Talk

Hi fellow mums,

My son is 12 weeks old and I would appreciate your advice. I'm b/feeding on demand and am pleased I made the decision to do so. The early cluster feeding (8am - 1pm and 6pm - 11pm) was a particular killer but I did it and have made it this far. I've also read countless threads saying, 'enjoy it, it doesn't last long, go with the flow' - so I've taken that very good advice and have enjoyed the bonding process.

The thing is, at 12 weeks, my LO is still 'on my breast' every 30-45mins through the day for anything between 10 and 30mins at a time...sometimes feeding, sometimes sucking for comfort/closeness, sometimes to get to sleep, sometimes because he's experienced loads of new things that day and seems a bit overwhelmed etc. Have any of you been through similar and can you advise me how long this might last? Is there a way I can gradually extend the breaks between feeding without distressing my LO or will he start doing this himself? I am engaging him for short bursts with play mats, tummy time, talking, reading, singing etc.

A couple more details:

- He has excellent weight gain / is growing fast!!
- He has normal wet/dirty nappies per day so can only assume supply is fine
- He's sleeping and feeding as expected at night - 8pm to 7am with 2 night feeds at 1am and 4am. He 'self-settles' in the evening by sucking his thumb after feeding.
- Latch and technique are good - as observed by health visitors and midwife
- Daytime naps are a challenge but I'm just about managing to give him the c.4 hours sleep he needs by letting him sleep on top of me
- Generally he seems happy and in good health...occasionally spits up a little milk but not enough to make me think he has a serious reflux issue.

The only adequate distractions I've found are car journeys and walks, when he often sleeps.

Any suggestions appreciated...thanks!