Help! 5mth old feeding for hours, not sleeping... getting sore nips...

[Umlellala]

My 5mth old was sleeping well, waking every 2/3/4/(5!) hours for a quick bf then back to sleep.

BUT over the last couple of nights he has fed for aaaaaages and still found it difficult to get to/stay aseep - was pretty much feeding/dozing from 5-7am this morning. He is waking every two hours. He is also barely sleeping during the day - 10-20mins.

My nipples are so sore (and I have given the lansinoh away as it's been trouble free so far ). Help! Is there anything I can do? Is it a phase? He is a big boy (growing out of 6-9mth clothes) but would weaning help, really?

TIA

interesting stuff and i can relate. my five month old can't go more than 3 hours without a feed, day or night, and it's not unusual to feed him 12 or more times in a 24 hour period.

my breasts seem to be programmed to produce small amounts of milk on a frequent basis, leading to a frustrated baby who never seems to get quite enough milk. On the times we have given a bottle, or he's had the odd long sleep and i've "filled up", he has been much more content feeding and completing the feed.

that implies to me that it might help to put him on a schedule - though i have not done that and don't think i could really pull it off.

Hi chandellina

Well it just goes to show, doesn't it, that bf-ing can be a source of joy & at the same time a source of frustration & a struggle. It certainly has been that way for the two of us hasn't it . What has helped me push DS a bit more towards a schedule (by that I mean feeding more in the day & less frequently at night, although he's still far from being on a precise routine) is the expressing. That is what has made me more confident, & has certainly increased my supply in the day. But it's a PAIN!!!!