Hello mumsnet, my son is now 5 weeks old and all he wants to do is eat!
During the day, I feed him, for what feels like forever, and after burping (which can take a while, either He or I haven't got the hang of it yet) and settling him down, as soon as I set him down he starts crying again, I pick him up and he usually stops crying and makes hungry faces instead. Sometimes he is satisfied to suck my/bf's finger but if you take if from him (even if he's sleeping!) he just cries for it back again. Other times he refuses finger which to me is a sign that he's really hungry not just wanting comforted, so i feed him again and again and again... argh! At night he is getting into a better routine but it normally requires about an hour of feeding or a FF to get him off for more than an hour and a half at a time...
My fingers are starting to feel like they are popping out of their sockets and my breasts today, are feeling empty already and it's not even lunch, plus he had a ff last night so there should be some spare!! I know my HV said there will always be milk there for him but to sit feeding for 40 mins and him still be hungry just doesn't seem right for someone so tiny!! He has well sussed out that a dummy doesn't actually have real food in it, and spits it straight out now. (I'm fine with that as I think it was adding to the wind...)
I have plenty of advice being chucked at me by grandparents and friends, such as "he's playing you up, just leave him to cry for a while" ... well I tried this and it broke my heart, and my ears! I left him for 5 mins and he did quiet a bit but then tuned it up a notch and sounded like he was choking on the effort so I picked him up again. Seems to me that even if he is playing me, he deserves all the attention I can give him for the first few months at least; I just wish it wasn't always to feed!
In his first few weeks he quite happily lay in my lap, on playmat or cushion and enjoyed having faces pulled at him etc, now whenever he is on his back he cries. He is occasionally up for a little bit of play bus soon goes back to crying for food after say, a song or a few minutes facepulling. We got him medicine to release trapped wind but he won't take it on it's own so only gets it if we give him formula before bed (which is about every other day when I'm completely knackered). Don't try to play with him then, cos we want him to get into a good sleep routine (which he mostly is), but then I worry I'm not playing with him enough! And I want to get him off formula completely as I feel it was a bad habit to get into which the midwives pretty much forced on me in the hospital before my milk had properly come in...
He is definitely getting enough food in fact he put on a pound last week and HV had to check 3 times cos she couldn't believe it! I know it's normal for babies to go through stages like this but I would really appreciate some answers;
How long can I expect to feed like this for?
Does feeding from different angles (eg, underarm) make different ducts work and therefore give more milk? I gave up underarm cos it was awkward but will give it another go if it means I'm making more milk...
Should I keep trying to leave him to cry, when I know he can't be hungry? Can he injure himself from crying too much?
Is there a better colic/ wind drops than Dentinox (which for some unknown reason is flavoured with Dill of all things!) that he might take without them being in a bottle?
He twists himself up when i try to wind him, normally have to try over shoulder, over lap and sitting in lap before I get a result from any one way... are there others I can try? how can i get him to sit straight (scared of pulling him by the chin I assume it's a bad idea!!)?
Why when he is over my shoulder does he snuffle about for food even when he's just had some, more, or loads?! He used to stay still, and it makes it really hard to wind him..
Ok Essay over,
Peace (and quiet, sigh)
MMMerangue