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Infant feeding

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

Original poster

anyone whose new baby suckled for 5 hrs plus at a time?

38 replies

trishpops · 17/05/2008 20:44

my dd is 4 days old, my milk has not fully come in yet, and she is feeding for literally hours at a time, 3 hrs this morning, and 5 hrs this afternoon/evening,same sort of thing yesterday. she will feed well most of the time but i am struggling to latch her on properly. MW says the duration of her feeds are due to a combo of poor latch and colostrum not filling her properly. she has had a few short feeds where she has dropped off the nipple satisfied but most of the time she drops off then is hungry again within minutes. i am really keen to persevere with feeding but have given her some formula over last 24 hrs just so we can both sleep. i'd love to hear from anyone who has experienced the same thing, and if it got better...i'm feeling ready to cave in to formula and i really don't want to at such an early stage at least.

OP posts:
beautifuldays · 17/05/2008 20:47

my dd was like this at first. she fed and fed almost constantly, it was just her getting my milk to come in, it settled down to every 2-3hrs pretty quickly. hang on in there, it'll get better very soon

oh and if you think latch is a problem ring nct or la leche they are very good

well done for keeping going, you're doing a fab job, i know how knackering it is!

liahgen · 17/05/2008 20:49

www.biologicalnurturing.com/

have a look in here.

Original poster
trishpops · 17/05/2008 20:49

thank you! it's much more difficult than i thought.

OP posts:
irishbird · 17/05/2008 20:50

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

jennifersofia · 17/05/2008 20:54

Oooh, congratulations. Again, well done for getting this far. I would definitely see if you can see a breastfeeding counsellor, so she can help you with getting a good latch so you don't get sore, and also can advise you re: lengths of feeds.

rozzyraspberry · 17/05/2008 20:56

Hi trishpops. I had this with ds3 from days 3 to 5. After that he settled down although he did cluster feed in the evenings until he was around 6 weeks. Stick with it - feeding a lot during the day forces you to sit down and recover from labour.

It does get easier - ds3 is now 14 weeks old and bf is easier than ff in the long run!

Just concentrate on feeding and get as much help as you can with everything else.

WilfSell · 17/05/2008 20:56

yes - loads of us. This is - I'm afraid - totally normal. It does get better. She is sucking like mad to build the supply up to make the amount she needs in any one feed. if you just let her do this, in a day or so she is likely to slow down a bit.

It's really really hard work but if you give formula now, what will happen is the supply may not build up enough.

Your midwife is not giving the most helpful comments to be honest: she should now that this is a normal pattern too.

I agree with other posters, ring one of the helplines if you think the latch is an issue: is it hurting at all?

One of the things a BF counsellor on the helpling will ask is whether she's weeing and pooing and whether her poo has changed colour or is starting to change (from black-green to orange or yellow...) The nappies are a good indication of whether she's getting milk...

Please give it a bit longer with the BF before you decide to give more formula: if you can get a bit of person to person support from a BF specialist (not always the MWs) you may start to feel more confident about it.

But that first few days IS really hard for some women and you just need to get through it. It WILL get better I promise you.

callmeovercautious · 17/05/2008 20:57

DD did not feed for hours as such but would fall asleep on me and if I removed her she would wake up. I will not lie - it is HARD - however once your milk comes in and she (and you) learn how this BFing thing works it will all be much better.

Despite the really rough start (26 hour labour followed by DD not letting me sleep for 4 days) we are still going and she is 20m.

Eat alot and drink alot. Get your DH/DP/Mum etc to do everything else, just sit/lie back and get things going. If you are worried about latch please call in a BF councellor to advise you. MW and HV are OK but they do not have the right training to help if you are struggling.

