dwindling milk = waking more ????

[melsy]

Im not sure were to put this , but Im going crazeeeee, the following pattern has been going on for about 10 days and Im totally drained and exuasted and need dd2 to sleep.

Dd2 5wks old, at 11 ish dh gives her an EBM bottle of around 3oz , she then wakes at night around 2:40am for a feed, she can feed for up to 15 mins have a little wind and a break and then feeds again normally falling asleep,(well I think she has), I put her down in her carry cot and find shes unsettled and upset and crying so I put her to me again ,were she fusses and fusses comes of ,goes on, comes of goes on , eventually latching and then falling alseep. I lay her down again at say 4:30 & within half an hour in the carry cot she wakes up again crying and crying. This can go on for an hour, rather than may be over feed her I give her the pacifier and try to soothe her but she just seems very unhappy. This morniing her crying and fretting went on till 5am , depsite cuddles and soothing , so I put the night light on and changed her nappy , as I really wasnt sure what was wrong . I got the biggest grin and then shen started crying again. I swaddled her with her arms out and she just layed next to with eyes like beacons, I really didnt know what to do. At around 6 I fed her , but she only latched for 5 mins and finally fell asleep.

So Im wondering , is it that my supply is dwindling due to lak of sleep and there fore shes drained me at the 2:40 feed and not getting enough, not satified and therefore not sleeping? My expressing at the begining of last week was immense anything from 4-6 oz of one breast within 10 mins. Then by Friday it took me over an hr to do 2oz ish, of course this has made me think that may be due to lack of sleep somnething is happening to my supply ? I just dont know , and my brain is to addled to explain things as they are.

[melsy]

lovely u came to check how It went x

[melsy]

oops meant to say doing well with feeding , I think , not sleeping YET ,early days, corr my brain !

yer Kellymum is very good , sensible sound info and very very helpful & a relief.

[Papillon]

Kellymom is such a great site Great to hear things went so well! Sleep is a magical thing.

[melsy]

Was soo soo much better, she woke at near to 3am , fed on and off for a little while , winded , had a little fret and then settled back to sleep all wrapped up, snuggly and happy next to me around 4ish. We didnt wake again till 6:30 , so much an improvement on being up from 2:40 am onwards with both of us crying and crying!!!

Think I really need to move this to sleeping ,as we are doing well wtih that I think. Well esp after reading kellymom and settling anxietys about things. After last night its raised thoughts and questions on co sleeping, as not really been into it before, but it was better.

[Papillon]

How was last night Melsy?

[melsy]

yes my aim has been to cluster feed this evening & let her have what she wants,shes been on twice since 5:30 , and is now napping, hoping shell want some more before 11.

[Tinkerbe11]

cluster feeding (more frequent feeds) can help fill up the belly near the end of the day.

hope you get a little more sleep tonight xx

[melsy]

I also thought with that kind of gap was more for formula feeding. I thought Breast milk digested quickly, so Ive been very confused. I feel bad that Ive been stretching her and thats whats caused all my stress at night with her waking.

Im nervous as to what the night will bring, need sleep so badly. I have been feeding more on demand today and its been roughly every 2 hrs , so we will see how she goes tonight.

[tiktok]

melsy, the HV's suggestion may not be right for you. The idea that stretching feeds helps with digestion ignores the fact that some babies need to feed little and often. If it's not helping you, then ditch this idea.

[Tinkerbe11]

Carry cot is a good idea

[melsy]

sorry missed all the posts between paps

HV suggested I only feed every 2.5 hrs minimium due to digestion, so hence stretching her between feeds. DD2 doesnt tend to poo very often , but Im not concerned with it as she wees loads and loads , as HV said shes just digesting my milk and absorbing it.

Good idea about the teashirt , have to find one not washed !

As Tik Tok says she slept quite peaceflly when next to me from 5ish.

Paps her crib is fixed wont come down at sides , but I could may be put her carry cot on the bed with me or next to my bed on the floor.

[melsy]

Pirates day ???!!!

hiya paps

[tiktok]

robin - sorry, constipation is very unlikely. As is wind. We have already established that baby melsy is peaceful and happy when sleeping next to mum. Three hour gaps between feeds (who are the 'they' that are recommending this? ) may be too long to keep the baby fed and comforted - in general, scheduling like this is not a good idea (though of course different things work for different people).

Tee shirt idea is worth trying - babies do love the smell of their mum

[Tinkerbe11]

Can the sides of the cot go down so it can be up against the bed?

Ds slept through to 4.30am this morning and then fed and slept again. He is on his single mattress so I can lie in between them. Its working great!

[tiktok]

Why would you not have enough milk?

Yes, some people do give formula, but it may not have the desired effect, and what your baby is doing is normal and healthy - seems a shame if you are keen to breastfeed to treat it as if it was something going wrong!

It's your decision, of course - getting more info on co-sleeping would help you cover all your options before you make the decision

[robin3]

Could it be wind....both DS's had problems with wind and would wake soon after falling asleep. Sometimes not having enough space between feeds makes this worse and is a vicious circle. I think they recommend leaving 3 hours between feeds if poss. DS2 had this initially and we used Infacol...then we stopped because his stomach had settled down.

Could also be constipation....DS2 (12 weeks) sometimes gets fretful because he hasn't had a poo for a day.

Certainly doesn't sound like lack of milk to me.

If it is just missing you perhaps you could put one of your worn T-shirts in her carry cot so she can lie on it. Swaddling might also help.

My Doula friend also taught me to roll up a sheet and place either side of DS2 to make him feel safe. DS2 also prefers to sleep on his side and this helps to support him at a slight angle rather than flat or completely on one side.

[Tinkerbe11]

I agree with Tiktok

you know that!!

Just sleep lower than her I find another bed next to me that I slide onto really good with their own bedding.

(its paps!! - its pirates day today)

[melsy]

yes did possibly think this is a sleeping issue , but wasnt sure if it was compounded by my milk and there not being enough for her. Some feel I shud give her formula at night to get her to sleep????

[tiktok]

melsy, the fact you had more peace when your baby was close to you does show that this is not really a feeding 'problem' - you have a lovely, loving baby who loves you and who wants to be close to you at night

Bless

How about posting a thread on the sleep board, or on here, asking for tips on how to make co-sleeping work when you are anxious about it, and when you have other children?

[melsy]

well funny you shud mention co sleeping , I have a real anxiety about it, but after swaddling her I kept her next to me on top of the duvet,as I was so desperate to sleep and she did actually sleep quite peacefully (if sporadically), but I had no crying. I then just brought her close if she wanted to feed as I lied on my side and we both dozed on and off till 8:30. Thankfully my dh stayed till then to look after dd1 , but I cant do that most mornings.

How long can this stage go on for? I FF fed dd1 by 3 weeks so havent ever done the exclusive bf at this stage.

[tiktok]

melsy, lack of sleep is a real downer...but it won;t affect your milk in quality or quantity.
Sounds to me that your baby just wants to be with you at night, near you and close to your breasts, and does not like sleeping in the carry cot away from you. It is fine to feed her again, no need to worry about 'over feeding' , but you might want to think about co-sleeping while she is in this needy stage. This can be done safely (neither you or dh should be smokers, or use drugs or excessive alcohol, and you need to ensure your baby does not over heat) and it often means a better night's sleep for everyone.

Hope this helps.