Solution for evening cluster feeding?

[killerkitty]

Hello, I have a happy, healthy bf 2-week-old who sleeps really well (thank the gods). However she cluster feeds most evenings, sometimes for five hours. One night, out of desperation for my aching nipples I gave her a small bottle of SMA Gold I keep for emergency cover. This really helped fill her up and she fed less that evening. It made me think that by expressing 80-100ml of my milk in the morning when it's creamier, I could do the same trick. Which I did last night - and it worked. However, I'm worried that I may be storing up problems for myself in that my supply may reduce in evenings when she clearly needs it. On the other hand, part of the cause of cluster feeding in the evening is that my milk is thinner and therefore doesn't fill her up. Is my solution self-defeating?

Oh and another question - I am getting very painful let-down, especially at night when my boobs are engorged. Is there anything I can do to stop myself (inwardly) shrieking in agony? I know it will go eventually when my supply settles down, but it's absolutely f***g agony in the meantime. Any suggestions gratefully received...

I am going through the same thing, no real tips yet (although this thread has helped me realise I have to butch up and take it!) but lots of sympathy. My DS is 4 weeks old and cluster feeding from around 10.30/11pm. He was born 5 weeks early and had feeding problems, so I have been giving him a bottle of formula (prescribed specially for prem babes) at 2am which usually sees him to sleep til 5am ish. I'd really like to wean him off the bottle and thus increase my milk supply so am going to cluster muster and give up trying (and failing!) to settle him and get any stretch if sleep between 11 and 2.... I just hope I can do this without going crazy.

I keep obsessing that it is wind/mucus etc, and there is certainly a bit if that at play too, but beef to realise it is a need to feed....

Also, I find having him in bed with me means he sleeps better between cluster feeds - does this spell trouble for later if he is not used to sleeping in his Moses basket at night? I don't want to co-sleep as the norm...

I co-slept for the first 5 months with a bedside cot - so ds was about 50/50 in my bed and in the cot. At 5 months he moved into his own bedroom with no trauma.

I don't think you can cause bad habits in the first 3 months at least - probably the first 6 months. Just do what gets you both the most sleep now, when it stops working you can do something else!

i'm still clusterfeeding my 9 week old but he does sleep for 6hrs now on a night

Ahhhh, its soooo nice to wake up from a rubbish nights sleep with 11 old DD2 having cluster fed from 8pm until gone 1am and read this thread.

I was at wits end last night - my own fault for not napping yesterday when I had the chance!
I should have known better as I went through this all with DD1 2.5years ago.

Its very easy to get yourself in a total state when its stupid-o'clock in the morning and your feeling completely threaders and bubba refuses to remove themselves from you boob

OP - Just remember that there's probably loads of women in streets not too far from you up at all hours doing the same thing - I found some comfort in that last time.

With DD1, I decided to keep a journal for the first 6 months - DH thought I was totally mental - but during night while I was BFing I used to scribble the times she fed, how long and then what time she settled.
I guess I thought it might help me to see a trend form as she began to settle into a better routine.
Its easy to forget how often they fed a few weeks prior to the week your in - so it helped loads.
When I stopped writing in it I put it away in bedside cabinet and there it stayed, forgotten about until about a week ago when DD2 was days old. It has reassured me soooo much that "this too shall pass" and is merely a phase.
I know every baby is different, but it has helped me stay relaxed and just let baby feed when hungry etc.

HTH keep going, your doin a grand job!

11 day old!!

I reckon the OP is probably past the cluster feeding stage by now... 2009!!

my baby also cluster feeds in the evenings and it is a tiring end to the day. I often express some milk in the morning to supplement the evenings with. TBH I don't think it gets the feeding period with over more quickly, especially now he is 10 weeks old and my supply is established. What it does do is give me a bit of a break from constantly feeding, not a big deal now but when I was struggling with very sore nipples was great.

The other advice people have given - TV, dinner you can eat one handed and a comfy place to sit - all much more helpful than 100ml expressed milk!

Am hoping the end of cluster feeding is in sight for me as the evenings are dragging into horribly late nights. Good luck and get some good dvds in!