Cluster feeding hell!

[Bubbinsmakesthree]

I've got a 5 week old and for the last week he has cluster fed every day for 4-6 hours from mid afternoon to mid evening. Screams and thrashes about if he's not on the boob.

He feeds between 2-4 hourly the rest of the time.

Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to cut it down or encourage him to cluster feed at a different time of day? I've got a toddler as well and I simply can't do his dinner bath and bed AND let the baby cluster feed at the same time!

The

If you have to run around after DC1 have you tried putting the baby in a sling?

It's normal. It settles quickly and you are probably over the worst. Is there anyone else at Jones who can sort the toddler whilst you feed?

My DD used to do exactly the same. It stopped around 8weeksish I'm sure.

My friend was Bfing her DS around her DD and she worked out she could do dinner, put DD to bed and read story etc while feeding the baby. Not sure they BF while they did bath too...

I used a moby wrap in the early days and learnt to feed while she was in it - could you try this for dinner times?
Or give DD a main meal at lunch and more easier prep things for dinner?

Keep going, that shitty beginning bit is nearly over!

I've got family help at the moment so largely letting other people deal with the toddler, but will be on my own from next week - dreading it!

Using the sling a lot through the day but he isn't happy in it during his cluster feeding time. I'd like to be able to feed him in the sling but everything I have read suggests it's quite tricky to master and we are still at a stage where latching isn't easy.

Are their things you could do with the toddler while you feed?

The problem is most of the cluster feeding time there is stuff I have to be doing with the toddler (preschool pick up, dinner, bath, bed). There's probably about 4 x 20 mins between 4 and 8 when I can feed, but the baby wants to be fed the whole time.