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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

Cluster feeding in evening - can it be stopped??

12 replies

Flamesparrow · 02/04/2006 20:31

DS is 5 weeks. He goes pretty much exactly 3 hours between feeds during the day, but from between about 7.30/8pm to 11.30pm he seems to think he needs feeding every hour. He then has a 3 hour gap, and then feeds again about 6.30am. As nice as the cuddles are, it would be nice to have some sort of child break in the evening.

It does seem to be hunger as he is happy to suck his fist or a dummy if he just feels sucky.

Is there any way to stop it, or will he grow out of it naturally in a few weeks (I seem to recall most things starting to settle at about 6-8 weeks)?

OP posts:
Tipex · 02/04/2006 20:34

This reply has been deleted

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madrose · 02/04/2006 20:35

from what I can remember, DD gradually reduced them herself, but it did seem to go on forever, I can still remember my nipples feeling so raw at one point, mind you it helped her to sleep longer at night. In fact when I think about it it started to reduce, when I started a nighttime routine, and bit by bit I put her to bed earlier and earlier. sorry can't remember how old she was when it stopped.

Original poster
Flamesparrow · 02/04/2006 20:46

Grin Tipex - I'm getting good at "Oh dear, i forgot to make a cup of tea and he needs feeding again..."

OP posts:
Miaou · 02/04/2006 20:53

He will grow out of it Flamey. Give in to it just now, it won't be for long Smile

Tipex · 02/04/2006 20:57

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

charmkin · 02/04/2006 21:06

gotta go with it for now. Get the telly on and put your feet up. Ds would literally be there for a good 2 or 3 hours every night but they get over it and then you miss it...

tiktok · 02/04/2006 23:02

This is normal and age appropriate behaviour, flamesparrow - totally physiologically and behaviourally necessary!

Babies do not do this forever, and trying to stop it is pointless :)

rosylizzie · 03/04/2006 21:13

I stopped clusterfeeds in evening by giving a bottle of formula at 6 -7 pm but you could express and do same thing, i always felt it was genuine hunger and that it was exacerbated by my milk supply being low. i did clusterfeed with ds1 but with the other 3 found i didnt have the time to sit there for 3 hours as they needed me to do other things

colditz · 03/04/2006 21:22

I bottle fed ds, and he still clusterfed, so giving a bottle does, IME, make any difference.

colditz · 03/04/2006 21:23

doesn't, I mean!

julienetmum · 03/04/2006 21:26

Ds never really clusterfed and I put this down to the fact that I was expressing extra milk keeping my supply up. However the reason I was expressing was breast refusal and also building up a supply for going back to work. Some people would find the cluster feeding much easier to deal with than the expressing extra milk in the mornings.

cece · 03/04/2006 21:28

Your lucky he stops at 11.30! DS would do this till about 3 am. It gradually reduced and after a few months I was able to get to bed before midnight!

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