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Infant feeding

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

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Original poster

Bf baby crying from hunger, what do I do?

78 replies

fromheretomaternity · 21/04/2008 15:18

I'm bf'ing a three week old. He is a hungry chap and will feed for an hour at a time, 30 mins each side.

In the mornings all goes well, he has that satisfied sleepy look on his face after a feed and goes off to sleep. But I just did a 1pm feed lasting an hour or so, he was squirming and sucking but I'm sure both breasts were empty by the end, nipples were dry and no milk visible in his mouth. After the feed he cried really hard, was turning his head to the side, eating his hand etc, obviously still hungry.

What should I do? It had been 4 hrs since his previous feed, did I leave it too long? I am trying to do a feed right now (started 3pm) but worried I'll have the same problem, surely milk won't have regenerated yet? If he is still hungry after this, is it time to give a formula top up? Can't be good to have baby crying from hunger all day, also it means I can't sleep which must be bad for milk prodection.

OP posts:

CoolYourJets · 21/04/2008 15:21

There is alwyas milk. Feed him. I have fed two kids with loads of sleep deprivation it doesn't affect milk.

Did he not look for milk before 4 hours? Mine fed loads at that stage and 3 weeks is normally a growth spurt where he will up his feeds to increase your supply.

Did you get his wind up?

Brangelina · 21/04/2008 15:22

Breasts never empty, as long as the baby is sucking there is milk there. At 3wo he should possibly be feeding more frequently. Do you demand feed? Maybe you could try putting him to the breast more often?

Your milk won't disappear because you're tired. If you can, go to bed now with baby next to you and let him latch on at will.

You're still establishing supply at the moment, so formula top ups are not a good idea as they will jeopardise your supply (I know from experience).

happynappies · 21/04/2008 15:26

Hi fromheretomaternity, and congratulations on the birth of your lo. This may not be what you want to hear, but you are doing brilliantly, and as long as he is feeding on demand, your body will respond by making enough milk. Your breasts are never 'empty' they continually produce milk. If he appeared to be crying with hunger, I'd put him back on the breast and allow him to keep going. Feed him for as long as he wants, whenever he wants, and your supply will establish. I personally would avoid giving formula as you've come this far, and done so well - but it really is a very personal choice. My dd fed every hour to two hours in the very early days. Eventually this spread out to every three hours. She fed a lot in the evenings (cluster feeding) and at times I felt utterly exhausted and very emotional. Still going now at 17 months and I can promise you it does get better and easier. Is there anyone you know with bf experience who can chat to you about it? Is there a bf support group near you that you could go to to have a chat with other bf mums? Good luck - sounds to me like you're doing a brilliant job

VictorianSqualor · 21/04/2008 15:30

There is always milk, its like a willy wonka fountain, as soon as some is drank it replenishes.
Isecond what everyone is saying about top-ups. Do not top-up, it's likely he is having a growth spurt and will want to feed more often and longer, this will increase milk production, if you introuce formula your body will think he doesnt need that feed so not produce it.

Original poster

fromheretomaternity · 21/04/2008 15:30

He was asleep after a big feed this morning and a walk in the pushchair, eventually I woke him to feed. Perhaps I should have woken him earlier.

Breasts were definitely empty before, I can tell as he starts to squirm, suck really hard and get frustrated.

He at least seems to be feeding now, though the problem is that apart from the morning feeds, he rarely seems to get enough to be really satisfied so it is incredibly hard to get him to sleep.

OP posts:

VictorianSqualor · 21/04/2008 15:32

FWIW DS1 fed for nearly two days constantly during his first growth spur, every time he fed he cried when i tried to remove him, so i literally had to feed,wind,change boob,feed,wind,change boob and so on for hours. Once his growth spurt stopped though he fell bak into a 3hrly routine.

VictorianSqualor · 21/04/2008 15:34

fromheretomaternity, I'm not calling you a liar but they werent 'empty' they dont empty. They may not have been as full as they sometimes get but they werent empty.

happynappies · 21/04/2008 15:34

when he's squirming its probably just that the flow isn't the same - it varies throughout a feed. It doesn't mean your breast is empty though. Try not to panic about him not getting enough. He will get enough as long as you feed on demand. Literally the more you feed him the more milk you will produce.

CoolYourJets · 21/04/2008 15:34

Obv all the people who have posted so far and pro breastfeeding myself included. How are you feeling about the whole BF thing in general?

Is this your first?

tiktok · 21/04/2008 15:35

Fromhere - for most babies, four hourly feeds are nowhere near often enough, and the majority of them will feed far more often than this given the chance....and one way of giving them 'the chance' is not to let them sleep and sleep away from you, but to hold them close by all the time. That way you can respond to early feeding cues (crying is a very late feeding cue).

You do not need to wait for the milk to 'regenerate' - anyone who has told you this, or written this, is merely showing they don't understand how breastfeeding works!

Your lack of sleep will not affect milk production.

