coffee and rest during the day if you can. Do you have a partner that can take over for a couple of hours so you can get some rest?

Now at 19 days he doesn't do it every night, and is starting to settle for up to 5 hours between feeds, so it does get better. This too shall pass!