Breastfed baby and sleeping?

[Decembertojanuary]

Not sure where to put this!

Baby is breastfed, and I’m also expressing. Obviously this takes a lot of time overnight.

I’ve been sitting up in the lounge with baby from midnight until whenever he sleeps (usually around 7am.)

How do others manage this? Just struggling with it but on the other hand I don’t want OH getting no sleep either.

That really isn't your call and OP has made it clear she doesn't want to switch to formula. OP's aby is only 2 weeks old! There is plenty of time if that is what OP wants.

I've reported your comment and asked for it to be removed. You need to read what is being said and read the audience. This isnt a helpful comment right now Sayno.

What would probably be worse for the OP is having that decision made for her. If she decides she wants to formula feed in the future she can make that decision herself. At the moment she wants to breastfeed and needs help with that.

I'm not saying your should switch, that had to be your call at since stage. But if you do, then you may give it helps the bond grow, as you'll be less exhausted.

I have one child that is breastfed and one that was bottle fed, and I have an equal bond with them both.

It's a difficult one though because there is actually a lot of pressure to breastfeed. I found it very emotionally difficult when I switched to ff and felt judged by all the people who had been trying to help and the stranger on the street. Not saying that's logical. Or anyone doing that here. But sayno hasn't said anything wrong.

Back on the breast. I seriously don’t know if he’s getting any. I’m lost as to how he’s hungry.

@Decembertojanuary

How an you say I don’t need to express? Maybe if I don’t want to breastfeed, but out of eight breastfeeds a day we might have two successful ones and that’s on a good day(and yes have done the tongue tie, rugby ball hold, support from midwives, support from la leche, sticking my nipples in water from the first moon of the cycle, etc.)

If I want to breastfeed him, and I do, I need to express.

You want advice but aren't being very receptive.

@saynotodietcoke you can’t say breastfeeding isn’t working two weeks in when OP hasn’t had much support and it’s well known it takes 6 weeks to establish breastfeeding. You might think it’s somehow helpful to say ‘just quit’ but wants to breastfeed and should be supported to do so not just told to quit, your comment is unhelpful and unkind. There’s nothing else where people are immediately told to quit the minute something is difficult. We have shit support for breastfeeding in this country and women end up sadly feeling like they’ve failed because they’re told to quit instead of being helped.

@Decembertojanuary

I don’t think it was, he was still rooting and fractious when he came off. Have him to oh but still unsettled. He’s just wolfed town 70 ml of expressed milk.

I wish I knew what I was doing wrong.

This is normal behaviour and as others have said routing helps your milk and they will always drink a bottle because of the natural reflex

Give yourself a break mumma your doing nothing wrong you like many others (me included!) need some extra support.
Be kind to yourself and have skin to skin time. I also had a tt baby it took a while to get feeding well established. Keep having cuddles with baby stroke their hair, take the stress out of the situation.

You are doing everything right! Please seek some additional support from lactation consultant/NCT breastfeeding support honesty I can't describe how much better I felt talking to them

@Decembertojanuary they have a big growth spurt around 2 weeks in my experience this meant loads of feeds and loads of sleep for baby and a lot of biscuits and box sets for me!

@Decembertojanuary being on and off the breast is really normal and not a sign of anything being wrong, the only thing you need to be keeping an eye on is plenty of wet and dirty nappies and weight gain. That’s it. That’s what will tell you if baby is getting enough. My baby is 7 weeks and we’re still working on getting a good latch every time, it’s finally getting consistent but it takes work. Baby is learning and you’re learning together.

I also have a little darling currently attached as my nipple is much better than a dummy apparently I know she is using it to comfort suck and not drinking!

Going on and off the breast a lot will be building your supply, constantly giving top ups of formula and expressing will be stopping this process happening. Just stay in bed today, get lots of snacks and water and just keep feeding baby whenever he wants, let him lead.

Being back on the breast is a good thing! They are comfort sucking, getting some milk and stimulating your supply! At this age they can spend hours just sucking. Feed when the baby wants- forget routines, schedules, normal life patterns. Just sit and feed your baby whenever they want. They may feed all the time but that is what they are supposed to do. Just watch TV and try to go with it and be led by them. You are doing a great job!

