6 week old not feeding properly - please help!!!

[Gina1981]

DD is 6 weeks old and am EBF! She will feed for 5-7 mins then come off, burp and then won't want to go back on! Then she is really unsettled and find it so hard to settle her! Thinking she possibly couldn't have had enough I'll put her back on the breast and she will get angry! Then at some point she will fall asleep but wake after 30mins - 1 hour and start all over again!!

All I do is feed and try to settle her! Have 2 other DD and they have to pretty much look after themselves as I never get 2 mins to myself let alone to do anything else!

Can anyone offer advice please??

Cont.... Am worried that she isn't reaching the hindmilk! It's so exhausting all the time! I really don't want to give up BF but sometimes I wonder whether we would be better on formula!!

Hello

My DD is 9 weeks now and still does this! I've finally realised that babies will stop eating when they're full. She's getting cross because you are trying to make her eat more when she doesn't want to. I'd follow her cues - when she comes off, try once more and if she's not interested, leave her be. She'll let you know when she's hungry!

Are you getting lots of dirty and wet nappies?

Her nappies are wet and dirty! DD is still doing runny poos which vary in colour! Is that normal?

Yes, the poos should be runny and may vary in colour. Likely to be a mustardy yellow maybe with white seed-like things in but could vary from orangey to greeney.

When you say you're trying to settle her after a feed do you mean put her down? Some babies just need to be held all the time. If she stops feeding and then you carry her, what happens? If this helps, would you consider popping her in a sling and letting her come along for the ride while you deal with your other DC? This is how we have evolved to be and how our babies expect us to handle them so while it may feel odd, it's totally normal :)

Yes bf babies have runny pops that's totally normal. Healthy poo is usually yellow/orange. The odd Poo with a greenish tinge is not unusual but if you're getting frequent green nappies it may mean she's not getting enough hind milk in which case try feeding from the same boob for two feeds in a row rather than switching.

I've been told by many people to pop her in a sling but I have really bad back ache! For this reason I didn't buy one!

When I say she's hard to settle I mean that she's so unhappy and crying! I can't put her in her bouncer or lay her on her mat! Even holding her sometimes doesn't settle her! She just seems unhappy most of the day!! I don't remember my other 2 DD being like this at all! I barely get anything done! I'm praying as she gets older she'll change and be more content! I'm so sleep deprived And if I'm being honest feeling quite low about all this!

I'm not surprised you're feeling low :( Sleep deprivation is utterly awful :(

She sounds like a classic high-needs baby, or as the Analytical Armadillo puts it, a Duracell Bunny Baby. www.analyticalarmadillo.co.uk/2011/11/duracell-bunnyhigh-needsspirited-baby.html

It's nothing to do with breastfeeding or otherwise. It's just how she is. Of course, though, there is extra pressure on you on the feeding side as only you can do it. Is there any chance of expressing so someone else can feed and you can have a break/sleep?

Regarding slings, I would absolutely not suggest going to a high street store and buying one of those slings. Typically they will offer a Baby Bjorn (or similar) or a Baba sling. Neither would be suitable.

If you search for your area in www.slingmeet.co.uk you are likely to find a meet near enough to you. If you get in touch, go along and see what's around you will find a huge variety of different slings to try. Or, see if there's a sling library that you can borrow from - there are a few online. I would suggest that a stretchy wrap may be ok for now, but ultimately a woven wrap or possibly a Mei Tai for a back carry would be better as this can be done by most people with bad backs. Both these need specialist help to work out and you will need to get together with experienced sling users but you are likely to find it a revalation.

Babies are not designed to be put down (they assume they'll be eaten by tigers) so your DD3, while different to your other children, is more "the norm". It's just such a shock when you don't expect it :(

revalation? Revalution, revaulation, revolulation.

Or maybe revelation. sigh