Demand feeding - crisis of confidence and slight freak out.

[Stripedmum]

I'm onto my second bf baby and so I really shouldn't be feeling this way. She is putting on weight and is always extremely contented.

However as I have a very active toddler I literally have NO idea of DDs feeding pattern. She's 19 weeks and I just feed her when she seems hungry - and now I'm thinking about it demand feeding seems to rely solely on intuition and it's freaking me out a bit!!

Does anyone else just literally whip a boob out when they instinctively feel their baby needs feeding and not really know their 'pattern' or am I just a terrible mother?

Yes, I did this. DS1 was incredibly jealous and I basically had to put most of my effort into him while ds2 was in the sling most of the time. If he made a noise or wriggled, I fed him. We could feed on the go and he would just doze off all cosy in the sling. I really paid very little attention to when he fed or slept.

Then before I knew it, 6 months had gone by!

Much less hassle than with ds1 where I had spreadsheets and everything ha ha ha wtf!!

You're doing great....that's exactly what feeding on demand is. Knowing your baby's cues and eventually the feeds will space out. All your baby needs is you to whip out your breast when you feel it necessary

Ha! God are you me?!

Yep she's just 'slotted in' a dream and now she's gurgling I'm thinking "shit! I have another human here I've somehow managed to sustain for five months."

YY to spreadsheets with DS.

Thank you loopy! I've just had a little freak out which I hope will pass when I get her weighed tomorrow for a bit of reassurance.

I'm sure it will be fine! Good luck with the weigh in

I just spat my coffee out at all the spreadsheet confessions! That was ME the first time round. I look back now and think "you absolute idiot!". This time it's all about nursing on request and it's been so much easier. No hair bands on my wrists, just a quick feel, latch on and boy's your uncle.

In my defence of the spreadsheets....... many years later, (age 5yo), I realised that ds1 was tongue tied.

In hindsight, and having since had a normal breastfeeding experience with ds2, I realise that breastfeeding did not go well with ds1 and I was desperately trying to make sense of what ds1 was doing.

If he had been my second, I would have realised pretty quickly that something was not right.

Ha, I'm still in the middle of spreadsheeting DS's habits (and in my defence there have been issues). Heartening to know that you all managed to work on instinct the second time round! You seem to be managing great OP.

She's put on weight. Yippee!