The witching (5) hours

[starfish12]

I feel like I'm taking part in an endurance test... DS1 is 7 weeks old and very demanding.

So far he:
Sleeps on us at night as wakes up and cries yhe second we try and put hom down even if in a supposed deep sleep
Sleeps in the sling in the morning after I spend 20 mins ssshing and jigging him
Only goes to sleep if pushed in the pram in the day
if I didn't do the sling and pram in the day he wouldn't sleep at all!

Im finding this physically exhausting as it means hes on me all day and night except when I'm walking the streets with the pram which is also tiring.

but... the worst thing is that between 4 and 9pm every night without fail he is on my boob mostly NOT feeding. Take him off and try anything else to soothe him and he screams, punches, head butts! So every night he uses me as a human dummy for 5 hours straight

I can't even imagine ever being able to start a bedtime routine...!

Help! Does this just stop at a certain age or do I need to be doing something different? He is EBF and on the 91st centile for weight gain so I'm not concerned he isn't getting enough food.

Cluster feeding, the long evening session, is completely normal for this age (I have previously found it stops by around 10-12w so you're nearly there) and developmentally important for some reason that escapes me now.

That's completely separate from the unputdownable issue. I had an unputdownable DC1 and it's maddening.

agree with Horatia. There's a growth spurt at this age and the cluster feeding is normal (I think they are doing it to increase your supply?)

One option - you could try expressing after your first morning feed when you're fullest, and giving him that milk in a bottle at some point in the evening to give you a break (get DP to do it). Depends how much you can express though and whether your DS will take a bottle (7 weeks is quite a good time to try to introduce one if that is something you want to do).

my dd would only sleep on me and would only nap with movement for a long time... it gradually got better and I think by about 15/16 weeks she was sleeping in her cot (not brilliantly but not too badly!) and I could stop the pram without her waking. That seems an age away but you will get there. It may be quicker for you as dd was 6 weeks prem so you may find this resolves for you by 10/11 weeks. Best of luck in the meantime.

My 8 week old is pretty similar - in the day he'll only sleep on me (often for only 20-30mins before waking for more boob) - it often feels like he cluster feeds constantly. He seems to need a lot of reassurance-by-boob. He won't be put down to sleep, and at night he is in bed with me, waking about every 2 hours to feed (for a while he was waking every hour so this is a great improvement!)

I wish he'd sleep in the pram so I could get out the house more!

I'm kind of ok with it because he's still so young, and feel I 'just' need to be patient. But it does get very, very frustrating.

Oh, I forgot to mention - DD turned out to have tongue tie, which I think was a major factor in all of this. (it meant she was windy and couldn't get a full feed, so needed extra comfort in order to sleep). Things improved a lot after we finally got it diagnosed and cut at 15 weeks.

Any chance this is what's going on with your DS? does he struggle to stay latched, is he very windy, can you hear him swallowing air, does he feel like he is clamping on your nipple, do you have sore nipples or flattened nipples after feeds, does he seem exhausted/maddened by feeding? if yes to any then worth getting him checked.

That said, there are plenty of babies who don't have tongue tie and still need arms or pram to nap...

OP just wanting to give you some reassurance. Dd is 10 weeks tomorrow and the last week has seen a noticeable shortening in the evening cluster feeding. We were 4-9 ish before and now do a feed at 4ish then a little nap, then hold off on bedtime feed until about 6.45 and she is feeding then till about 8. So it has definetly improved since 9 weeks. Same as the day time - feeding less - to the extent that because I an so used to the cluster/frequent feeds I am now worrying she isn't feeding enough!
For extra info, the shorter bedtime feeds also coincided with her sleeping a bit longer, usually from 8-1am ish.

I think dd stopped doing this around 12 weeks, she would cluster feed for 5-6 hours every night from around 8-9pm, it's exhausting but think of it this way, I bet the last 7 weeks have flown by and so will the next few. I know it's hard but try not to worry about bedtime routines etc, those things develop themselves down the line, just try and go with the flow as much as possible, it's less stressful.
Dd is 23 months and having no 2 next week. Am actually crazily hoping this one cluster feeds too as for us it meant she slept 4 hours in a block at night afterwards which was heaven.

I could have written this exact post! My DD is six weeks and a half weeks, and is also a velcro baby. The evenings of cluster feeding are definitely the worst, and have become something of an endurance test. I am trying to make the most of it, by snuggling up with her, and sticking a box set of something on and just cuddling and feeding, but there are still evenings where it all feels a bit much and it is harder to look on the bright side, especially after an entire day of being attached to her. God help me, I'm even remembering wistfully being able to dash around and do the housework using two hands, and without a sling in the way!

I know peple saying it stops by twelve weeks is supposed to be helpful, but the thought of another five and a half weeks of this fills me with terror! I'll just pretend I don't know that, and tell myself that tomorrow will be better

Mini pie he had a small tongue tie cut 4 weeks ago but he still does some of the things you say despite having a good latch!

Oh well it's good to hear they settle down on their own accord. I'll try and go with the flow. Its just depressing when other mums talk about the routines they are putting in place and I feel that my son is running rings round me!!

Shminzo... reassurance by boob is v apt!!!

X

worth checking the tie hasn't reattached? they can do...