Feeding Cues

[marzipananimal]

I think I have a very impatient baby!
In the day time, even though I try to respond quickly to his feeding cues (opening mouth, sticking tongue out, sucking hands etc), by the time I've got him on my lap and got my boob out he's almost always crying. At night though he makes little grunts and wriggles for quite a while before crying (though through the fog of sleep I don't always respond before he cries ). Why is this? It makes daytime feeding quite frustrating and stressful a lot of the time, especially as he feeds so often - I haven't counted but it feels like about 15 times a day.
He's 5 weeks by the way but quite a big baby.

You'll get his more subtle daytime feeding cues, given time. These things just take a while. How about offering the breast when he's not giving cues, say an hour after the last feed? He may well take a big feed if he's not desperate, sounds odd but it worked with my two.

Oh, one thing that also worked for me was kissing DC's cheek, when in doubt. if they turn their head toward the kiss then the breast will (generally) be accepted.

he rarely goes an hour between feeds unless he's asleep and I don't really want to wake him. Happy to give him lots of kisses though :) sounds like a good way of testing whether he'll feed

Marzipan I know what you mean I have a DD the same age and I was just thinking that she is almost always crying by the time I shove a boob in - no matter how fast i respond. It is almost that laying her back and unfastening bra thing is a cue for her to start fussing. I find myself stressing to get boob in asap and then can't get it out of the stupid nursing bra / bf pads get stuck etc etc. Perhaps that is just what babies do. Also I feel like she feeds constantly and I am producing a giant but this is just because I have very little to compare her to and I think it would be v upsetting if she wasn't putting on weight. So no advice other than don't worry, which is also aimed at myself.

ps what about those nighttime grunts?! no one told me that was what would keep me awake!

Glad it's not just me :). Yes to the struggling to get boob out of nursing bra in a hurry and yes the grunts are so noisy aren't they?! And he can carry on for AGES!

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