Newborn feeding confusion!

[lola1980]

I'm currently bfing my 3 week old DD, and I still have no idea how often she feeds because she's hungry. If she's awake, she wants boob, regardless of whether she needs it or not!

Night feeds are fabulous because she feeds for exactly 20mins then falls off on her own and back to sleep. Through the day though, she doesn't ever fall off, often I just take her off after about an hour and she's fine just playing on her mat... So she's obv no longer hungry... I'm so confused!

Could be a growth spurt? We had days on endless feeding, it's just baby making sure there's enough milk.

When's baby is on is she sucking properly/swallowing or just tickling? If she's properly eating I'd let her keep feeding so your supply adjusts to what she needs. It does settle down!

If you google kellymom there's good advice about breastfeeding.

I always found nappies reassuring, if you're getting plenty wet and dirty nappies then baby is getting what she needs!

Oh there's no issue with the nappies, believe me! Plus when she got weighed recently she had put on a pound in a week, so there's obviously no problem with my milk either which I had been worrying about. I've obviously just given birth to a piglet!

Without sounding like I'm wishing the weeks away, I'm just dying to get to the point where I understand what she needs, and we are in more of a routine.

You could try EASY (eat, activity, sleep, you time) - just google it. Not sure what age you can start though. Know a few people who swear by it.

Please don't try the easy, unless you really, really want to. Its very bfing unfriendly and is devised by Tracy Hogg. Its not evidence based and is only one woman's opinion. I only know one dedicated baby whisperer follower and her dd still wakes at 8 years...

OP if you want to get into a routine, try Babycalming by Caroline deacon. It helps you understand your baby, is evidence based and helps you find a routine that suits you both. I find the problem with so many baby experts is that their methods are so prescriptive you can be left feeling like a total failure if it doesn't work for you. Babycalming let's you decide what's best for your baby

Fab, thanks for the advice. I wasn't sure if it's too early to try and get into a routine, we have been attempting a bedtime one which at the moment is probably laughable but we thought, start as you mean to go on iyswim

Having a routine at this age could be on the slightly optimistic side, having said that I read Babycalming before having Lo and she sort of fell into a routine after the first month. It was slightly helped by the fact that we had an older DC, so things like getting up time and the school run were sort of fixed.

You sound like you are a really good mum

Lola, your LO may be suckling to boost your milk supply. So hang in there as this will pass. It's also poss that the LO is suckling for comfort, in which case try a soother (you can take this away at around 3 months to avoid it becoming a necessity).

I say this as its what I've been told by a health visitor - not from experience as DD is only 9 weeks so I'm still learning myself