Baby so hungry, want to introduce formula ....

[NK35f8bc5aX1132f476df0]

Hello, this is my 1st time on mumsnet, my baby boy is 5 weeks old, was born 7 pounds 1 @ 36 wks & has never had a problem bf, but in last 2 wks seems permanently hungry, is never awake & just happy, wakes up starving has to be fed immediately, yesterday fed for 4 hrs in the morning, with me trying to break him here and there but he was so hungry I had to keep giving him boob, until he was satisfied 4 hrs later, I express 3 times a day to have more milk to top him up, at 10pm I gave him 1 and 1/2 hrs of bf, then he took 6 ounces of expressed milk, then when I had used all that up he took 10 mins more of boob then went to sleep, he did sleep for 4 1/2 hrs. I had heard you empty a breast after 15 mins & many babies only feed for 15 mins, that doesn't seem to apply to me - am I doing something wrong, hv say he is comfort sucking, but I don't think so, he seems to be very hungry, I can't work out when boobs empty either, if I squeeze them after say 45 mins of feeding they still squirt out milk ...

Breast are never empty just sometimes less full. WHy are you expressing? You just need to feed. I am sure someone will be along soon with advice.

If you want to keep breastfeeding, then I wouldn't introduce a bottle of formula at this point. And expressing and topping up just makes more work! Just give him lots of time on the breast, lots of skin to skin. He is probably having a growth spurt, and feeding so much to increase your supply.

As hercules has said, the breast is never empty, it keeps making more milk, and the more your baby feeds, the more milk it will make - your baby knows how it works!

Some babies do only feed for fifteen minutes, my DS2 was like that, while my DS1 would have fed all day.

How is his weight gain?

am not one of the experts (they'll be here soon) but, as hercules says, breasts will never empty - they contiually replenish milk supplies

your baby will get enough milk from you - your body adjusts to whatever he's taking

hang on here for someone more knowledgeable than me, who can put your mind at rest...

Hello NK35,

I had a similar problem until very, very recently. My ds wanted to feed around the clock too. Sometimes he still does (ten weeks).

Some of it was comfort sucking; can you actually hear him swallowing? Sometimes it sounds like a "gulp, gulp" sound, and sometimes just like a "ka.. ka... ka.." sound. You can see a pause in his sucking when you look at his chin if he is actually swallowing.

My ds had a really poor latch too, so it was difficult for him to swallow, like drinking through a straw that's pinched in the middle, so it took him much longer to feed. Can you get someone to check your latch is right? I found the rugby ball hold really useful.

Tbh, I had to traipse around half of Merseyside to find someone who would check my latch and assist me with bfing and it took me nine weeks to find someone decent. I didn't realise it, but if you phone your local hospitals they should have someone there who is a proper expert on bfing. So many midwives and hv's have absolutely no idea.

Good luck and I am sure someone with more knowledge will be along soon for you too.

so I am worried he is just so hungry that I'm doing the wrong thing by sticking to bf only, is it right for me to keep my baby so hungry cos bf is best, or is it more important he is filled up and happy, should I give him long bf & then top up with some formula on feeds, I'm really torn with what to do, he has gained weight but dropped from 75th centile to 50th... help ...

re-read the posts here nk35, and try not to panic

mossy has given you some good advice re seeking help from a bfing counsellor to make sure your ds's latch is good

he won't starve - you are perfectly able to provide all the milk he needs

NK35 my ds was gaining weight, but just very slowly, about two or three oz a week, and was dropping down the centiles. He's only just now caught up and is following the ninth centile.

Also, are you absolutely 100% sure he is hungry each time he cries? I thought mine was, but now I look back and realise sometimes he was crying because he was overtired (as I'd been trying to keep him awake to feed).

I had to resign myself to the fact I'd be stuck on the couch watching the telly constantly while he fed... and fed... and fed...

thanks for all your advice, the reason I'm expressing is because after feeding him for hours & being exhausted & him still being hungry my husband or me can top him up with bottle, sometimes I just have to go out & do things, my husband works long hrs often out of the UK & have no family that can help nearby

NK35 I just wanted to let you know that I panicked and panicked and panicked for the first eight or nine weeks, that he wasn't gaining weight. A baby's cry can make you panic like nothing else in the world, and the thought that he was hungry and I couldn't help him was terrifying to me. So I do know what you're going through.

In fact you can do a search under "mossie" in the feeding topic and you'll come up with a dozen panicky posts but also some wonderful advice from people which may assist you.

It could be a growth spurt ? i.e. When baby seems to be feeding all the time. But they do this to signal the breasts to make more milk in the future.

Sure an expert will be along soon.

I'm going to go to a breastfeeding support group this week to check he's latched on properly, I do hear him gulgging, he'll pull off if he has wind but once I get that up his mouth starts opening & closing & tongue sticking out & if he doesn't go back on breast seems very distressed so I presume that's hunger?...I was in hospital for 5 days as premature & they had very good midwives just to help you get the hang of bf & they seemed to think my latch was ok there but maybe it's not quite right so I'll go to a support group this week...

NK - welcome to mn! Sorry you are having a hard time but you have been given some great advice here already. I just wanted to add that I had similar experiences up unitl dd was about 6 weeks old. You will of course find that your lo's weight gain will start to steady off, just as long as weight is increasing. It sounds like you are doing a great job - just hang in there if you can as you said your self - you feel breast is best. There is no reason that formula will fill your baby up more than you can.
Keep in touch and we will be here to support you.

good luck at the support group - i'm sure you will find it a great help!

NK35 I had three different midwives and a La Leche League volunteer tell me my latch was right. It wasn't!

It may well be that yours is right, I'm only saying that because you'd be surprised how many so called health professionals know very little about bfing. (I was surprised and shocked.)

Lots of babies do want to feed around the clock, mine did, especially about five / six weeks as they have growth spurts and need to feed constantly to build up your supply. It is knackering believe me I know just how knackering it is.

One thing that helped me (and I only really learned it properly last week) was learning how to feed lying down. Can you ask whoever it is at the bf support group to teach you? That way, even if you can't sleep as such, at least you can rest while you're feeding.