3 week old DD - been on my boob practically all day and will NOT sleep!

[munchkinmum]

Hi

OK - its twently to eleven and I'm feeling low. DD will not settle falls asleep at boob and when put down wakes up, rooting for more milk.

I am dry after all this feeding? Is this normal? Will I go insane?

I also have mild thrush on my nips which it isn't helping - feels worse in the evening especially if he has been on all day.

Anyone else been there? Am seriously thinking of cracking open some formula.....

It's very hard this cluster feeding business. You must take care of yourself - eat lots and drink lots. And rest and be totally self indulgent.

Believe it or not, your body will produce as much milk as your baby needs. At three weeks, she's probably having a growth spurt hence her constant feeding.

I know it feels really intense and you probably feel like you don't want to be touched again by anyone for a while but it won't last long.

Also, it's been hot recently. She could be thirsty too. Your breast milk is all she needs though. If you resort to formula, it will affect your own milk supply.

I hope you feel better soon.

Some people will say that there is a "three week growth spurt". There isn't, as such. But this is classic behaviour for a growth spurt, and plenty of babies do go through one somewhere around this point (DD, now nearly six weeks, definitely did). It will probably only last a few days -- she is boosting your supply and once it increases will be happier again. If you crack open the formula it's only likely to prolong the problem; try to hang on.

Are you getting proper treatment for the thrush for both of you?

here this might help. Also lots of other advise on the site.

Is normal ime - they are stimulating your supply by suckling so much. Ds2 just had 4 month growth spurt but is settled again. THey have regular growth spurts and suckle lots to build up our supply. You are doing a fantastic job.

thanks. We'll try and persevere. Hava been prescribed caneston cream and also medicine for baby. Am gooing to holland and barrett for grape fruit seed capsules as I've heard these are good for thrush.

I'm going to add my very wise HV's line again
'Cluster feeding is like putting a note out for the milkman -Extra pint tomorrow please!' (assuming that you've had no latching probs before this)

I remember this phase very well.

If your nipples are getting sore and if you think she is not hungry but is just desperate for a suck, there is no shame in giving her a dummy for an hour or two to give your nipples a break.

My daughter never really took to dummies, but on this one day in particular it was a lifesaver (or rather a nipple saver).
And if all else fails, there is always the mothers' mantra: this too will pass.

I had my dd 5 years ago and was thrust (yes, sorry, it did feel like that) into the breatsfeeding world. I had the most awful thrush which honestly felt like someone sticking a knitting needle into my boob and through to my back every second she fed, by the tenth day I was demented. I gave her a bottle of formula and felt as if I was giving her poison - cried my eyes out. Felt like I had to keep it a secret from everyone, as I was such a failure. Didn't help as my dh was stuck between the 'sorry she needs you / don't know why the f**k you don't give this shit up.' Am a stubborn girl however, and stuck with it till 3months.
ANYHOW, am still a bit sore that my (male) GP was the only one who said - it won't be the end of the world if you don't keep this up.
In summary - would be much more confident next time round (please, let there be a next time - five years later with 'no news') and would not let the pressure get to me. I still maintain that I was totally clueless about what my dd needed at 3 months due to the teaching in 2003 (Glasgow), which was - as soon as she squeaks - put her on the breast..... rubbish advice (for me).

Re the thrush, you can get a gel which is supposed to be for when baby has thrush on their tongue, which you can apply to your nipples - worked wonders for me with DS1. All the doctors I flashed my nipples to never mentioned it, but my midwife did thank god!

I am 38 weeks and I am taking 2 Inner Health Plus every day to ward of thrush, which is a common problem in pregnancy and thereafter. I feel so much better. Get those good bugs into you! There is yoghurt with Acidopholus and Bifidus and Yalkult etc etc - the canesten does nothing for me. I would also be wary of the Grapefruit tablets as they could get into your milk supply and babies can be sensitive to the acid in citrus fruits.

During the day I would feed baby and then chuck her in the pram and go for a walk. It will keep you sane and may send her off to sleep and if she has a little cry till she goes off it will not be the end of the world. During the evening I would lay down to feed to try to get some rest. For the nipples, I would try to have them in the fresh air as much as possible between feeds so that they can heal. At home, not too difficult, when out and about I use the Medela Breast Shells! HTH sim

DD had no signs of thrush, but i did find that bicarbonate of soda mixed with water and put on the nipple after feeding did help (except when I had to wash it off before the next feed, which was usually 20mins later...)

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Hiya, you've had some good advice explaining why it happens and that it will pass. Dummies really have the same effect as giving a bottle. I like the analogy of "extra milk tomorrow please" if baby isn't taking milk she is still saying that she needs the extra milk so giving a dummy will prolong this time and could possibly affect your supply in the long run.

Try taking her to bed with you, if you co-sleep she will feed herself and you don't need to worry about waking up to feed her. I have always found it mildly amusing when people have asked about sleepless nights because I never had any!

This phase is so short, in six months you will be talking about solids and this will be a thing of the past. In a year you will be filling in gaps between feeds and missing the days when you could sit down and enjoy a feed.

Make sure you stock up on bottles of drink (latest advice is that fluid doesn't have to be water, even coke counts towards you fluid intake because it's been proven to not be a diuretic) and snacks during the quiet times (or get OH to do it) and have them in handy reach along with remote, PC etc. I remember Tink being not much older and living on coke and mars bars because it was all I had time to get. My NN MW said it was OK because I was keeping my calories up and drinking, my partner cooked at night and it was only temporary.

just had to say on baby no 2 and the whole 'if they squeak put them on the breast' that another poster said about is IMO the best thing to do. Worked really well for me here and has helped i think to having a very content baby.

