Bf -is this normal?

[MrsSiba]

DS is 3 weeks old and I am bf. HV did suggest top ups of formula as he is only just back to birth weight. He is putting on weight slowly and I am expressing thinking he can have breast milk if he needs topping up.

Today he has fed every 2 hours from me 30 -40 mins per feed and slept in between which I was happy with.

But tonight has been a nightmare. He fed from about 8-10pm which I took to be a cluster feed. I then fed.him when he woke from 1230 to 2am with 2 nappy changes in between. I have tried to put him in his moses basket once asleep but he won't settle. I am on my knees and just want to pull duvet over me and sleep.

why are these night feeds so long ? Is it normal?

Someone more knowledgeable will be along soon but basically yes it's normal and he's getting your supply up. It's tough for the early weeks but will get easier. Only thing to check is that he's latched correctly so you don't get sore nipples, apply lansinoh after every feed, and drink plenty.

Re the top ups, is it not easier to just put baby on the boob more often rather than expressing, which is a faff?

Have you looked up cosleeping? Might help but needs to be done safely. Keep it up x

Sending you so much solidarity and sympathy as I feed my 4.5 week old! I think it's totally normal, but also horrible. DS always feeds at least every three hours throughout the night (normally more like two) but there are nights when he goes straight off after feeding and nights where he won't - and the first are tiring but manageable and I feel normal tired the next day, the second are horrible and I feel like a zombie. I keep telling myself that it won't last forever and I'll miss him being so small one day - I can't believe he's already a month old, which helps me realise that this will pass!

It's normal don't worry. It gets better, the newborn stage is hard with the sleep deprivation.

Your DS is tiny, it's normal for him to wake and feed for long periods at this age. Both mine spent a lot of time on the boobs in the early weeks at night.

Try and catch up on sleep when you can, get your partner to resettle him too if possible.

My first post but just wanted to say it does get better, promise!!
Remember those early days so well, wondering why nobody had told me that it's be so incredibly hard! But your little one will find their way and you'll get a 'routine' that works for you...there won't necessarily be long chunks of sleep but there will be sleep! Without telling what you've probably heard a million times; sleep when you can, accept all offers of help and make sure you look after you too. You can do it xx

Yep completely normal. It's hard work but gets easier as time goes on. My DD1 only gained 8oz every fortnight. She was 5lb at birth and gained so slowly but fed often, lots of nappies, happy and alert. My other 2 were very frequent feeders. None have ever had formula top ups. Just feed, feed, feed in these early days and soon you'll be noticing bigger gaps and more awake times. Get out and about during the day. I found that kept me sane as if she was in the pram she was sleeping rather than feeding. DS 1 is 3 and s half and still feeds morning and bedtime.

Thanks all for responses. It has helped. Glad to hear it's normal but need to tell myself that! It's so hard and lonely at nights especially. 2 hours is not a long slot to get anything done or sleep.

I agree with pp who said may as well put baby on boob than express but he obv settles better after a bottle top up as he doesn't have to work as hard for it.

Going to keep plugging away and try to get out as suggested above.

We're just coming out the other side of this at 8 weeks and have just started getting 5 hours after a cluster feed in the evening.
My dd also took 3 weeks to regain birth weight and I resisted hv attempts to make me top up with formula. I was also under midwives care until she regained and they said to ignore the hv!
So basically, it will get better :-) not every night as the big developmental leaps start coming but it does get better. IME anyway

Also remember those days! Have you tried searching for a breastfeeding Network support group in your local area? They were a lifesaver for me at this stage!

You’re doing really well - this is all normal stuff
Get all the help you can in real life from bf groups, health visitors etc
Drink loads and loads of water
Make sure you are winding properly - don’t put him down until you’ve heard a good burp or two

Ps do hang on in there - by 6-8 weeks things will be easier

This is normal, it's called cluster feeding.

Excellent website: www.kellymom.com

Mines now 16 months and I stopped breastfeeding at 6 months.....there is ALWAYS another burp. Whoever said breastfed babies don't need burping are full of crap.

Once she burped well she settled better. We also bought a gro-snug to swaddle her in at night and Ewan the Sheep. I hated the newborn stage but now it seems like a distant memory and I want it back 😍

Completely normal, he’s coming up to a growth spurt so he’s “putting in his order” so to speak.
It however DOES get better & cluster feeds don’t drag on & on.

I wish HV wouldn’t say that as formula top ups can sometimes be detrimental to breastfeeding supply as baby doesn’t build the supply up as well.

It is normal but really bloody hard. As a PP said, get your OH to settle sometimes in the night so you literally just feed and then pass the baby on and roll over and go back to sleep. Also, this might be a horribly obvious thing to say but I didn’t realise until someone told me don’t change a nappy overnight unless it’s a poo. If you absolutely must change one, do it in the darkest conditions you can manage and with minimal movements. I actually found it really helped to just forget about time and night/day for a little while! I just sort of rolled with it, went to be at 7, sometimes got up for the day at 4, baths at 10am, whatever worked. Also I can highly recommend sleeping in shifts once you can get a 3 hour stretch. Feed, OH settles and you sleep. OH should try and re-settle with a dummy if possible to stretch the sleep as much as possible. Then you wake up and take over. people will keep saying it, but I promise it does get better.