Constant feeding and no day sleeping!

[poppyhigham]

Looking for some advice as my baby is currently 2 1/2 weeks old and is feeding every 1 - 1 1/2 hours and isn't sleeping during the day. On average she sleeps 11 hours in day which doesn't seem enough. She is gaining weight so I know she's getting milk but I'm finding the demand so hard, do I just have a hungry baby? I've read to try and get the baby to wait 3 hours between feeds but there is no way she would go that long. Any thoughts?

[EllaNB]

Do you mean 11 hours over each 24 hour period or 11 hours during the day? Because if you mean just during the day that sounds like a lot.

I don’t have to much advice, I have 1 year old twins. It’s really hard in the beginning but it does get easier, you really need to ride it out and will probably notice a great difference when your baby is about 6 weeks old.

My personal view is that your baby is to young for a 3 hour routine, I would also feed on demand but others will disagree.

Is your baby gaining weight ok? Xx

[Shmithecat]

If you're bfing then no, don't go to a 3 hour routine. Feed on demand.

[seven201]

In my view you feed a new baby whenever they want. Unless bottle feeding I guess - not sure about that one. They're too little to be forced into a routine. They're also doing it to get your supply sorted.

[poppyhigham]

@EllaNB 11 hours over the 24 hour period. She is gaining weight so I'm not worried about her health. I'm now just worried I'm not supplying enough milk for her :(

[poppyhigham]

@seven201 yep breastfeeding but I don't think she is feeding effectively, she definitely chomps a lot rather than sucks. I've tried diff positions, re latching and massaging breast to draw the milk. I express after feeding for 10 mins to try and up supply but I only get 10ml.

[Valanice1989]

poppyhigham, if she's gaining weight then of course you're supplying enough milk for her! Please don't worry, you're doing a great job.

[seven201]

Poppy, I think it sounds like you're doing a great job. Your baby is gaining weight, so carry on doing what you're doing. Btw, some people just get very little when they express (I got 10 mil after an hour!) but it's not an indicator of supply at all. No pump can replicate a baby's mouth/technique.

[poppyhigham]

@Valanice1989 @seven201 thanks :) just hope she starts to sleep a bit more in the day so I and my boobs can rest!

[Shmithecat]

Yes, take no notice of how much you can express. I could barely get 3oz out in a whole day but ebfd my ds for the first 6 months with no problems!

[SnuggyBuggy]

The only thing I can suggest is trying to go for the odd walk in between feeds and see if baby sleeps in the pram.

[MrsSiba]

I have similar and feel for you OP! Baby is 3 weeks old and feeds every 2 hours. Also is difficult to put down and wakes up if he falls asleep at the breast but I can't hold the baby all day. I have an older daughter to consider.

If you are expressing are you using an electric pump? I suggest do breast massage at the same time as the pump is on. It helps to draw the milk out and you may get enough to give baby a bottle yt? I give you a rest.

Good luck. Hang in there. You are doing a great job ☺

[poppyhigham]

@MrsSiba Ahh congrats on your new arrival can't imagine how tough it is having another one to look after too! I manage to express enough throughout the day to get 130ml for the 11pm feed, I'm expressing after each feed to help stimulate milk production. I tried the electric pump but found I got more milk with the hand expresser. I definitely want to try and get two bottle feeds a day just so I can rest my nipples.
Do you find your baby sucking for comfort rather than efficient feeding?

[Shinynamechange]

Have a look for a local breastfeeding support group. If baby is gaining weight and has wet/dirty nappies sounds pretty normal. 3hrs is a long time at this age to go without feeding.
Try a sling for daytime naps? With DS1 I assumed he would sleep if he was tired - he didn’t! But being in the sling would send him right off and then he was less overtired and more likely to sleep properly later.

