Cluster feeding hell

[TeainanIV]

I posted not too long ago about forgetting the early days of newborn life - we seem to be in a phase of cluster feeding which I again feel like I've completely wiped from my memory with my first born!!

Does this sound like cluster feeding?! For the last 3 nights DD2 has been wanting to be on the breast from 9pm - close to 5am!!! She is fussy, chewing her hands, breathing fast and snorting if not on the boob, and then when she is on is constantly on and off and moaning. She feeds absolutely fine in the day, and sleeps in her bassinet. But the nights she won't settle unless on me, wants constant access to boobs and screams bloody murder if we try and put her down or settle her without milk. She can't be getting anything from them! Or hardly anything! Often she isn't properly feeding at all - just sucking or flutter feeding for hours on end.

I'm at my wits end with it and completely exhausted. My DH is lovely and tries to settle her but it's all pointless as she just ends up hysterical until she's passed to me. We've got a toddler too so there's no rest in the daytime and we're both knackered - how long can I expect this to last?! I honestly have no memory of it being this bad with my first (maybe another thing my brain tried to block out!!)

My daughter did that for the first couple weeks after birth. She gradually started sleeping longer and longer in between feedings, but I ended up having to put a mattress down on the floor and bed-share with her because I was starting to fall asleep while nursing her in the glider. We slept much better when I didn't have to actually get up to breastfeed.

I would recommend a call or visit to your pediatrician, just to be sure nothing else is going on though.

@DwayneTheCckJohnson thanks for your reply, I've tried feeding lay down but really struggle to get the latch right as my boobs are quite big I have to hold it away from her nose - I'd panic about falling asleep.

I am going to mention it to my health visitor as she does spit up after lots of feeds. Although during the day she is absolutely fine and feeds well. My firstborn has a dairy allergy so we're on high alert for signs in DD2 - she's only 10 days old though so don't want to jump the gun

Maybe you could put like a mattress topper down for you, and a firm crib mattress on top, and then you could lay on your side up against the crib mattress, and the baby could go be on top? That way there'd be less worry of her getting underneath your breasts.

A dairy allergy could certainly be an explanation, because then she would still be hungry from not digesting your milk properly and want to eat often, and be fussy from discomfort... I hope you get a solution and some sleep soon!