Allow cluster feed or give dummy??!!

[Rachell1]

Ok. I am sorry for the millionth bf question but I am totally alone in this and I need help.

DS 6 days old, he cluster feeds in the evenings for HOURS. I don’t mind, my nipples however…. Do mind. Also I have a toddler so it’s generally just unrealistic for me to allow hours worth of solid feeding.

That said, I am determined to EBF and I’m absolutely loving it. Loving it so much that I’m scared I’m going to screw it up for myself.

Basically my question is this… it is my understanding that he is cluster feeding to build my supply so, if I gave him a good hour or two on the boob and he still wants more (when he is quite clearly full), can I then give dummy or is that going to cause supply issues?

Thank you… feeling a little down over it all :(

Be kind to yourself OP.

Make sure you e a pint of water/squash by your side and someone to bring you snacks.

You are absolutely right about the cluster feeding & day 5/6 is a massive leap with feeding. It’s not official guidance but use shields if it gets you over this bump. Plenty of good nipple cream as well. It will ease off tomorrow and then might repeat on day 10. A dummy won’t build supply but this feeding will.

you’re doing a great job.

Well done. It's such bloody hard work at this stage.

Yes, a dummy may affect supply at this stage. The advice is to wait until BF is well established before introducing a dummy as if baby has their suckling needs met by anything other than the breast, the supply and demand aspect of feeding can suffer.

That said, be kind to yourself and do what you need to do. La Leche League has great information on all sorts of BF issues so you can make an informed decision about what to do.

I would hold off on the dummy, your supply is still establishing itself. It does pass, I promise!

@AgathaMystery it’s just so so hard when it’s hours on end! If I did try something (dummy, rocking etc) instead of breast (providing I’m confident he is full) am I seriously putting my supply in jeopardy?

Would it make a difference if I pumped one side during the day whilst feeding on the other?

Check out Kelly mom website - lots of great advice and there. I lived on that website for the first few weeks/ months. Congratulations on your baby.

It totally is so hard and tedious but serves a massive purpose. Baby is cluster feeding to increase supply for the next day. It’s not all because they are hungry, it’s about increasing supply. Not allowing it will likely hamper your supply

We're just a few months ahead of you and you're right, it is so so hard. We have a toddler as well and I found the cluster feeding particularly tough this time round, especially when it started at 4pmish and carried on for hours and hours. I didn't use a dummy, but I did use a nipple shield which allowed her to latch easier (and me to keep on with toddlers bedtime), and my nipples a break.

Good luck whatever you do. Once the toddler was in bed I totally surrendered to a lot of Netflix watching which helped a lot!

I know it's hours but its really not a long stage. Do you have a carrier/wrap? Feeding in the carrier saved me with no2.

@Rachell1 have you been given any information on breastfeeding peer support groups in your area? If not I would Google to see if there are any. They were fantastic for me as I got to talk to other breastfeeding mums and we set up a chat group to support each other. The one I went to was run by HomeStart and had a breastfeeding peer supporter at it to help. The early days are hard but it gets easier

I know. Honestly. It is SO hard - but it’s only going to be for a couple of days max. Really.

if he’s feeding effectively then the cluster feeding will abate. If it continues then get your latch checked - sometimes it takes a couple of weeks to get to grips with feeding a tiny baby again if you’ve been used to feeding a bigger baby.

I definitely want to echo the suggestions of Kellymom / such great advice & you’ll get great support on here too.

Pumping (unless medically indicated) isn’t a great idea right now. You’ll end up with an oversupply, which could lead to engorgement & mastitis - it’s not (IMO) worth it just for these next few hours.

hang in there - it’s not for long.

Kellymom as someone else said really is a fantastic resource, they have a brilliant page on cluster feeding that really got me through it. Don't know why, it just clicked with me like others didn't!

One thing I found helped with my cluster feeding demon of a baby was to switch sides as soon as he began to grizzle at the breast. Called 'super switching' or something. So not waiting to try and complete a feed all the way to the end on one side when they're getting whiny and moaning and doing that head butting thing at your nipple but switching them straight over to the over side. Means you end up switching quite a few times but does seem to keep the misery at bay!

Lanisoh nipple cream is the best one. Nothing else compares. Expensive but you only need a tiny bit warmed up between your fingers and goes far. Anything left in the tube makes for great lip balm, rash cream, overnight hand treatment etc.

If you're determined to ebf I really would urge you to grot your teeth through this stage. My first child (when I had zero support and no ide what I was doing) I made the classic mistake of thinking I wasn't producing enough in the evenings and introduced an evening bottle. All downhill from there and he was on bottles full time from six months old. HOWEVER, he also had a significant undiagnosed (and therefore untreated) tongue tie so there was a lot of pain involved and he never did feed adequately.....

Ideally the pain in your nipples should be settling soon really if all is ok with latch and position. Is it possible for you to get this all checked by someone properly trained (local breastfeeding group, HV who is properly trained eg with UNISON baby friendly scheme-some HVs do more harm than good). Definitely no tongue tie?

If all this is ok and it really is just cluster feeding then try the super switching, load up a load of boxsets on the tv and have snacks and drinks to hand. I started to get in the habit of packing myself a little cluster feeding lunch box that I could have near me when my son started up his evening shenanigans!