[RubyBoots7]

Goodness me no please don't make your baby wait 3 hours for food. I'm not sure why people come out with such nonsense advice for new Mums. The regularity that you describe is totally normal (in as much that there is no normal but new babies will often feed every hour or so). Also some babies just don't sleep so much during the day and others sleep loads. Have you tried different things to see if she wants to sleep but hasn't quite figured out how to get herself off to sleep? (pram walking, car seat, sling, white noise, rocking, low stimulation/dark environment etc)

If she's gaining weight and making wet nappies then she's getting enough milk. It doesn't mean that there potentially aren't any issues, for example maybe it's not the best latch for some reason so she's having to work harder to get the right amount of milk, or it's hurting? ( it shouldn't be)

Have you got any bf support group type things where you are? It's invaluable getting someone who knows what they are talking about to watch an entire feed (not just the start of it), to check positioning etc. And hear about your experiences so tjey can advise any tweaks.

9t helped me to remember that when a baby pops out they have never fed before and you have not fed a baby. You're both learning a totally new and difficult skill and it can take a few weeks at least to feel you have got some handle on it.

Also little babies feed for food but they also feed for comfort and closeness and that's a good thing! Even if it is exhausting for Mum! It will get easier, but get support because there's levels of hardness and you shouldn't have to struggle unnecessarily! x

[poppyhigham]

@RubyBoots7 thank you so much for you post. I headed to my mums yesterday for some support and I think that's calmed me down and has meant she is feeding better.
It does hurt sometimes when she isn't efficiently feeding, if she's just doing it comfort. I strapped her too me yesterday and she slept much better!

It's been great support coming on here and hearing from everyone, I didn't want to resort to one formula feed but lots of people were telling me too. I think I just needed to hear that the feeding was on demand and that she will be upping my supply, I know she's a hungry baby but if I can get my expressing up then at least I can have one feeding session off.

Last question (sorry)
She settles really well after a feed and I keep her on me upright for 15/20mins then I put her down and 10 mins later she wakes up screaming and writhing around and her tummy is always gurgling should I try some gripe water? Thanks :)

[Shmithecat]

No, she's too young for gripe water. Maybe try infacol before the feed? Also, make sure you're winding her for long enough.

[crazychemist]

She sounds exactly like my DD at that age. Wet nappies and weight gain tell you if they are getting enough milk, not how often they feed. My DD fed every hour for the first few weeks. She gradually got better at feeding, by six weeks my cracked nipples had healed and by 3 months she fed much faster so although she always fed often it didn't take up so much of the day!

[RubyBoots7]

Have you experimented with putting her down after 30 mins, 10 mins, 5 mins etc?
I wonder if it's the time since the feed or just that after lying down for a bit, some wind accumulates and it wouldn't matter how long you winded for, it would still happen if that makes sense?

I guess it could be something else entirely non wind related! Like they just want a cuddle :)

Sometimes I needed to wind, lie them down for a bit and then wind again. From my Mum friends, there were a variety of winding techniques that worked for different babies. Over shoulder, flat over lap lying on belly, sitting on leg sideways patting, sitting on leg sideways doing a weeble impression with them (so you tilt them forward and then sideways then back, moving in a circle but keep a good grip!), standing holding them with your arm under the length of their body and rocking them backwards and forwards (pressure on tum and movement). Google for all the above.

Also you could try putting baby in a sling to keep them upright for longer. Or tilt the surface they are lying on - either with one of those foam wedges that goes under the mattress or by putting something under the top end of their bed stand/cot.

Sometimes the problem was more the bum end rather than tummy. If they do lots of drawing their legs up it could be because of this. In which case heaps of bicycles and leg movements generally can help, as well as tummy massage. Also holding them up under the arms so their legs dangle down straight. Theres another positon called the chair. Again Have a Google as there's lots of videos out there.

Some babies are windier than others.but most babies get this problem less from around 3 months. So it does get easier.

Gripe water is not advised for small babies. Infacol supposedly works by making all the small bits of gas into bigger bubbles so it's easier for baby to bring it up. We used it for a bit. It did seem to make more burps and eased things during a period of what appeared to be trapped wind pain that was quite extreme and I was desperate. The downside was that it also made a lot more sick. Also you apparently have to give it a few doses to work (not sure if that's true?) Plus you have to do it with every single feed and pipetting liquid into your baby's mouth isn't the nicest thing for them. I've been told by some bf professionals that the evidence base for infacol is pretty non existent but I've not researched it myself.