Is this normal cluster feeding behaviour?

[Honeyhoney2]

My 5 week old is cluster feeding, we are exclusively breastfeeding and it suuucks but we’re getting through it. I’ve been submitting to it these days and just using it as an excuse to sit in front of the TV all day and have DH bring me stuff when he’s home.

but one thing DD has started doing, is this crazy milk frenzy type behaviour, she will scream for the boob, and then continue screaming and pushing me away/ punching my boob whilst she’s trying to latch almost as if I’m literally forcing her - but then I take her off the boob and she screams even more. What does she want?! Is this part of cluster feeding? It only happens at some points in the day so I don’t think it’s pain related, as when she’s not doing this she feeds really great and is relaxed and satisfied after a feed, but during these cluster feeding times she just seems to go a bit mental and frenzied over milk and doesn’t seem to know what she wants.

Has anyone else had this? Does anyone know why this happens?

My DS did this. I remember thinking cluster feeding would just be hours of normal feeding on the sofa watching TV. But he would go absolutely wild and do all the behaviours you described. Many nights he’d scream at my nipple.

I think it’s ‘normal’ in that it isn’t a medical problem, it’s just really horrible and hard work. It was always worse in the evenings so I put it down to witching hour - he was overtired and overstimulated after the day, but the urge to feed was just too strong and overrode his need for sleep. You hit the nail on the head - basically they don’t know what they want. The cluster feeding was gone by about 8 weeks I think and the evening screamies by about 12 weeks. Good luck x

Exactly right - they don't know what they want!

PP explains it really well.

Sending you solidarity through the Internet - even though it was many years ago I remember thinking very clearly that my perfect easy baby had turned bonkers! We had friends round one night to visit and I'm sure DS was an excellent contraceptive that evening - they couldn't hide their horrified expressions!

@AliceW89 yes to the screaming at the nipple! Literally like I’m torturing her lol

That explanation would make a lot of sense thank you! This happens during our dreaded witching hour times too 😬

@SingingSands Thank you for the solidarity! Honestly me and DH have ended up just staring at our screaming red faced angry baby, me with my boobs hanging out, and all of us just not having a single clue what is going on!

My first two did this during the Witching Hour! (Or Witching Three Hours…) With DC3, I tried to follow “wake windows” much more closely and get him to take little naps every 1-1.5 hours in the early weeks, usually in the stroller or the baby carrier or feeding next to me in bed. Miraculously, he never had a Witching Hour and was way less frantic about feeding. In general, he’s a very chill boy (still so, at 11 months), so it may be a personality thing, but I do think the wake windows and not being overtired really helped.

That said, the evening crying and frantic feeding / not feeding never seemed to do my older two any harm. It only did my head in!

I'm having flashbacks I'd forgotten all that
Congratulations OP