I've been there munchkinmum.

I have a photo of me when dd1 was 3weeks old and I look like a ghost.

Gradually it became easier and then very easy. Other mums were faffing about with bottles and formula and by 3 months dd was feeding fewer times a day than ff babies in our postnatal group.

I agree with feeding on demand, but sometimes a walk out in the pram will settle a fractious baby, or putting the hoover on. I remember dh doing that about 6 am one day when I had been feeding and feeding all night long.

Always worth getting your positioning/attachment checked by an expert (not necessarily hv or mw - breastfeeding counsellors are best). Even if you had it right before, problems can develop.

In my own case, with hindsight I think I had latching problems that no one could solve and I just had to persevere until the situation righted itself. Several health profs told me the latch was OK when I was having pain and unsatisfied baby.

Hope you feel better soon.

I'm still breastfeeding at 9 months but my baby was a real sucker. At 3 weeks I was going through the same thing - still feeding after 3 hours - and getting sore boobs and v tired. (I was feeding her on demand and still am) I didn't intend to but I gave her a dummy and she was very happy - she just liked the sucking - a comfort. She still has the dummy and it's NEVER interfered with breastfeeding - she can tell the difference between a dummy and a boob! (Although I left expressing milk and trying her with a bottle until she was 13 weeks and she absolutely refused it no matter which teat I used - so I'd say try that sooner rather than later).
Good luck and try the dummy - at least it gives your boobs a break and if she's hungry she'll have another long feed next time (and be stimulating the milk to come).

oops meant he not she for your DS

i got that t-shirt too. at that age they seem to turn into starving little things and you get no time for you. evening was the worst boob-binge, started at tea time and fed non-stop til bed. as in my bedtime, midninght or so. They have a growth spurt or something. they do slow down again, well done just hang in there.

Hi Munchkinmum

I really feel for you. I've just stopped breastfeeding my 11month old, she's one of three and they were all breastfed so i know exactly what you are talking about. Most of the advice you have been given here is fantastic. It's true that he is just trying to stimulate milk supply (i know that knowing this doesn't stop you feeling like you are going to go mental!) Using a dummy is ok so long as you don't to it too much, it will drag out the process a bit but could also make it a bit more bearable iyswim.

The really really important thing is that you are drinking lots (I mean water or similar!) I also found that my milk supply seemed to be affected a bit by my carb intake. But if you don't drink enough fluid it'll make it really hard for your body to catch up.

You sound like you are doing a really great job and remember that every day is a fantastic acomplishment (sp?).

Another thing that i have just remembered that used to help me in the early days was distraction. When my babies were tiny and having these little spurts i'd sit and feed them while reading a book or watching a favourite programme or film. It's takes your mind off of being pinned to the sofa!

Enjoy it, it's a fantastic excuse to stay sitting on your bum! Which you derserve when your baby is only three weeks old!

Congratulations!

Rebexus -- Are you... well.. Rebexus? IYSWIM...

Munchkinmum, you say you have thrush?
This is possibly why she is feeding so much, I found I ahd thrush about a week ago, as does DS, he was feeding, then coming off, then crying.
It seems his mouth was hurting him when eh sucked, so he would stop but when he awoke again, realise he was still hungry, so this is a possibilty.
Also his startle reflex is what made him wake, have you tried swaddling her? I started swaddling DS on his last feed, keeping him as awake as I could by giving him a gentle nudge when he stopped suckling, so he took a full feed and when I was satisfied he ahd had enough putting him to bed swaddled. It really helped.
He was three weeks at the time this all kicked off too.
A week later he is much better, so persevere!
Well done for getting to this point

Rebexus, nipple confusion is only part of what interferes with breastfeeding and it is like Russian Roulette. Some babies will take artificial nipples and then go back to the breast. For some once is enough. I wasn't willing to play it, you have to be willing to see the consequences through if you want to give an artificial nipple to a young breastfed baby.

The other part of what's wrong with artificial nipples is that the baby isn't putting the note out for the milkman (love that analogy) so it can cause the milk to start to dry up.

It's Russian Roulette with two guns. The target is breastfeeding. How lucky do you feel?

Excellent post, Tinkerbell.

PortandLemon ... well I am rebexus ... is your oldest G? If so Hello!

Hey TinkerbellsMum - I completely understand that once you start bottle feeding the baby may not be willing to go back to the breast - they lose the feel for it and get lazy. But I really can't see that one suck on a dummy and the baby won't breastfeed again. They're really not that daft. Babies can easily tell the difference between a plastic dummy and a breast. Not just texture but smell etc.

If the baby is sucking and sucking because they are hungry and need more milk (as they do for that growth spurt time at around 3 weeks and 10 weeks etc) then the sucking will stimulate the milk but when they are sucking for comfort or just because they like it (and why not it is very comforting) then giving your nipples a break and the baby a change will make everyone happy all round.
The thing is working out why the baby is sucking so much. I'd say after 3 hourss on the breast they were full for the moment.

With dummies, it's not about nipple confusion and I've never said that, so much as it's the not putting a note out for the milkman. Also if a baby wants to suck constantly and mum isn't willing for it to be her then baby will quickly learn that the dummy is there all the time and that will effect the supply because baby will know the difference between comfort sucking and feeding - that comfort sucking is very important to the milk supply.

I sympathise - my DD is nearly six weeks and did this too - she is sleeping a little longer now between feeds which means she wakes up hungrier and feeds better and so on.
I found that i could distract her when she woke by walking around till she nodded off again, which she did as she wasnt really hungry, IYSWIM? (she was rooting too)

I coped with the constant feeding by making sure I was surrounded by TV remotes, food, pillows and mags.