Does your newborn bf all night?

[airhostess]

Hi,
My newborn feeds from 8pm until 5am in sone sort of feeding frenzy. I fall asleep during these hours with him on my chest in bed. I'm exhausted tbh. When I wake to move him to his Moses basket he then wants more feeding. I just don't know how long I can do this demand feeding tbh. He's 5 days old

Hi airhostess, i know how you feel, my newborn did that too & I think around day 5 was the worst for us, even though my milk had come in at day 3. Apparently it's baby making your body make more milk to keep up with what they need. I found it bloody hard, I can cope with a certain amount of sleep deprivation but that was a whole new level!
DS is now 4.5weeks & some nights will go 3-4 hours between feeds, sometimes we're still feeding every 1-2 hours though. I've started trying to make him drink more during the day (bigger feeds rather than more of them) so he stocks up, but as I understand it you need a certain amount of night feeding to keep your milk supply going & when they're newborn they need to feed at least every 3hours during the day, though I found it very tempting to just leave him sleeping so I could get stuff done, but that mean he wanted more night feeds.
HTH, I'm sure someone more knowlegable will be along at some point, or try the kellymom website, it seems to have articles/advice on every possible question about feeding.

Oops, essay!

Stick with it!!!!

My DC1 didn't do this - he breastfed all day... Seriously I used to sit on sofa all day feeding for about a month.

But, my DC2 was a nighttime feeder. She fed all night, usually hourly.

It does get easier after a while, but at the moment his tummy is just so tiny that he needs to feed lots. Also, a lot of it is wanting cuddles as less than a week ago he was safe and warm in your womb!

The more he feeds at night the more hormones your body will produce to make milk.

Thank you for your sharing your experiences. Two feeds in so far .......!

Hi, I have an 11 day old and we're just the same. I also have 2 older children and dreading DH going back to work this week meaning I have to get up at 7 and do school run.
No real advice other than that it does pass eventually but very nearly breaks you in the meantime.
The tiredness is awful though isn't it? I'm letting LO sleep on me too as it's the only way of getting any rest.

I'm going through the same thing I'm only having 2 hours sleep in the night, ppl said that only time will change this so jus got to hang in there!

Bless you, I remember these days well! My DS is nearly 6 months now but he did this and I thought I was going to die! It is about him stimulating your milk supply, I know how desperate you are feeling and probably still exhausted from the birth but go with it. It won't last long xxx

You will be glad you persevered - I am. Ds was exactly the same (he is now ten weeks) and I had bloody and sore nipples and very nearly gave up. It will get better and your baby will go longer in between feeds. Just plan on doing nothing else for the next few weeks and it will get easier before you know it. Congratulations!

Yes! Both of mine did. It's to stimulate your levels of milk so please don't give up now - still early days and it does get massively easier!

Hang on in there. It does pass and it's so worth it after the first couple if weeks.

Congratulations on your baby. Your post has taken me right back - I remember this time a year ago being awake all night with my 10 day old and feeding from midnight till 8pm. I was exhausted, near on delirious and depressed (first baby so the whole thing was a bit of a shock).

Turned out I had a severe post natal infection and was hospitalised two days later. I'm convinced I never produced enough milk as I never had full boobs, started to mix feed then onto formula fully by 6 weeks. I felt really guilty at the time but looking back it was such a hard time, I never thought it would pass but it did!

I guess it is pretty normal for newborns to feed all the time especially at night (great, thanks for that evolution) and I guess my advice would be to persevere if you want to, don't if you don't. I don't see sleep as a luxury and I really struggled with this. Whatever happens your baby has had a fantastic start with colostrum and breast milk. Good luck

It's really tough, but it's short term thankfully. Can DP/DH help? Mine would change nappies and try settle the baby so I got a break in between feeds.

Try rest in the day. I found a nap late afternoon helped me have the energy for the night.

This kind of cluster feeding is a good sign - you're building great supply. I know it doesn't feel like that at 3am though.

Like others have said, continuing to bf is entirely up to you, but beware of people who claim they get more sleep while ff. No one gets lots of sleep with a newborn, it's how they're designed, and the ISIS independent sleep study reports that bf mums get more sleep that ff mums.

There's a specific feeding board under Feed The World. There are lots of people there in a similar boat or with lots of expertise.

Congratulations on your baby.

Yes, both mine were the same. With Ds2 I ended up co-sleeping and it helped enormously. It meant I could get some sleep too!

There are things you need to do to make sure you reduce the risks. By 6 weeks DS2 was nicknamed "the incredible sleeping baby" because I would frequently get good periods of uninterrupted sleep.

Before hordes of people come on with doom and gloom stories of co- sleeping, it was recommended to me in hospital by HCPa and by the midwife who visited afterwards.

This is one of those things they never tell you. Shocking, eh? DD once did a twelve hour feed - 1pm until 1am. And at night, jeez, I remember actually slapping myself in the face to try and stay awake. But falling asleep horizontally on your side with baby suckling is far safer than falling asleep slumped over him or her, IMO. Good luck!