Fussing, fussing during feeds and lots of poo !

[beamel]

DD is 23 weeks and EBF. The last couple of weeks she has become increasingly fussy during feeds especially in the evenings - pulling on and off, gumming down on my nipple and turning her head (ouch !) and pushing, scratching and hitting my boob. The last few evenings I have been worried that she isn't full after her last feed. She doesn't look drowsy and satisfied after the feed and can take a long while to settle to sleep in her cot. This is much worst when she doesn't nap for long during the day.
I'm trying to hold my nerve and not start fretting about her not getting enough milk but I am really starting to worry - and I am getting really sore.
What do I do ? We were going to start weaning in a couple of weeks and once under way I was going to slowly replace some daytime BF's with formula. Should I start that now ? I just don't quite feel ready yet.
Only other things to mention are that for the last couple of weeks she has gone from pooing every 1-2 days to pooing 6-8 times a day. Poo looks normal (sometimes a bit green) but she is otherwise well. Not quite as many wet nappies the last couple of days, could this be the heat ? I'm worried it's because she is taking less milk ?
Finally, she normally sleeps through but is now waking sometimes in the night for a feed. I know this can happen around 5 months but its another thing which is making me thing she may be hungry.
Can anyone offer any suggestions ?
Thanks !

I'm Erika Thompson. An independent midwife in Ringwood and the surrounding areas. This sounds like classic behaviour around this time due to a growth spurt. The hitting your boobs is her way of stimulating the milk. (Kittens do it too) Not pleasant for you but there is a reason for her doing it. The fussing around at the breast can be because she is interested in her surroundings more, or because she is waiting for the fatty hind milk to come through and is impatient! Try and feed her in a quiet environment, on your own for a while. Tell her not to bite. She is old enough to understand. Personally I screamed when my three bit and they didn't do it again! To produce more milk for this growth spurt she knows she must visit the breast regularly. Hold your nerve. In a few days time with her frequent feeds and boob hitting she will stimulate an increase in your supply. They are clever things!

Don't supplement with formula unless you want to give up breastfeeding. She will digest it in a different way which gives them more time between feeds which will mean your breasts will not be stimulated enough to increase your supply. You say you're not ready yet and I would hold onto that instinct. This time in their lives passes so quickly and you'll never get it back. So enjoy those feeding times while you can. You will never have to supplement with formula unless you want to give up breastfeeding before a year. She is waking at night again to give your boobs frequent stimulation to increase supply again. Usually lasts a few nights and then is better again. The hormones that help produce milk are more at night so that's another reason for her night wakeings. It won't last forever.

The greeny poos can be a sign she is getting a lot of fore milk rather than hind milk. This can be due to short but frequent feeds. As she settles into her rythmn again after getting through this growth spurt you'll see them return to yellowy colour.

Hope that helps! You can also find me on my Beautiful Births facebook if you need more advice. Good luck with it all. And well done!

Thanks so much Erika. I sort of thought it may all be connected to the growth spurt thing. I just couldn't quite work out how all the things I have described fitted together. I feel a lot better now that you have been able to explain this. I will just chill and go with it, and as you suggest make sure I BF her somewhere quiet to minimise distractions.
I was planning to cut out at least some BF's in a couple of months (hoping to keep first and last feeds of the day going), but I really don't feel ready to do that yet. All this has made me realise I may never be ready in which case I won't do it !
Thanks again for your help :)