11 wk old still cluster feeding every evening... normal?

[SeratoninIsMyFriend]

As the subject line suggests: he's cluster fed all evening from around 6pm-8.30/9.30 every day and I'm getting to the end of my tether...

it makes bedtime with DD (3) hard as he's fighting and screaming while I try to read stories, and then I sit stuck on the sofa with him all evening, while he sucks and dozes for short moments between. I am fairly sure he's not actually drinking all the time but a dummy has limited success.

He's a big boy on the 75th percentile, and feeds 2 hourly most of the day, then dream feed 10.30pm, 2am, 4/5am and 7 as a rough pattern. I have not even tried putting him to bed yet! I was thinking once clocks have changed I might want to but can't see how he will be happy with this. He is currently grizzling on the sofa next to me, and doing his hungry 'cough'.

DH is not in a position to help much as he usually cooks dinner and cleans up while I feed, and is studying so needs to work a lot of evenings once this is done.

Any ideas?? I have the MiL suggesting formula in the evening as she thinks I'm bonkers (in a nice way!).

No expert but DD cluster fed in the evenings until she was about 18 weeks and then as if by magic just stopped and started sleeping for much longer stretches. Not sure if formula would help if your LO is just comfort sucking.
Hang in there, it will get better

Yes absolutely normal. Look at it this way, if he wasn't doing those cluster feeds he'd probably be waking up every 2 hours during the night.

Feed/doze/feed is also a normal pattern - just like how adults often like a little rest in the middle of dinner before second helpings.

Like MadamJ, I think your DD will grow out of this in the coming weeks and might even start dropping feeds at night if you are lucky. In the meantime, how about finding a sling that you can BF in?

totally normal and will probably continue for some time

sling? work out how to feed anywhere and everywhere? don't try to fight it?

good luck and get the chocolate in

Yay thanks for reassurance. I can't use a sling for physical reasons which is such a shame, and he's just too big too carry for long while feeding... I will continue to rationalise it as him following his natural instincts and live in hope. Have a big stash of Green & Blacks butterscotch so ok on that front

If you don't mind me asking what type of physical reasions. Often even people with bad backs can still use a good sling, something like a streachy wrap sling is best as it spreads the weight well over the whole of your back and hips.

my 6 week old is like this and im already bored of feeding all evening, every evening.

tonight she was given a 6oz bottle of expressed milk, and was settled and asleep by 8pm. bliss

i really felt she was really hungry all evening and she gets what she wants so much faster from a bottle.... slowest flow teat and she will drink about 1oz / min.

You have my sympathies: DD is 18 weeks on Sat and feeds pretty much non stop from 7:30 til 10:30 every night. In fact, she has got worse in the past 2 weeks, but I'm putting that down to 4 month growth spurt/sleep regression etc.

Every time I'm fooled in to thinking she's asleep, put her down and then 5 mins later she's awake and screaming and only the boob will settle her. She won't take a dummy or expressed milk in a bottle either.

Oh well, can't last forever, can it??

totally normal and will probably continue for some time

sling? work out how to feed anywhere and everywhere? don't try to fight it?

good luck and get the chocolate in

how on earth did that happen, sorry guys, gonna blame it on using a mac which I so don't understand yet