Feeding all evening - when does it stop?

[Piccalilli2]

Dd2 is 6 weeks old and breastfed. She currently feeds pretty much constantly between about 7 pm and somewhere between 9:30 and 11:30, when she will usually settle for a reasonable period (3-6 hours). At the moment this is fine but we're trying to make plans for various things later in the year (e.g. a family wedding) that I just won't be able to go to if this evening feeding continues. Anyone had a similar feeding pattern and how long did it last?

I think most babies do the "cluster feeding" - and it can feel as if it's going on forever. I think it usually starts to settle down somewhere between 6 and 10 weeks. CAn't be more specific, I'm afraid - because I can't remember! But it does change, I promise!

My dd fed almost constantly from about 6pm until around midnight. I think from around 10 weeks, she used to have a good feed at around 6 pm - then go down until about 10.30, then have another one or two which then kept her going until around 5 am.

I'm sure the pattern is reasonably normal tbh, but one suggestion if you are looking to adapt things....have you thought of expressing and someone giving her a bottle in the evening? We did this from about the 3 week point, and it gave me some time off in the evening, plus I think dd settled better at that point because dh was putting her down and she didn't feel like she was missing out on my boobs

By about the 6 week point we would put her down around 7, she would sleep until 1030ish, when I would pick her up and give her a bf/nappy change etc, and then put her back down again at 1130. I think she would then sleep through until about 4/5am, and that got gradually later until she was going through the night (until 7am) at about 10 weeks. We didn't dop the late evening feed until much later, but it became a dreamfeed, and only used to take 15 minutes.

it is a typical pattern - certainly over in my experience by 6 months - maybe much sooner. When is the wedding ?

Well done for sticking with it so far - it usually gets easier after the first couple of months.

yeah, we gradually moved to settling her down in her cot at 8ish after a long feed, but I know it does seem like the cluster thing goes on forever, when you look back on it it doesn't seem so long though..its just the not knowing how long it will last.

For me it started to change at about 12 weeks - good feed at 7, then one at 11ish.
fwiw I went to a wedding when dd was 9 weeks and she was so interested by everything going on she didn't feed as much (although it was lovely feeding her outside on the grass while everyone else was rushing about for photos and she fed quite happily during the rock band )
How old will she be when the events are?

We've tried expressing and giving a bottle, which does give me a short break but tends to delay the time she goes down so swings and roundabouts.

I really don't mind much at the moment - just would like to know it's not for ever! The wedding is in August and we're supposed to be going to a party in mid-July.

As others say it does settle quite quickly I think mine was between 10 - 12 weeks.

One thing I was told by a bf counsellor is that she was building milk supply for next day as well as feeding so to just stick with it which we did.

And as Jackstini said it's amazing what a different environment will do to change eating habits!

Oh it will have changed a fair bit by then Piccalilli, don't worry.
Bear in mind that she gets more from the breast directly than you can get when expressing to feed her. iirc, most babies are at least twice as efficient as a pump so she may be more satisfied after bfing and go down easier.
Keep it up - you are doing a cracking job!

12wks ish and we had a month of bliss before the 4m growth spurt...

Both of mine did this - dd1 kept it up till about 12 weeks, then started going to bed at 7pm and would sleep till about 2-3am, heaven. Dd2 did the cluster evening feeds till about 8 weeks, then also started going to sleep in the evening, unfortunately she took to waking up every 2-3 hours through the night!!!

It does end, it feels like forever at the time. I used to demand suppers that I could eat with one hand, whilst feeding baby covered in a muslin to prevent dripping food on them!

dd stopped cluster feeding suddenly at 3.5 months and was sleeping from 7pm to about 10.30pm a week later. It was bliss to eat supper with two hands!