4 week old comfort feeding

10 replies

dileas2010 · 30/10/2010 15:26

Hello my DS was 4 weeks old yesterday and is EBF. For the last week or so he has been doing marathon feeding sessions which sometimes end in him vomiting (a lot!) and starting again. I'm pretty sure he's feeding for comfort and now will more or less only fall asleep after feeding.
I don't mind too much at the moment but it's a bit distressing (for me) when he is so sick and I don't want him to only be able to fall asleep on the boob. He also will get very fussy at the boob and make almost screeching noises when he's reached this point but still make signs he wants more food. Sometimes at this point I can put him down and he'll sleep after a little while but other times he'll cry, feed and vomit. I'm pretty sure it's not reflux as he's happier in a horizontal position at this point than being on my shoulder.
I've tried taking him for walks or just cuddling him when I think he is near vomiting and last night resorted to trying a dummy which didn't really help. I am demand feeding him but don't know if I should just keep going. When he gets like this he's displaying strong feeding signs (trying to launch himself at my boob and gnaw through my clothes) so don't think I'm just feeding him for no reason.
Sorry for the long post - just a bit unsure of what I should be doing. He also gets green poo after he's been like this as he does lots of short feeds. Just wondering if I should go with it or if there are strategies to calm him when I'm sure he's not really hungry anymore.
Thanks for reading.

OP posts:

MamaChris · 30/10/2010 15:51

I sometimes put dt2 (also 4 weeks old yesterday!) in a sling for a while once a marathon feed turns into screaming and grunting. I think perhaps he is tired, and wanting to suck to fall asleep? Not sure. He doesn't always sleep in the sling, but he likes it enough in there (with me doing lots of patting, swaying, dancing about etc) to calm down, and then we can go back to feeding with less fuss. dt1 however is emphatically not a sling baby, so may or may not help you.

Original poster

dileas2010 · 30/10/2010 15:55

Thanks for that - we do have a sling so will give it a go next time. It's also nice to hear from someone who is experiencing the same thing. I think with us he is wanting to suck to fall asleep but it seems to wind him up rather than calm him down.

OP posts:

MoonUnitAlpha · 30/10/2010 16:02

I offer my ds a dummy, but he won't take it if he's hungry. It took a while for him to get what he supposed to do with it though, and even now I have to hold it in for him at first til he's properly sucking.

He didn't like the flat, silicone dummies we first tried, but will take the traditional cherry latex style.

thisisyesterday · 30/10/2010 16:06

ds3 used to do this. i have no problem with comfort feeding, but he would get to that stage where he was just really unsettled and unhappy.
what he wanted was just to go to sleep, so would def second the idea of a sling. once he starts getting crochety just pop him in and see if he'll nap

Original poster

dileas2010 · 30/10/2010 19:28

Thanks - sounds like the sling could be the way forward. Might try the dummy again though slightly worried it's too early. Think it's just better now I can recognise when he's getting more upset by feeding almost than not.

OP posts:

nymphadora · 30/10/2010 21:34

I pass dd3 to dh. If she is hungry she roots but if it's comfort she will settle for him. Is there someone around for you to try this? Even if you leave the room briefly so baby can't smell the milk

MamaChris · 31/10/2010 09:11

dileas, I heard that you should wait till 6 weeks before introducing dummies to be sure it doesn't interfere with bf. good luck with the sling

Original poster

dileas2010 · 31/10/2010 15:44

MamaChris - thanks for advice. Will wait as though all going well now don't want to risk it.
Nymphadora - am trying to give him to DH and somrtimes works.
Had pretty good night with just a bit of fussy this morning.
Thanks for all the replys.

OP posts:

MrsGravy · 31/10/2010 16:31

I had this with dd2 in the evenings and it was definitely tirednedd in her case. Taking her upstairs to a quiet dark room helped her calm down and go off to sleep without over feeding. As did the sling!

Hannah7 · 31/10/2010 19:15

My 19week old does this, she gets tired so wants to suck to help her go to sleep but is full so complains and thrashes around. At bedtime she has started to sometimes go to sleep on her own but in daytime sometimes the only way to make her sleep is a car trip or she dozes whilst attached to me! DS was bottle fed so was a nice simple bottle, dummy, bed :-)

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