17 day old baby just won't stop feeding.

[daisyboo]

she had a very sleepy day yesterday, sleeping for 5 hours, then 6 hours, but had a normal pattern last night and of 3-3.5 hours between feeds.

she fed at 4 and since the has only slept for about an hour and just wants to constantly feed and is getting quite agitated when i try to latch her on, but i think that's cos it's taking a bit of time for letdown and she's expecting instant gratification like she gets when my breasts are full.

i have noticed her latch is quite shallow, and she can cluck a bit at let-down but i'm not in any pain and she seems to be getting plenty (she had exceeded her birth weight by 3oz on day 13)

she has started pulling back through the course of the feed, but it gets quite tingly so i've been taking her off. sometimes she goes back on and other times she doesn't.
she generally has about 20 mins on each side, but sometimes only wants one side

not sure whether to keep feeding her or not as she seems to be getting very windy.

[daisyboo]

meant to say does anyone have any advice?

[sfxmum]

bumping for you

i am sure someone will give good advice
my dd used to go through periods of feeding a lot in the early weeks
i always fed when she wanted and she did have a preference for one side
also might be worth checking your latch

good luck

[daisyboo]

ta sfx mum......she's cluster fed before, but this seems a bit extreme

[maximummummy]

DO U THINK THE LATCH IS OK ? sorry

i'm b/f peer support and often it's all about the latch !

[daisyboo]

it seems ok.....but i'm not sure. i don't have any pain, my nipples are nipple shaped when they come out.

she sometimes pulls back towards the end of the feed and can flatten them on one side but i take her off and offer the other side which she generally takes.

i appreciate its difficult to give advice without seeing the latch.

why do theses things always go tits-up (pardon the pun) at weekends.....and my dh is away overnight so its just me and bub.

[sfxmum]

it can be draining i remember dh used to get home from work and he would cook dinner very helpful young man.
do try and relax and take it easy
i also used to express some and dh would give her a bottle while i had a bath or went for a walk

[daisyboo]

its just typical that shes doing this tonight when my dh is away. i have been getting treatment for depression so this is quite difficult for me.

i'm worried she's only getting foremilk as she seems to be getting very windy.

sometimes she's not even sucking, but just dozing with my nipple in her mouth then she gets really agitated when it drops out.

[sfxmum]

yes i imagine it is but do try not to be too anxious, i did find those first months hard too, and it is good that you are getting some help

are you able to get some company over the weekend? can you go for a little walk each day?

please don't over worry she is likely to be getting enough milk, dd used to fall asleep as well. i can't remember about the wind it seems it was an endless run of bf and propping her up on my shoulder for a burp

i am sure you are doing ok do try and rest when she does too

and you can always come here if you need to talk

[maximummummy]

things ALWAYS go wrong at weekends and kids are always ill at bank holidays thats life !

your doing great stick with the breast feeding it does get easier and comes more naturally the longer you do it

have you tried feeding in different posistions ? my son was really awkward to feed on my lap as he was quite long so i fed him underarm(rugby ball) position for a while also i liked to feed lying down

[daisyboo]

thanx guys. dh will be back tomorrow thankfully, an ds is at his gps. feeling a bit disheartened cos its been going well so far. gave up at 6 wks with ds as i never got the latch right and had what i think was vasospasm. worried its gonna go wrong again.

[daisyboo]

can't get on with underarm or lying down either

[daisyboo]

phew...she's settling a bit now

[sfxmum]

i did under arm with a feeding cushion which was great as i could read as well

[sfxmum]

take care and do try to rest i am sure you are doing fine i remember crying a lot and thinking about giving up dd is now 2 and still bf once a day or so although she is self weaning

[mears]

What you are describing is normal newborn behavious daisyboo.. When she if feedin, try not to take her off but let her feed till she spits the nipple out. Wind her then offer the other side - she doesn't need to take it though. Remember that breastfeeding isn't just about milk - your baby loves to be close and attached to you. It is a lovely place to be for a baby - warm and cuddled in with mum. Rule of thumb, if she has a dry nappy, isn't settleing with a cuddle and her mouth is rooting for the breast then put her on. Make sure you are comfy with a drink, snack and the remore control

[mears]

remote even

[maximummummy]

i wouldn't even consider expressing until you are completely happy with latch and supply

can you get midwife/health visitor out tomorrow to check latch is good, also do you have local b/f group/peer supporters that you can call on for help? i found my b/f group really helped me continue feeding and support me through the rougher times

[daisyboo]

cheers mears...her nappies have been soggy to the point of leaking so i guess she needs the food! she's stopped now for the minute and i even managed to get her babygro on without waking her up.

off to re-fuel myself.....i'm bloody starving...and then get some rest.

will try the mw tomorrow for checking latch, otherwise i can go to the bf cafe on monday!

[daisyboo]

thanks everyone for your help and words of advice....i've been suffering from AND/PND, and things were getting to me, without my lovely dh to calm me down!

Don't know where i'd be without MN!

[chocolatekimmy]

stick with it daisyboo - all sounds quite normal though it doesn't feel 'normal' to you at the moment.

I found it took about 11/12 weeks with each of mine to become truly established and actually enjoyable (though not all the time).

Check with an expert if you can that she is doing things right (usually baby that can't get the hang of it rather than mum) and keep going despite the wind - the benefits far outweigh the wind problem

[daisyboo]

thanks chocolateskimmy. she finally fell into an exhausted sleep at 10:30, after feeding on/off for 5.5 hours.....and slept till 5:30 this morning.....i'll let her off if this is the result

[bananabump]

Hey daisyboo, mine isn't born yet so no advice based on experience, but I just wanted to let you know I was reading a book about breastfeeding last night and it mentioned behaviour exactly as you described, and put it down to a growth spurt.

It said that they would suddenly start to feed loads with one feed almost blurring into the next, and it was just their way of telling your boobs they'd need more food soon because they were about to get bigger and hungrier. Apparently it's just how they work, supply and demand and all that.

Sorry if you already know this, I just thought I'd mention it since I only read it last night and it's fresh in my mind. I'm certainly not trying to tell anyone how to suck eggs since I haven't even had a go yet and it does sound tremendously problematic.

(Breastfeeding, that is. Not sucking eggs. That just sounds ming)

[daisyboo]

lol bananabump.....thanks. I think that' what its been and now she's "ordered" more, she's happy to sleep for a bit!!

[bananabump]

Good to hear. Wish me luck with mine come middle of august, I've always suffered from vasospasms (I have raynauds of the nipple) and I'm really hoping it won't hinder bf, as normally it's excruciating enough without a small mouth clamping down on them for hours.

I've heard there's a drug called nifedipine out there which is quite successful in relieving the symptoms and doesn't affect the baby, so if you do encounter more probs with vasospasm this time around it might be worth mentioning trying that before giving up bf. (That's my plan anyway!)