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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Baby Hungry Not getting enough Breast Milk????

16 replies

soremummy · 18/08/2007 15:52

HI, Any advise welcome. My 14 week old has started waking every 2hrs at night for feeding but can sleep for at least 4 hrs in the afternoon. She used to sleep at night after many evening feeds!! from 9 ish till about 5.30. Is it a growth spurt? HV has sugessted maybe formula or baby rice but I think its too early for this I know my other children had been weaned from about 3/4 months but they werent breastfed and the youngest is 13 so things have changed. My DD was only 4lb 3 at birth and is now 8lb 1oz so is very little surely she wont be able to digest baby rice??? DO I just persevere and hope she settles down again i'm exhausted atm cos she wakes so much.

OP posts:

MarsLady · 18/08/2007 16:08

It's probably a growth spurt. I don't think you need to either supplement nor wean.

I think you need to babymoon with your wee one. Which is basically being naked in bed for a week or so with the baby.

You need to be sure to rest as much as you can (I know you have older children but they are old enough to help/fend for themselves).

Your baby is still growing and finding herself. Now.. is she feeding efficiently? Can you feel/see a change in her suck during her feeds? Also, because she's small (DT1 was 4lbs 5 at birth.. so I feel your pain) is she falling asleep when she should be feeding?

If she needs more food then you need to breastfeed more.

Have screaming DT at the moment so can't concentrate enough to help more. Sorry!

tiktok · 18/08/2007 16:13

soremummy - your HV's advice is very odd, and very umdermining. I don't agree with MarsLady that a week in bed with your baby is needed, even if it was possible...just ride out this phase, feeding responsively, and it will pass

NAB3 · 18/08/2007 16:15

Baby rice waaaaaay too early. I am sure I have read that BM at night is different and maybe your DD needs that at the moment. Growth spurt sounds likely. sack your HV.

Original poster

soremummy · 18/08/2007 16:19

Thanks for your help. She seems to be feeding ok will have to just try and get her to feed more. Do you think I should not let her sleep for her 4 hrs in the afternoon and that might help? As for fending for themselves they are all good kids eldest is 16 and next one 14 doing more than their fair share but costing me a fortune for paying for ironing doing LOL. Will keep trying her and see will she feed more also a little concerned that in 2 weeks she only gained 4 oz. But not gonna get het up over weight etc did that with others and ended up ff after a month.

OP posts:

iamasurvivor · 18/08/2007 16:20

soremummy, how long does she feed for? do you feed from both sides or just one/

agree that it could be a growth spurt, but depending on how long she feeds could indicate that she might not be on breast long enough to get hindmilk.

could you try cluster & dream feeding her to see if that makes her sleep a bit longer at night? she may be waking more in the night because she hasnt accumulated enough calories during the day to sustain her.

i would try and avoid supplementing for now if you can because this will acceft your milk supply i the long run, and a definite No to weaning, she is way to young.

good luck, i will keep a watch on your post xx

Original poster

soremummy · 18/08/2007 16:24

Feeding varies. Sometimes just one side for around 15 mins sometimes she squeals after this and I put her to the other side and she might feed for 5 or 10 mins. She is a very fidegety baby as well and can sometimes mess about when feeding her to the extent that she has even sprayed milk all over me when she decided to smile! Find that if i take her to bed at night I end up falling asleep and wake up 2 hrs later and she has latched on again by her self. Since she knocked the hourly feeds from about 4pm till 8pm thats when she started waking every 2 hrs at night.

OP posts:

Jojay · 18/08/2007 16:28

I would wake her in the afternoon and see if she'll take another feed.

It sounds like she's got her day and night mixed up if she does her longest stretch of sleep in the afternoon.

I would feed her as much as possible - at least 3 hourly, mnaybe more - between 7 am and 10 pm, and hopefully that will boost her up for the night.

Definitely don't wean though - too young, esp as she's so small.

I never did it, but are you co-sleeping?? Can make the night feeds easier to bear, so I've heard.

Original poster

soremummy · 18/08/2007 16:33

Like the bit about sack HV! She should be retiring soon was an older HV when eldest was born she always made me feel sort of useless until the day i proved her wrong after i kept saying dd1 wasnt hearing properly she finally got us referred to hospital and found out dd1 had total loss of hearing in one ear and only 60% in the other. she couldnt apologise enough she actually said she thought i was a neroutic mother!!!!!!!!!

OP posts:

Original poster

soremummy · 18/08/2007 16:34

Thanks. Never liked the idea of co sleeping before but its working for us atm.

OP posts:

Pannacotta · 18/08/2007 16:37

Def agree you dont need to give her formula or baby rice, its prob a growth spurt and you just need to feed her more often till it subsides.
Might be worth trying feeding her from one side only per feed and not switching sides, that way she will get the hind milk which is more filling.
I do this with 12 week old DS2 and it works well for us, though he does feed every 2/2.5 hours, but he is huge must be over a stone so gets v hungry.
Look at www.kellymom.com/ for advice.

iamasurvivor · 18/08/2007 18:02

i would consider reducing that long afternoon nap and waking her for feed.

when i used to cluster feed my dd i would feed at 4pm, 6pm then again about 8.30pm then put her to bed. then when i went up to bed about 11ish i would get her up and dream feed her. this accumulation of calories would sustai her till about 5 am.

Original poster

soremummy · 18/08/2007 19:14

Thanks for your help I am going to try to get her to cluster feed like she used to. Even if this means eating with one hand while feeding her! Oh the joys of little babies.

OP posts:

NAB3 · 18/08/2007 19:15

My husband used to cut my dinner up for me, as the baby would want a feed, without fail as soon as dinner was served. You soon learn to eat with one hand!!

Original poster

soremummy · 18/08/2007 19:19

LOL think she does that on every meal in anyway. Think they have a built in sensor?????

OP posts:

determination · 18/08/2007 19:23

I just thought i would add this link and add that if you have a sling take advantage of it during this time . I have just came through a massive growth spurt and we are as happy as larry again . You will get thru this, it is extremely tiresome but, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Really, there is no need to stay in bed for a week. I ran around after a toddler doing my usual daily things but had dd2 latched in the sling practically all day! She has now settle down to 3 - 4 hourly feed again.

Stilll ttotoooo early for solids...

harryruby · 18/08/2007 22:17

I used to wake my son ever 2-3 hrs through the day to fill him up,and the one day when i didnt he was up most of the night feeding. and by the time he was 7wks he was sleeping through from 10pm-6am and im certain it was due to feeding him through the day.I've done the same with my daughter who is 12wks and touch wood is doing well at night. keep with it and get plenty of rest,also are you eating plenty? as well as the healthy stuff you need to be eating the high cal stuff,i.e. choc,cake good luck x

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