Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Infant feeding

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

Original poster

Advice pls - newborn b/f

13 replies

ChaCha · 26/02/2007 14:29

DS2 is 9 days old, has been feeding well, am so much more confident with him than i was with DS1. Midwives sat with me during each feed in hospital and i visited the b/f clinic before return home - all happy with latch/positioning etc. and baby very content inbetween feeds....BUT...last night he cried and cried everytime i tried to put him down, he was sooooo hungry yet i'd been feeding from 8pm onwards, by the time it hit 11pm i was exhausted and didn't know what else to do. I gave him 40ml of formula after which he fell promptly to sleep until this morning (11.20-6am). What went wrong? I thought i was doing so well.

OP posts:
feetheart · 26/02/2007 14:32

ChaCha (hello )-10 days is a growth spurt. You haven't done anytging wrong, just be prepared to feed him for ages for a few days and your supply will catch up.

WigWamBam · 26/02/2007 14:38

Nothing went wrong, and you are both doing well.

Some babies like to cluster-feed in the evenings like this - it's very normal, if knackering! Dd would go from 6pm - 11pm every night, and I know from reading threads on MN that lots of babies are the same. It doesn't mean that your supply isn't good enough or that he's not getting enough milk.

LucyJu · 26/02/2007 14:38

You aren't doing anything wrong! Most -if not all - bf babies go through phases where they want to feed all evening. It's just their way of building up supply. Sadly, too many mothers interpret this as a sign that baby "isn't getting enough" when, really, it is just the way that the baby builds up the milk supply.
So relax - and be prepared for more evenings when all your ds wants to do is feed.

MrsBadger · 26/02/2007 14:42

agree this sounds like (very normal) cluster feeding - have you got the knack of feeding lying down yet? It does help with the exhaustion, but if not, make sure you're installed on the sofa with a pile of novels / DVDs and waited on hand and foot for the duration!

Olihan · 26/02/2007 14:44

You were doing well, you ARE doing well. Trust yourself and your body's ability to do it. Last night could have been anything - a bit of a growth spurt, feeling a bit unwell and wanting to be close to you, just liking bfing. It's unlikely to have been anything you 'did'.

TBH, it sounds as though he was just cluster feeding. Lots and lots of babies do it in the evenings, exactly as you describe. My ds2 is 8 weeks old and has only just begun to ease off the evening feeding. It IS exhausting, but it's easier if you resign yourself to sitting on the sofa all evening for the forseeable future! Have you got an understanding dp who will bring you drinks, let you have control of the remote, etc?

I found that, when it's getting too much, if I take him up to my bed, strip him off and feed him lying down then he'll fall into a deep sleep and I can put him into his cot and he'll stay asleep.

How long did you feed your ds1 for?

Mumpbump · 26/02/2007 14:46

Agree that I have heard of other babies stocking up for the night like this. If I were you, I'd be grateful to get that kind of sleep in a block. Ds never stocked up, despite my trying to encourage him to do so, and was awake every 2-3 hours during the night for the first 4/5 months... And growth spurt too...

hunkerdave · 26/02/2007 14:47

Nothing's gone wrong - you're doing really well.

It is cluster feeding/growth spurt as others have said.

Giving formula will impact your supply this early - although one bottle last night is unlikely to have had any effect. Try to keep with exclusively bfeeding - it DOES get easier, I promise.

feetheart · 26/02/2007 15:08

ChaCha - both of mine did this. They just fed all evening - it was known as "the feeding frenzy" in our house
Can't remember when it started, or stopped, but the suggestions to just go with it and make the most of having a chance to put your feet up sound very familiar! As does curling up and going to sleep with the baby latched on.
Sounds like you are doing fantastically well and have a very sensible baby who is trying to stock-up so he can go longer through the night

Original poster
ChaCha · 26/02/2007 15:46

Phew! What a relief!

Thank you for all the replies, I actually thought i didn't have enough milk to meet his demands. Was de-scaling the steriliser this morning with tears in my eyes - although i had in mind 'everyday of b/f is a blessing/bonus' I didn't expect to be topping up just yet!

I b/f DS1 exclusively for 2 months and topped up until he was 5 months when finally milk supply diminished and continued on formula. Now that i'm confident with b/f technique just want to reap all the b/f benefits for us both as long as possible.Bring on the DVDs and snacks then eh?

so glad i posted [sighs in relief]

OP posts:
feetheart · 26/02/2007 15:51

The beauties of Mumsnet

hunkerdave · 26/02/2007 16:07

Brilliant ChaCha!

Original poster
ChaCha · 27/02/2007 15:07

Just wanted to add that my midwife came to weigh DS again this morning, he was last weighed on Thursday when he had lost some of his birthweight and since then he has put it all back on
Am pleased to say the b/f seems to be going okay, he is putting on weight...hurrah!!!!

OP posts:
Londoner · 28/02/2007 14:09

Yay!

New posts on this thread. Refresh page