Frantic rooting/Fussiness/evening cluster feeding

[saltyair]

Hi
My boy is 6.5weeks and is breastfed, largely it is is going really well. I'm feeding completely on demand, which during the night is roughly every 3 hours (midnight I finish the evening feed, then 3ish,then 6ish) which is great, during the day the it is around every 2/3 hours. However in the evening he will feed from 8.30/9 until midnight, until he falls asleep.

I know that this sort of evening feeding is common but I have a couple of questions - during this time he will get really frantic if he comes off the breast, and root around in a ridiculous way so it is hard to help him latch back on. He will also be quite fussy and prone to crying.

I also am not sure what to do about swapping sides...do I time it, do I swap back and forth every time he comes off? Or does it not matter. He's gaining weight well, so perhaps I shouldn't worry...

Thanks in advance.

Sounds pretty normal in my experience

Perhaps him being a bit frantic might be a bit of wind which once cleared will calm him down (DS has explosive trumps and then settles back on ). What is he like once you have got him back on - does he squirm or does he immediately settle? If he settles straight away, its unlikely to be wind and someone will hopefully be back in a bit with some advice...

As to the sides dilemma - if he's gaining and you're comfortable (not getting engorged or leaking everywhere from the one not in action) just go with what makes him happy. I wouldn't time it really and wouldn't worry about swapping him all the time, just when it seems right to you - sounds like you're instinctively getting it right

He kind of sounds like my DS at that age - he had a major growth spurt then (gained over a pound that week!). If he's gaining weight and you're not sore, it sounds pretty OK to me.

I'd swap around whenever you feel is right - I wouldn't time it or swap him each time he comes off, particularly. I remember swapping sides when my arm needed a rest! Or when DH arrived with my tea, bless him, and I needed my right hand to use a fork....

skilbo you might be right about wind actually, when he's doing the frantic thing he doesn't settle immediately, he sort of can't get his mouth organised to latch on, and he does squirm, too. Perhaps I need to spend a bit more time winding even if he's acting like he wants to latch back on?
Spring I managed to eat my whole dinner with my left hand the other night! If having a baby teaches me nothing else, I will be ambidextrous! DP did have to cut it up for me though...

Ds is nearly 6 weeks and does the same- frantically nuzzling and then often throwing up on my chest- lovely!

I tend to walk him round for a bit to calm down and get some wind up and then swap sides.

Walking around every so often also stops my body seizing up from being stuck to the sofa all evening