10 wk EBF baby doesn't seem satisfied

[Felicie]

Hi - I am new to the forum. My 10 wk old little girl was feeding really well, EBF, but recently she only feeds for 5 mins but gulps down the milk on one breast. On the other breast she only nibbles.

When she appears to have finished feeding she then makes her body really stiff and refuses to be winded. do you think she is still hungry? Last night I was concerned that she was unsatisfied and made a 4oz bottle of infant first milk - she drank the entire bottle. I don't want to change to the bottle yet.

She only ever sleeps 3 hours at a time. Also, recently when I try to express there is only less than 1oz when there used to be much more. Am I running out of milk?

Advice would be appreciated.

Hi, Felicie. Expressing is the world's worst way of judging supply and intake of breastmilk, honestly! The second worst way of judging supply and intake is to give a bottle of formula.

So......:)

10 week old babies often take what they need in a short time.

But if you are concerned she might need more breastmilk, then feed her again...maybe after 10 mins or so if she seems to want a break.

Sleeping or 3 hours at a time is fine for this age.

Hi Felicie

If you want to continue to Bf you really do have to be careful with offering bottles, as your babe fills up on formula, so sucks on the breast less, so less stimulation, so less milk is produced etc etc. You're NOT running out of milk, no, so long as you offer the breast whenever your daughter wants it, and allow her to stay there as long as she wants.

The other thing to remember about bottles is that it's a "passive" feeding method: the milk keeps coming without the baby doing any work, so they keep swallowing, and swallowing, and swallowing. So it may look like they're "hungrily" guzzling it whereas they're actually just swallowing what's flowing into their mouth until it stops.

PLEASE don't think I'm anti-bottle here: everyone should feed their babies however they wish. I'm just counselling caution if you want to carry on bfing because it can escalate from one bottle quicker than you'd wish, because it does affect the delicate demand/supply relationship.

Also, winding isn't obligatory! Don't worry if she doesn't want to be winded, in some countries it's not the norm, in this one it is, go figure! The feeding for 5 minutes thing may well be just a sign that you've really got into sync with her demand! If you're concerned she's still hungry, offer the other breast. A hungry baby will feed. Although she may want a rest between courses! Also remember that a baby of that age is changing their behaviour every few days, so it might just be a blip.

Have a look at this website for more info. It also has lots of helpful stuff about increasing supply, if you think you need it.

This isn't quite the right page but it has some useful info on it and links to other pages too: www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussy-evening.html

Good luck

Thank you - it is reassuring to hear from your experience. It is so hard to know the best thing to do when you are being told that it is no harm to supplement with a bottle to satisfy your child. I was really concerned that I was losing my milk - thank you for your words of reassurance and support. I'll keep going with the BF, I just find it strange that my daughter, now nearly 13lbs can be satisfied after only a 5 min guzzle on each breast -but your comments on the bottle (not sucking just drinking what is being poured in") makes a lot of sense.

Did your children suffer with 8 week injections? My little girl got a cold and very stuffy nose - is this normal?

From 6 weeks DD fed in 5 mins total (that's both sides).

The few times she takes longer, it feels like forever and I get very bored.

Your little girl has a cold because it's the season of colds (especially in doctors surgeries). Nothing to do with the jabs (well not directly).

It can make feeding difficult as they breathe through their noses and could lead to shorter more frequent feeds in itself for a while though. OTOH it is also normal.

Thanks - it was strange because neither my husband nor I had a cold and after the jabs when she screamed herself hoarse she developed a cold - very stuffy and runny nlose etc. I thought it was from the jabs.

It is quite common for babies to get quicker at feeding as they get older. A friend's baby started off as a 10-minute guzzler and this went down to 5 minutes at about the same age as yours ..