Cluster feeding

[mrstaylor9]

Hi all. I have a nearly 6 week old baby who cluster feeds and has been doing that on and off for the last 3 weeks. He will cluster feed for a few days and then be back to normal feeding for a few days.
when he cluster feeds, he just won’t stop. E.g. he will feed for hours at a time with small breaks, like 5 to 15 mins max in between.
He then ends up being sick quite a lot and wants immediate feeding straight after being sick. It’s more than just spit up as my whole top will be covered in sick.
I took him to the doctor and they said to feed more frequently but for shorter periods. When I tried that he just cries uncontrollably.
I have also tried holding and feeding him upright but that hasn’t really made a difference either and is very uncomfortable for me to hold him that way.
Has anyone else experienced this and do you have any tips or advice?

Ah sorry to hear that it sounds a bit tough, babies are funny aren't they! Cluster feeding sounds perfectly normal, and a great excuse to do nothing / watch a series and have some snacks (if this is your first baby, if there is another young child then it's a bit of a different experience I know)
I had similar issues with the being sick with both of mine due to an oversupply, do you think you could speak to a lactation consultant? Free via LLL or breastfeeding network, I imagine it will be to do with supply / latch. Otherwise once they get a bit bigger it should all just adjust. You don't think they might be tired etc, do you think they might tolerate a walk in a carrier or something instead of a feed each time or are they very cross for milk only?

@Alwaystired2023yes he’s my first. I think it may be oversupply as I also leak a lot at times. And sometimes he seems to be choking as he has too much milk in his throat.

There is a breastfeeding network I was hoping to go to but can’t go until next week as this week is clashes with my 6-wk PN check.

i do take him out every day either for a walk, to a restaurant or to do weekly shop and he likes that and typically sleeps through it. It’s when we’re at home he wants constant feeding and nothing else will calm him down.

My baby was the same and it ended up being CMPA. She was cluster feeding to reduce the pain when I had been eating dairy. However, obviously it didn’t help and just made things worse, bless her. When I cut out dairy feeding became much more normal. Sickness is a symptom — how are his poos?

I wonder if a cranio-sacral treatment may help. (Basically a very gentle massage of the neck/head/shoulders). Sometimes babies suckle to try and soothe themselves.

If birth was difficult or too fast he may have a crick thats bothering him. Mine would suckle for hours and never settle, and a cranio treatment certainly helped dramatically.

Reflux could also be an issue. That can often settle by itself as the baby's digestion adjusts.

Sounds hard going, OP. Just to reassure you that 6 weeks is still very early and it can take a good couple of months to properly establish feeding and settle into it. You are doing great and hopefully things will settle very soon.

Sounds very hard but very normal OP, you can call or chat online to the breastfeeding network if that makes it easier. Are you burping loads? And loads?

So sorry just scanned above and saw reflux mentioned - both mine had this, I had cranial osteo for both also... agree that it all straightens itself out, my first fed non stop 247 and my second didn't feed much compared bit was sick alllll the time. Around 5/6 months it all calmed
down a lot. Do you think baby seems uncomfortable?

@LuluDelului hadn’t thought of this but he does have skin rasheS that he developed recently and the HV said it’s likely baby acne. But I’m now wondering if it could be CMPA. He has his 6wk PN check this week so will speak to the GP again. He poos a lot! At least 4-5 big poos a day and probably another 2-3 small ones.

@ArabellaScottnever heard of this but probably worth me looking into. Birth was a c section so pretty straightforward.

@Alwaystired2023yes he has a lot of wind! Lots of burps but also some monster farts he seems comfortable most times but sometimes i do think he has tummy pain and he will settle to go to sleep. He will fall asleep on my breast but as soon as I put him in his bed he will be crying and has a 30sec feed and falls back asleep on my breast and it’s an endless cycle.

Both mine were c sections - if they don't get squeezed through the birth control they can be a bit off and the cranial can help to readjust them. Are the poos green / frothy / mucous? Had milk allergy with my first and suspected with second

The poos are mainly yellow with the occasional green. But texture is typically grainy which I think is normal.

The problem is that HV and GPs are not lactation experts - mine told me the other week that a skin rash couldn't be caused by a food allergy which is completely untrue. I think 6 weeks is so tiny, it could be something or it could be absolutely nothing and just normal baby adjusting. If you could bear to (some people can't and that's fine) you could cut out milk and soya (these go hand in hand for cmpa) for a week or two and if it is that you might notice a more settled baby very quickly.

I’ve just been to the GP for the 6 wk check and baby had some diarrhoea this morning and been sick quite a bit 3 times. I asked the GP about CMPA and she said there are no tests. Just an elimination diet. Is this how your babies were diagnosed with it? Online it suggests they can do stool tests as well.

Yes I think that is true for CMPA, if you can face it then I would give up milk and soya now and you should see an improvement in a week or two (mine was within days) I then noticed that every time I ate egg baby's whole face went red so cut them out and it was much better. We had allergy testing via skin prick at 8 months old and she was ige to milk and egg. It's a mine field but for now you could just cut out all milk and soya?

@Alwaystired2023thanks for the quick response. I should have mentioned - yesterday i did cut out all dairy and planning to continue to see if it makes a difference. i don’t really have any soy based products other than soy sauce which I can easily cut out too.
I was a little concerned though as vomiting was worse and DS had diarrhoea for the first time. The GP said to keep monitoring as he’s putting on above average weight so they don’t think there is anything to worry about. I will go to a BF group on Friday as well and see if they have any further advice especially if I also continue to have an oversupply of milk.
Just hoping I can continue to BF as ideally don’t want to switch to formula.

Soya is in an amazing list of foods!
In the first instance you are probably ok with just cutting out the purer forms for soya and not worrying about soya flour and lectins. About half of babies are allergic to both. I cut out both immediately but I had a food diary which showed a stronger connection with symptoms and me eating soya than dairy. I was eating quite a lot of soya meat replacements as I was mostly vegetarian and with the screaming infant we were relying on convenience which was making the screaming worse in a vicious cycle!
I'd probably do 2-4 weeks of completely removing dairy and high levels of soya and see if things improve and then decide if it's necessary to start removing soya flour and lectins

https://www.breastfeedingnetwork.org.uk/factsheet/cows-milk-protein-allergy-cmpa-and-breastfeeding/

@LuluDelulujust wanted to say thank you for bringing up CMPA! I’m now convinced that he has it. He developed a huge rash all over face, ears, neck and chest and I kept being told it’s baby acne by 4 different people including 2 GPs. Went to a different GP yesterday who said it’s eczema which would suggest potential CMPA and she agrees to continue eating dairy free.
I cut out dairy last week and his skin has started to clear today, he no longer has as much wind and gas, and the reflux is pretty much gone! THANK YOU!!!