Sorry in advance about the length of this post. My DS is 8 weeks old, EBF and has followed the 25th centile since day 5. Until about 3 weeks ago he was feeding every 1.5 to 2.5hrs, but now he wants to feed most hours between 11am and 11pm, and not just snacks as he can be on the breast for up to 40mins. I always let him feed for as long as he wants to on one breast to get the hind milk and often he isn’t interested in feeding from the opposite side after that. He is ok at night, waking just once or twice for a feed, which tend to be shorter.
I wondered whether he was feeding for comfort, though he doesn’t appear to be just sucking, as it looks like he is swallowing well at each feed too. I thought comfort feeding was a possibility, as he has some of the signs of reflux (milk coating on tongue, wet voice, grimacing when he does a wet burp) but my hv said this wasn’t unusual and that he wouldn’t settle on his back if he had reflux. A couple of people in RL have suggested a dummy, but I don’t want to use one, especially as he seems to be genuinely feeding and is sticking to the centile rather than gaining a lot of extra weight. The advisor at La Leche League said the lack of extra weight gain could be due to fuelling brain development.
I also wonder whether my DS is sometimes feeding himself to sleep. That is certainly how he gets to sleep at night and if he does nap in the day it is always following a feed. A few times recently he was showing signs of wanting to feed, but when I put him to the breast he screamed, turned his head away and seemed agitated. After some comforting with shhing, swaying etc he soon fell asleep, which made me think he was after sleep but had formed an association between that and feeding.
DS has always been windy and produced windy liquid poos, but since this frenzied feeding the wind is worse. He does gulp initially with feeding, unless he is tired before bed or feeding overnight. I’ve had my latch checked a few times and would imagine if a poor latch was the cause of wind my nipples would be so sore from all this feeding but they are actually fine. He is on Infacol (has been since 3 weeks) and tbh since taking that he does seem to have switched to huge explosive poos, though 3 or 4 a day maximum. With the extra feeding I do wonder if he is giving himself lactose overload though, as his poos now smell of sour milk, but his bottom isn’t sore, though could be because his poos are so obvious he is changed before the acid has chance to irritate his skin.
I’m not really sure what I’m expecting anyone to say, as both my health visitor and an advisor from La Leche League have said it is probably just a phase, but just posting in case anyone has similar experience/suggestions. I’m happy to carry on as we are and I suppose it is more family and friends suggesting this isn’t normal behaviour that has perhaps got me over thinking.
Thanks in advance :)