Cluster feeding survival stories

[Olive96]

Posting here because I need the traffic. Please give me your survival stories / reassurance this is normal. For the last 48 hours my 5 day old has basically done nothing but feed. Really ramped up in the last 24 hours - she will feed, fall asleep on the boob, fall off, 15/20 mins later she’ll start rooting and the cycle starts again.

I’m exhausted obviously, but I’m happy to continue I just need reassurance that this isn’t completely abnormal. Please give me tales of cluster feeding!

She won’t settle on anyone else either

I remember it well, although it was 12 years ago. It’s so tough. You’ve just got to ride it out. It does not last long. You might feel you are doing something “wrong” (you aren’t, your baby just wants to feed like this)…hang on, go with it, try to watch some good tv, get snacks etc….i promise it will pass soon and your baby will stop his/her drive to cluster feed xx

Congratulations on your new baby! Cluster feeding is an endurance event, but it's totally normal. She's preordering her next few meals 🙂You'll have boob's like boulders in the next day or so.

It can feel totally draining because it's all on you, but it is a phase. Get something good on telly or a decent podcast and rest assured she will settle and you will sleep... one day.

Totally totally normal. As long as she's having plenty of wet and dirty nappies then she's feeding efficiently and ramping up supply. Try to feed lying down if you can do you can get some rest as well. X

It’s natures way of keeping you sitting/lying down. It doesn’t last long. He/she is building supply. You do NOT need to supplement. Just go with it and try to enjoy he cuddles and love. Make sure someone else is doing all the other jobs.

Definitely normal!

My first was like this. All you can do is embrace the fact that this is likely to take up the majority of your day. Get comfy, get snacks and a good series to watch. Hand baby to dp/dh for you to shower, eat meals one handed. It does pass, you just have to power through.

You've got this!

It's hard going but totally normal, cluster feeding is basically your baby putting in a request for how much milk they need. Usually settles in a couple of days as your supply adjusts, expect to have it happen every few weeks as growth spurts occur. Yes its exhausting but you just need to go with it & accept that nothing else (literally) is more important at this point. Hubby, DM, MIL can step up if any other kids have needs, otherwise DH can ring for takeaways.
Housework etc will wait. Baby is most important right now & that means you on tap 24/7.
Well done for BF, it's amazing to do his for your baby.
But remember if you can't keep it up long term then having a healthy mummy is also essential to your baby. Sometimes this means stopping BF & doing formula feeding.

Thank you all so much, I feel I’m coping well with the physical demand. I’m happy to carry on - I had an amazing BF journey with my first (I don’t remember this bit at all though!!).

I just had/have this niggling feeling of it not being normal and something being wrong with her. But yes, lots of dirty and wet nappies and I pumped 30ml pretty easily (was checking they weren’t empty!). So reassuring to see that it seems to be a normal part of development

Congratulations on your new baby!

I had two nightmare cluster feeding babies - watched the entire series of calll the mid wife with my second!

Drink lots of water and keep yourself well fed.

Can you feed lying on a towel on your side on a bed? Baby can either be aligned head to feet like you, or you can reverse them so their feet are up by your head. Partner staying awake in the room if you are concerned about falling too deeply asleep (I also used to not use a pillow as I was worried). Keep at it, use medela nipple covers of you get sore.

it will pass, it is just so tiring when it is happening.

Yes totally normal. They will go through phases of doing this before a growth spurt or at the start to establish supply.
I remember when mine was about 6 weeks old and his dad was out at a works Xmas do and I sat and just BF allll evening. I ordered a take away pizza and remembered praying he would come off long enough for me to open the door to the delivery driver 😂
He did, I enjoyed my pizza and things soon settled down

Have you had the latch checked and is baby gaining weight well?

I ask because the fact that baby is constantly hungry and falling asleep on the boob even though there is milk available to pump suggests baby is having trouble getting the milk out of the breast.

My baby had a severe tongue tie and couldn't latch properly so I had to pump and bottle feed. Even after the tongue tie was corrected she still couldn't empty my boob, she would be "feeding" for an hour and fall asleep, wake up starving 5 mins later rinse and repeat for hours but she just couldn't empty my boob, I would still be full after her feeding for 40 mins. As soon as I pumped into a bottle and gave it to her she would guzzle it desperately then be satisfied and sleep for hours. The issue wasn't that the milk wasn't there, the issue was that she couldn't effectively transfer the milk.

People always say baby can get more than a pump, that is only true if the latch is good. If the latch is poor baby can't get the milk even if it is there for the taking. The way you say baby is constantly feeding and hungry but there's milk available if you pump made me wonder if baby isn't transferring the milk efficiently because a breast should be empty after baby has fed if they are asking for extra to build supply, supply is upped by asking for more after it has run out, not by leaving 30ml behind. Babies can have wet and dirty nappies but not gain weight, this might indicate tongue tie or another feeding issue so it's worth checking out if baby is hungry but regularly leaving milk behind.

Obviously if baby is gaining weight then it's not an issue and hopefully it's over soon!

Caramel digestive biscuits and an unlimited supply of tea saved me.

Hi, thank you sharing! I do think she has a good latch and I can hear a good swallow. Also when I gave her the bottle it was the same story, absolutely drained it then rooting around for more 20 mins later! Also my boobs don’t feel at all full, this is why I checked with the pump that I was actually producing something! I remember been in agony with the fullness with my first!!

I’m not sure about weight though - she will be weighed tomorrow by the midwife x

Thank goodness we live in an age of remote controls and smart devices. Imagine going through this and having to get up to change the channel 😉

I watched a lot of Olympics during my phase of this, Curling World Champs has just started. Amazing what you can get into during this phase.

Well done, sounds like you are doing great.

Sounds a lot like my eldest was. Like others say, good snacks, lots to drink and the tv remote will get you through. Congratulations OP.

If you hear lots of swallowing that's a good sign! My baby would suck suck suck suck suck suck swallow, suck suck suck suck suck suck swallow rather than the suck suck swallow they were supposed to do then either get upset or give up so it was clear she wasn't getting milk out of the boob but if your baby is swallowing lots then they're definitely getting the milk 😄 just sounds like a hungry baby!

I remember mine having insatiable days where she would down a bottle and want another half an hour later. Hopefully they will slow down soon, good luck!

This was my first and it did my head in...I think I lost it a bit. It did pass but it was a bloody nightmare at the time (I liked bf but not for that long a stretch).

Mine did this. I remember sobbing a few days in because I was home alone, it had got dark and I couldn't get up to turn on a lamp! I watched 2 whole seasons of Riverdale in a week. DS got really chubby and it did pass.

Totally normal x

Totally normal and the thing is that it feels so intense and the days (and nights!) feel so long! It’ll pass… just keep on. You’re doing great ❤️

Pretty sure I lost the plot somewhere along the lines when DS was doing that. Midwife told me it's normal to cluster feed for a few hours. But mine would do it for 12 hours at a time, then go back to 2-3 hour feeds a bit, then another 12 hour cluster feeding session. Insane.

Totally normal… tough but normal. If she would settle during the day on someone else do try to nap or if she has a sleepy period early evening grab a nap too then to prepare for the nights.

I wish someone would ask me to cuddle their newborn for a few hours to let them sleep- deffo a market for this!! I wouldn’t even want paid lol

My 2nd born basically came out of the womb latched on and didn't stop for 3 weeks - it was hard BUT it kept me resting and it did calm down eventually. Hubby had to pick up a lot of slack with our 2 year old but luckily she was in childcare during the week or I'm not sure how I'd have coped.
Hope it passes soon for you - I was starving and porridge was my go to, apparently good for your supply too.