I'm sorry I need help again, ds is 17 weeks and breast feeding just doesn't see to be enough for him

[spiderpig]

I'm so sorry to be here asking for help again when I've already had so much great advice, but I'm just not sure what to do.

Ds has always bee a frequent feeder, for the first 9 weeks he fed hourly, since then we had slowly been building up 2 hours and then more recently sometimes 3 hours. Now he's going backwards! For the last week it's been 2 hourly- yesterday and today it's been a struggle getting him to an hour and a half.

He also doesn't seem satisfied even after a really long feed. We have 'babymooned' a lot, I have been feeding him as often as I possibly can (although he has had a very occasional bottle of formula), it just doesn't seem to be enough for him? He has also started waking 3 times a night whereas previously it was only once.

I realise this is probably a growth spurt and I'm happy to feed as frequently as he needs but he just doesn't seem happy bless him.

So should I try weaning him? (I did want to try to get as close to the 6 months guideline as possible) Should I introduce more formula? I would love to just breastfeed him but despite my best efforts it just doesn't seem to be enough though if anyone has any suggestions on how to up my milk supply I'd be grateful!

He's having a growth spurt - its very common at this age - so just keep feeding and he'll go through it and settle down again.

Please don't be tempted to introduce solids at this point.

just keep feeding whenever needed - this growth spurt is a long, hard one. But you don't need to wean yet, just keep feeding, forget everything else.

But sometimes babies are ready for solids by four months and respond very happily when they start having a bit of baby-rice and pureed fruit. It made all the difference to my DD1, who was a really hungry baby and just not satisfied with milk alone by the time she was 17 weeks.

Some babies may be ready for solids at 4 months. Others are not - their guts are too immature to manage anything but milk. Unfortunately there is no way of knowing which ones are ready, so the advice is to feed milk only until 6 months. Could you just feed him more often, spiderpig, or isn't that practical? It's usually the best way of increasing your supply.

Thank you all

I guess I do realise it is a growth spurt and that it will pass, I'm just finding it hard to see him so unhappy.

I will try feeding him more but I don't really think I can feed him any more often? It's every hour and a half at the moment (from the start of a feed) and his feeds have gone form about ten minutes to about forty five. He's up three times a night now, I guess I could try waking him for an extra feed in the night?

Is there anything else I can try to up my supply?

Also this all started around two weeks ago, how long does this growth start usually last (roughly speaking)?

Sorry for all the questions

spider, this can be a hard time

Babies who aren't happy may not be happy for all sorts of reasons - in a pre-verbal infant we assume it's to do with food intake, but it may not be. There's quite a lot of research that links periods of unsettledness with a developmental spurt - baby needs reassurance and contact and a lotta, lotta mummy-love and gets it by being wakeful, asking for more feeds, being grumpy when not given attention and so on.

Many babies round this age are showing a leap forward in social awareness - they are aware they are separate from mum (not an understanding they are born with), and maybe that new knowledge is a bit scary or a least challenging. They are highly distractable sometimes - sensitive to faces and sounds, and while some babies find this new stuff exciting, other babies seek even more reassurance that the constants in their world are still there.

Does this ring a bell?

None of this is an indication for solids, natch.

DD fed at this age every two hours day and night - the growth spurt seem to last for over 6 weeks. I was on my knees. DD was pooing it all out again as well it was very strange. I started solids at 5 months and the feeding frenzy did stop immediately. I only gave fruit & veg until 6 months. DD could sit up by the time I started weaning
which is a sign. If i had more help at home then I would have tried to continue EBF but something had to give. Good luck it is so tough.

Thanks again for the replies

Tapster six weeks not filling me with hope lol

I'm so glad you all agree about the weaning, I really didn't want to start this early, but I was starting to waver, especially since I've had the weaning 'chat' from my health visitor and she practically tried to force a packet of baby rice on me as in her words "well the new guidelines might SAY six months but that's ridiculous and I've NEVER known a baby wait that long" I did say well perhaps that's because because you're telling them not too it just kind of slipped out before I could stop myself

Tiktok, thank you, your post has really made me think, I think I am guilty of 'blaming' a lot of things on feeding. I do really think though that hunger is the problem with my ds, it's hard to explain by writing it down but he is quite a laid back happy little thing now, but he does seem to be a bit unhappy recently because he's hungry. This might sound daft but when he finishes a breastfeed I can tell he's not 'full' he's lost that lovely milk drunk contented look! And on the rare occasion he has had a bottle he's been very contented, I really didn't want to ff or even mix feed properly just yet though.

I will keep feeding him as often as he wants, I might not be able to keep up the pace indefinatly though

OATS!!

Seriously. I found that lots of oats in my diet helped to boost my milk supply. Porridge for breakfast and flapjacks for snacks. And make sure you drink LOTS of water. I find that keeping myself well fed and watered has an immediate and noticable effect on how satisfied my baby is.

Also, just so you don't feel gloomy about having the hungriest baby in the world, my 21 weeks old has NEVER only woken up once in the night. He's a big hungry boy and has at least two 30 min feeds a night, sometimes more (not counting his 11.00 dream feed and the 6.00am getting up for the day feed!)

My daughter was much the same when she was little. It will pass. You sound like you're doing a grand job .

Best thing to up your milk supply is BF as much as possible and SLEEP as much as possible. Your body really need sleep to make milk, so get a nap in any chance you get (I know, easier said than done).

We're in the middle of one at the moment!! Never ending, isn't it!! I get married in 3 weeks, but, luckily the lady who's doing my makeup is an expert in covering circles under the eyes!!!

Sleep is great and helpful for all - but sleep is (fortunately) not necessary to make milk

yup we're up every 2 hours all night at the mo - it's been at least 3 weeks maybe longer and dd2 is 21 weeks today. the hardest bit is managing dd1 under these circumstances Hope it ends for us both soon