Hope this helps! Some babies need two, three, four or more 'sides' in a 'feed' and may feed off and on for a long period. This is ok, and normal

avenanap · 21/04/2008 15:35

There are alot of different thoughts on feeding. You have to do what you think is right for your baby. They do go through growth spurts at about 3-4 weeks, there's another one at about 7 weeks andd another one at 12 weeks. There are no rights or wrongs, it's down to what's best for you and your baby. If you feel that you're not having enough time to refil and are exhausted, there's no harm in topping him up, however, the more he sucks, the more milk you will produce but it won't happen immediately. You need to take care of you aswell though! It's down to what you want to do.

needahand · 21/04/2008 15:36

Perhaps you should try to feed him more often (every 3hours as opposed to every 4hours). If I remember correclty at 3 weeks old my DD was feeding every 2.5/3hours. Also make sure you eat properly and you take loads of fluids. Do you know if he is putting on weight? If so he probably gets enough and the crying might be due to something else (overtired, cold, windy etc...)

Good luck, it is hard sometimes to read these small creatures.

Oh and before you question yourself too much and give in to the temptation of the bottle because you feel you don't have enough milk (which is probably not true anyway). I think there are BF milk bank.

tiktok · 21/04/2008 15:36

Just to confirm - your breasts were not empty

doggiesayswoof · 21/04/2008 15:37

It goes against the grain to wake them to feed, but I had to do this with DD when she was tiny. 4 hours does sound like a long time to go between feeds at this age. IIRC dd was feeding about 2.5 hourly, 3 hourly at least.

Echo what others are saying, if you introduce top ups now it will not be good news for your supply.

Sleep deprivation is really crap, but it does not affect your milk production. good luck with it.

tiktok · 21/04/2008 15:40

avenanap, you said, "There are alot of different thoughts on feeding. You have to do what you think is right for your baby."

Only up to a point! There are certain facts about breastfeeding - and they don't change according to what people eel is best

"They do go through growth spurts at about 3-4 weeks, there's another one at about 7 weeks andd another one at 12 weeks." There's no evidence for predictable growth spurts at all, really....big myth, IMO.

"If you feel that you're not having enough time to refil and are exhausted, there's no harm in topping him up," Not true - there may well be harm in topping up. Women do not need time to refill.

" however, the more he sucks, the more milk you will produce" Now that is true, sort of, but it's not so much the sucking as the removal of milk - that's what drives the supply. Some babies suck, but not effectively, and don't remove milk.

Not having a go - just setting the record straight

seeker · 21/04/2008 15:44

If you can, try to spend tomorrow in bed with your baby, the tv remote, the telephone, a couple of good books and lots of delicious snacks and drinks. Cuddle him all the time, let him feed as much and as often as he wants to. You will get a rest, he will get lots of milk, and you will up your production if you need to. A babymoon like this can work wonders - and it's a lovely thing to do, you find yourself noticing all sorts of things about the shape of your baby's ears and the way his hair grows you've never seen before.

And try (I know,I know!) to relax. Breastfeeding is a learning curve - it gets easier all the time.

avenanap · 21/04/2008 15:44

That's ok tiktok. I have trained as a peadiatric nurse, I have been told in training that this happens, I have also had this with my ds. Training and advice change all the time. I'm just passing on what I have been taught.

VictorianSqualor · 21/04/2008 15:47

avenanap, there is harm in topping up, there are risks to using formula milk, plus stopping a baby feeding can slow down milk supply.

fromheretomaternity, have a look atkellymom its a great site about bfing that will answer all your questions so you can understand a bit more about how your body is working, seems impossible that breasts dont empty, i know, but if you read up a little hopefully you'll understnad and feel more confident in your ability to feed him. You dont need formula/bottles.

needahand · 21/04/2008 15:50

oh yes of course Tiktok is right there is a growth spurt at about 3-4 weeks, may be that is what it is. I agree with Tiktok that the more your baby sucks, the more milk you produce. But please please have some confidence in yourself.

fondant4000 · 21/04/2008 15:53

Sometimes they get wriggly if they are about to fart or poo. For some reason they find it hard to feed and poo at the same time.

DD2 would pull away and get distressed if she was in this situation.

Chaotica · 21/04/2008 15:55

I know I might get slated here, but my bf dd really was hungry in the evenings (same didn't happen with DS who is second). So we started a bottle of expressed milk in the evening when she was just getting frustrated (milk expressed in the morning). It made her much happier.

I would feed more often than you have been though.

fondant4000 · 21/04/2008 15:55

Oh the other thing is to make sure YOU eat something and drink before you feed - I find that helps. Not sure if it boosts production or what, but I found that when dd2 got wriggly after long feeding sessions then it would help if I had a break and ate.

Original poster

fromheretomaternity · 21/04/2008 16:04

Tks for replies. I am still a bit sceptical I guess, mainly because ds ended up in hospital on day 3 as he was floppy and lifeless, and we were told this was due to dehydration (my milk had not come in). So not necessarily the case there's always enough. Also GP and friends seem very relaxed about a top up feed in the evening if baby seems hungry.

Tomorrow I may try expressing so I have some extra milk for the evening, also making sure he feeds a bit more frequently.

OP posts:

tiktok · 21/04/2008 16:05

No......predictable growth spurts are one of those things that just do not stand up to close scrutiny! Babies' needs do change and sometimes they will have a few days of extra feeding, but best (IMO) not to expect them at set times 'cos they can happen at any time

needahand - I was saying they don't have a growth spurt at 3 weeks

MrsBadger · 21/04/2008 16:05

bloody hell, if paediatric nurses are told as part of their training myths like 'there are no risks to topping up' and 'breasts need time to refill' then we're buggered, aren't we?

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