It sounds like your pumps might need to be more efficient to free up time. Are you using a double or single pump? If you're using a single you might benefit from hiring a double. I've got a hospital grade double pump from Medela at the moment. You can order it on their website and they ship it the next day.

Pumping for long stretches might not be working for you - I pump six times a day five minutes then a three minute break, then a further five minutes each time. Except first thing in the morning when I do two stints of 10 minutes. I don't pump overnight and most of my day pumps are less than 15 mins at a time.

Might be worth trying that or a 'power pump' where you pump over an hour with breaks. You can Google the timings for these. Try a few different things to see what works for you and is the most efficient use of your time (power pumping didn't work for me personally)

My baby didn't latch at all and I was inconsolable about my inability to breastfeed during the first few weeks. She's now three months and I am combi feeding with expressed milk and formula. She's doing fine and a happy little girl! If the pumping doesn't get more efficient then you might want to make a judgement call about whether you want to spend all your time sat on a pump or getting sleep or having cuddles with your baby. Breast milk isn't the be all and end all but I felt exactly the same as you and accepting it with all the new baby hormones is difficult.

It gets easier! Good luck xx

If it helps, I was getting every 1.5hrs at that age until 4wks or so. It is normal. It doesn't mean they're not getting enough. They're putting their order in to your breasts to up supplies.

Thanks. I’m just concerned he isn’t ever full. I wouldn’t mind feed sleep for an hour then feed but it’s as if he just wants to feed. I fed him on the breast again, he briefly nodded off then woke again and rooting, so that’s three hours of bear constant eating and no sleep.

It’s very normal to be constantly feeding daytime at 2 weeks. Ideally the more they feed daytime, they more they might go a few hours overnight.
Like others have said, the more he tries feeds of any length on breast, the more will be gradually made.

Thank you. It’s so hard to know what is normal

I'm confused. He dropped off to sleep on boob, and you woke him, to try to get him to eat more, but are complaining that he's not sleeping and wanting to eat constantly.

But you woke him. He was asleep. He wasn't feeding. Why did you wake him?

I’m confused too. That didn’t happen but by all means say it did.

Sorry, I just re-and you're right, and o was just about to toe a part saying to disregard my post. But no need to get snippy about it.

And I'm sorry for getting snippy too, I think a lot of us on here are very sleep deprived and it doesn't help!

Can you feel your breasts less fuller after feed? That will tell you that he is definitely drinking fine even if he starts fussing after a while..

You not doing anything wrong, you trying your best to breastfeed which is fantastic, post section is even a little bit tougher.. well done for expressing and keeping your supply going..I think what's happening from your description is that your little one got used to bottles and to the fact that it's very convenient to drink from them with not much of a effort he needs to make in comparison to the breast..if he is feeding fine from breast when you get him to, the only way back imo is to have him on breast as much as you can even if he just sucks without drinking, lots of skin to skin where he roots for the breast, reducing the bottles, I understand how difficult it is especially if he starts fussing after a while, no one wants a hungry baby and you do what is for the best..
Your supply is still establishing so don't over express to prevent mastitis I know it's easy to say..
Wiish you all the best, hope you can turn it around without the need of expressing so much xx

@Decembertojanuary

Thanks. I’m just concerned he isn’t ever full. I wouldn’t mind feed sleep for an hour then feed but it’s as if he just wants to feed. I fed him on the breast again, he briefly nodded off then woke again and rooting, so that’s three hours of bear constant eating and no sleep.

This is a very common concern for BF mums. Routing, fussing and constant on boob are all normal especially around certain time periods including growth spurts. So 1 week, 2 weeks, 4 weeks and then around 6 weeks plus jabs. This is all normal although it doesn't feel it at the time. They feed constantly on and off and fuss to increase supply for next stage (they are clever wee things even when so small!).

Your indicators that baby is getting enough is wet and dirty nappies and weight gain

Be kind to yourself.