5 month old latching onto my face!

[JudysDreamHorse]

My 23 week old BF DS seems hungry all the time at the moment and will try and latch onto my face when I burp him after a feed - I do put him back on but he never seems satisfied. He's feeding round the clock at the moment so not sure I can feed him much more than I am. My breasts also never really feel full and I keep worrying I'm not making enough for him. He was weighed by the HV last week and he has dropped from just below the 75th centile to halfway between the 75th and 50th. She said this wasn't too worry about and that I could start weaning as he's showing a definite interest in food.
I know he's going to still be getting most of his calories from milk for some weeks - am just starting a few first tastes - but was just looking for some advice and/or reassurance that he's not starving. Thanks.

DS is a facesucker too, he started at about the same age and I realised he did it when he wanted a feed. He was already on some solids by 23 weeks though. I dont pay any attention to centile so cant help you there. DS is 9mo now and still has 2-3 feeds daytime and 2-3 night depending on how he sleeps. You'd know if your baby was starving so try not to worry.

Thanks browniebear. I know I'm being irrational I guess the bit I missed out nis that he wakes really frequently at night and I've been trying to cut down on night feeds. Up until recently I was fairly sure he wasn't waking from hunger but now I'm not so sure. I do think he's thriving though so will try not to worry.

DS used to face suck too - it is so lovely really :)

Tbh I wouldn't be looking to cut feeds at this stage. DS fed and fed and fed at this age, he was growing (lengthways) at a rate of knots and there is a lot of developmental stuff going on too - sitting up and other gross motor development.
I would just feed as much as he wants until you start weaning him, and you will likely find that he'll start to drop some milk feeds himself.

It is hard, I really sympathise. But I'm sure he isn't starving, it is v.v.common for EBF babies to 'plateau' on the charts at around this age.
Also don't worry about how your breasts feel. Mine never had that bursting feeling after the first 3-4 months and I BF'd DS until he was 2. It is no indication of how much milk you are producing at all :)

Both my dc have done this I thought all babies did

They especially like to try and latch on to dh rather large nose

Am smiling reading this as DD has the tongue going and head bobbing the whole time at 9.5months!!! She just reeeeeeeeaaaalllllly loves milk.

aaaaw I love it when they suck your nose

Your boobs should be like this by now, they eventually sort themselves out and if your lucky its bye bye breast pads , I'd put the drop down to develpment, not lack of milk. dd is 14 months and still sometimes sucks my nose or bottom lip, but I get a cute little grin when she does it now

It's not a face suck, it's a kiss

I think babies all ramp up their feeding before they start solids - makes sense that the period before they start food has the highest milk consumption, then they start dropping feeds over the next few months as their food intake increases. I wouldn't try to drop milk feeds until he's well established on solids.

Ds does this too, he really gets suction sometimes. Haven't decided yet whether cheeks or boobs should be more insulted he is also feeding round the clock, but is a fat little lump so don't think its necessarily a sign of lack of milk

Oh yes, I've got a 24 week old facesucker too :)

The worst is when I'm really sleepy at night and she wakes for a feed and she's sleepy too, but really really starving hungry, and in her enthusiasm she latches onto the skin on my boob and not my nipple . Love bites in the morning!

I'd forgotten they do this! My DS1 did it too at about 5 months, just as we started weaning! Expecting DS2 to start this any day now. Thanks for the reminder and I apologise for crashing your thread.

Babies should get most of their calories from milk until 12 months.

There's a developmental spurt at around 26 weeks and there can often be growth spurts shortly before / at the same time as developmental spurts.

Breasts not feeling full is totally normal by this stage.

At 12 months my DS was having 5-7 feeds a day and 1-3 at night.

my ds is 10 months and i stopped feeding him about 2 months ago,but now he latches on to my bottom lip and sucks like there's no tomorrow!he will only do it to me. i love it

dts about this age and they are feeding lots too. I think you have to go with it. also makes sense if you try and feed less at night that day feeds will go up, I think.

when not latching onto my cheek/sucking hands, dt1 often latches onto dt2's head - he has lots of dried milky patches by the end of the day if I don't find time to wipe them off as they occur :)

DD is just like this, still, at 9.5mo

Boob, face, arm, shoulder, tummy... If it's bare, it's fair game as far as she's concerned

She was 91st centile born, by 5 months was comfortable 50th. Don't worry, he's not starving! Just getting to that fabulously cute phase where they do funny stuff.

It's so cute isn't it! Well how do they know milk doesn't come out of other places too!

Thanks for the mesages! I do kind of like it . It's just we've been going through a phase of waking every hour for about 7 weeks now. I was trying to only feed him every 2.5 hours through the night before and settle him at the other wakings but he's now feeding more frequently. Guess will just go with it and like everything else this it will change. Thanks for the reassurance.

Mine has started leaning over when sat in my lap to suck my knees.

mine sits on my lap and grabs my bra or boobs now, is so funny! and yes, also does face sucking, shoulder sucking, nose sucking etc etc.

Oh no poor you! And there we were going on about how cute it is! Not so cute every hour all night!! I'm no expert, but it's probably a growth spurt - my 6.5 month dd2 has finally calmed down after a 4/5 week feeding frenzy. She "only" woke up 4 times a night though, but did want to feed all day. She has gone from 80 percentile to 45 since she was born but HV is not concerned and seems happy and healthy.

my ds grabbed my face n latched on to my nose earlier

Thanks Petisa. I have a different theory as to why he's waking so frequently every day really. THe messages here have all made me feel better about it though and it is cute really. I

I had to come back and post here again. Last night DH and I were sorting through a huge box of old paperwork etc and found an envelope with some photos in. One is of DS at about 5 months old lunging towards the camera (I was behind it) with his 'I am going to latch on to your face Mummy' face on - hands out, eyes and mouth wide and tongue out.
Made me smile so much :)

I know what you mean about having a million theories about why they keep waking at night. :)

Does he nap well in the day? IME lots of babies who wake lots for feeds at night are suffering overtiredness from too few / too short naps.

Funny you should say that angeldog, my dd2 is not a good napper, despite me taking her to bed and feeding her to sleep when she's tired. She is overtired sometimes during the day, unfortunately. I do my best and give her every opportunity to sleep, and don't k know what else I can do! Her older sister was having 3 regular naps a day at this stage, and sleeping 11 hours a night with no awakenings. She was hardly ever awake!