Breastfeeding tiring me out - any tips?

[retrodolly]

Hello wise MN-ers,

How do you keep your energy levels up while excl BF?

I'm exclusively BF my 3month old DD and love it. She's 50th percentile for wt now but birthweight low-ish (6.5). I got fed up of people saying "Oh how tiny she is". So I overcompensate by feeding her whenever she wants/every 2 hrs. But I feel tired and run-down all day with dizzy spells. Doesn't help that I'm sleep-deprived (my fault since I feed her at 3am and 6am even though she doesn't cry for it but guzzles happily enough). It got so bad I had blood tests which the GP says were normal for blood count, thyroid etc.

So should I just eat more? Though I don't feel hungry.

Sounds like you need sleep not food. I used to religiously take a morning nap with both my dds - although you may not feel tired at that time of day, it's amazing how often you'll fall back to sleep if you go and lie down, say if they have a nap at 9 or 10. And that way it doesn't affect your ability to go to sleep in the evening.

Otherwise, just grab naps whenever you can. And at weekends demand lie-ins and help as much as possible.

Out of interest, why are you feeding her at 3 and 6am if she's not crying for it? She's 50th centile - and sounds healthy and happy, it's not like she's failing to put on weight. In fact she's gone up the centiles since birth, so you're doing amazingly.

Remember that you are probably not drinking and bf uses up an extra 300-500 calories a day. This means that you need around 600-700 calories (i.e. a small meal) above and beyond what you would normally have. So i would have snack at 10 or 11 and at 4 as well as 3 meals a day.

I dream of a night without dd asking for a feed.

But yes, sleep when she sleeps, don't set an alarm for the night feeds and lie in when you can.

You don't need to eat more but sometimes eating better helps - skipping breakfast is, imo, a sure route to frazzled weepiness (or extensive cake-stuffing) by 11am.

also remember after about 3 months daytime naps get longer and more regular so that you can organise your day to get more rest.

Well done on getting bf so established!

First of all, ignore anyone telling you your lo is tiny - if she's on 50% she is um, totally normal ANd I would make sure you're feeding her when she wants food, not when she wants sleep (completely possible that she wants milk every two hours, but I was certainly guilty of using milk as the answer to any crying...and mine would always oblige )

I suspect as pidge said, that your problem is more sleep than food, & I would seriously think about trying to cut down on the 3 or 6am feeds if she's not actively asking for them. Why nto take one week as your 'get on top of my sleep' week. Nap, or at least lie down in a dark room, whenever she does. Doesn't matter if you sleep or just rest (but I bet you'll sleep!)

Get some high energy snacks in (milk is also a top idea) - nuts are also great. Whenever you're feeding, make sure you eat & drink something ( I had snacks & drinks next to my bed, even) - all that milk has to be made out of somewhere... Grazing throughout the day better than trying to forcefeed yourself big meals imo.

Definately watch your liquid intake - being even slightly dehydrated can have a big effect (& you won't necessarily feel thirsty)

This is all great advice specially that we can eat "naughty" snacks while BF and not put on weight .

Reg sleeping, DH and I just discussed this. We'll try to get DD to have her big night feed at midnight rather than 9pm and then she should sleep contented till 6am. Right now she is sleeping 6hrs, poor thing, just not the right 6 . She was on this schedule a month back, so it is possible. Its a must since I just can't sleep in the day no matter what.

Will also up my intake of snacks and drink. Then lets see.

BTW this tiredness and dizziness are the reason people have been trying to persuade me to start FF and/or wean DD early. Sometimes I wonder if mums who FF are able to get lot more done?

SIL is proud her two DDs "got so hungry they started solids at 3 months" as did friends whose DD was FF.

Another reason to get this sorted out.

Another thing you might want to try is taking a natural iron supplement - Floradix or Spatone. If you're just borderline anemic, it won't show on tests, but it may help - and can't hurt. And a vitamin B supplement.

I also find breastfeeding v exhausting - I think it just does that to some people. But the sleep thing doesn't help either.

Good name, btw!

FF is more hassle not less
all that washing up and sterilising and kettles and measuring

I really would stop waking her at night though - it doesn't matter where she gets her 6hrs so long as you get it too, even if it means going to bed at 9pm.

I second the vote for Floradix. I got very tired after DD1 was born, and had dizzy spells and Floradix was great. You get it in the health food shop.

I don't see how you can get lots more done if you FF - first you have to do all that boring sterilising, making up feeds etc, and second, surely FF takes 2 hands whereas BF only uses one (and can even be done when you're asleep!).