AitchTwoCiao · 17/05/2008 21:05

dd used to do the same and i really wish i'd got better help sooner, tbh, so i'd be keen for a bfc to come and see me if i was you.
in the meantime, have a look at these video clips here as they give you a really good idea of what you're both supposed to be doing. i found them really, really informative and not too much effort to watch as they're short clips.
good luck with everything, remember it's a journey for both of you so every day (with guidance if possible) you'll both get better at it until you hopefully crack it. and congratulations, by the way!

expatinscotland · 17/05/2008 21:13

i could not handle this dude with his fingers on my tits.

peggotty · 17/05/2008 21:14

Trishpops, stick it out a bit longer, she won't be doing it forever. I felt like I'd parachuted into hell in the first few days of bfing my ds as he would be sucking for HOURS. I remember telling my friends he's been on my boob from 6pm until 2am one particularily memorable time and them looking at me in absolute horror! Thank god that I read on here it was normal and also kellymom.com has loads of brilliantly helpful info. My ds is 4 months now and although he still feeds frequently it's nowhere near as bad as those first few days. HTH

Original poster
trishpops · 17/05/2008 21:19

just visited the biological nurturing website - how amazing. when i was in hospital i fed her lying on my tummy but was advised that she would't latch properly like that.......i'm cross that i have spent hours getting back ache and sore perineum, desperatlely trying to hold her 'correctly'.am definitely going to trust myself anf beautiful baby at next feed. how wonderful to feel bit more relaxed about the next feed, rather that tense. even if she still feeds for 5 hrs at least we will be more comfortable.

OP posts:
AitchTwoCiao · 17/05/2008 21:21

lol expat, were you watching my clips? have you SEEN that woman's nipps? like builders' thumbs.

liahgen · 17/05/2008 21:21

it's fab isn't it. ~It's just creeping into the nhs, so come on ladies,

breastfeed your babies, YOUR way. x

expatinscotland · 17/05/2008 21:23

i am watching your clips, aitch, yes.

DD2 used to put her wee handie in the road like that, too. until NCT counsellor swaddled her .

Original poster
trishpops · 17/05/2008 21:26

i know the signs of a correct latch, i know the sucking rhythm to look for, jst that i was told in hosp that baby should not need more than 30mins on each breast, any more than that is just comfort sucking, so have been taking her off far too soon until community mw advised me to keep going until she unlatches herself. also i find the traditional ways of holdin the baby to the breast really uncomfortable, so i'm looking forward to lying down tonight.
isn't it amazing how much conflicting advice you get from professionals in hosp regarding BF? literally every preson i sopke to had a different opinion.

OP posts:
AitchTwoCiao · 17/05/2008 21:27

i haven't seen them for ages, expat, but found them ever so helpful when trying to bf dd. as much as anything else, seeing that woman with the fugliest nipps in the world getting on with it made me think ofgs, i should too.

liahgen · 17/05/2008 21:27

absolutely tt, you will find the most comfortable position for you and your baby. My youngest dd (1 now) always had a very dodgy latch, and she's still feeding like a trouper.

MumtoBen · 17/05/2008 21:28

DS1 used to feed for about 20 hours a day for the 1st 3 months. Remember the longest feed in 1 go was 6 hours. He had severe tongue tie and also grew from 2nd to above the 75th centile in 3 months, so I think it was a combination of the two things. He had really bad colic, so it was comforting as well. But things did get better almost overnight.

Can't really give any advice, unfortunately, but I know what you are going through and hope things improve soon.

AitchTwoCiao · 17/05/2008 21:29

hooooooh yes, sister, you just spoke a mouthful there...

opinions on 'a good latch' are like arseholes, every fucker's got one.

expatinscotland · 17/05/2008 21:29

i am absolutely desperate to learn how to put this one whilst i am lying down.

this is national bf week, but do i see information on where to actually get a real live source of support? because really, that's much of what's needed. just someone to come round for a couple of hours, you with no top, baby hungry, and just go through different ways to feed.

WilfSell · 17/05/2008 21:30

argh! can't believe you were told that...

your baby needs to feed as long as she does, especially in the early days. and what is wrong with sucking for comfort? she needs comfort having had such a massive change in her little life...

liahgen · 17/05/2008 21:32

I am a long term bf, and am about to start training with the abm.

I owuld glady visit anyone who needed support if i lived close enough to help.

AitchTwoCiao · 17/05/2008 21:34

och, NO ONE lives near expat. she likes it that way.

expatinscotland · 17/05/2008 21:51

it does grow on you after a while . actually, i doubt i can rely on the two retired couples we have as neighbours for bf support - the one couple never had kids and the other one, the lady never had any and the man had four grown ones (he was widowed) when he met her.

i doubt the loch in front or the forest behind would be much help, though

in town there must be someone! i'm going to have to ask the midwife at my next appointment.

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