Is there any way to stop 'snacking'? I'm exhausted [sad]

[weepootle]

Dd2 is 5m and excl bf. For the 1st 4 months she was up twice in the night for feeds. For the past month she's been up 5/6 times every night.

I also have a 4yo dd and dh is away for a couple of months working so have no help.

During the day dd2 never goes longer than 2/2.5 hrs between feeds but only feeds for a few minutes and no matter how hard I try, won't feed longer than she wants to.

I've noticed recently that she pulls off quite often and gives an angry scream then goes straight back on again. I wondered whether she wasn't getting milk through but when she does it I check by hand expressing and there is milk there.

Any advice is much appreciated, I really feel at my wits end.

weepootle, this is normal behaviour and likely to be temporary - the night feeding might be eased by co-sleeping, perhaps.

Lots of babies this age spend only a few mins at a time on the breast.

The gap between feeds you describe (2 - 2.5 hours) is normal.

The pulling off is a mystery but this will probably stop as well.

Sorry - I can't think of anything else to help. It is easier to change your expectations and ways of coping than to change her normal behaviour, I think...it's a shame this is happening when it's harder for you at home at the moment

god it's really hard at this stage. I also have a 5m and a toddler and the baby has also upped feeding frequency, esp at night.

I am not an expert, but my theory is that they get more distractable at this age and don't take enough milk in the day, so feed more at night to compensate.

I don't have the definitive answers but maybe some ideas:

Can you try co-sleeping at night so you get some rest while she feeds?

As I said before, they get really easily distractable at this age so try feeding at home, in a separate room from DD1 (we're watching a lot of peppa pig here at the moment )

The pulling away and screaming sounds like it could be incipient teething. You could try calpol and see if it gets you a better night's sleep/feed. Obviously that's not really a longterm solution but it might help to know if that's part of the cause.

Anyway, sympathies and hope you are coping...

Cross-posted with Tiktok's excellent advice {of course!) .

I forgot to add, be really kind to yourself. Don't feel bad if you plonk DD1 in front of a DVD so you can lie down on the sofa for half an hour while dd2 naps. This is a short stage and will soon pass, so a bit of extra TV or whatever won't hurt DD1 for a few weeks, at least until your DH gets back. Whatever helps you get through it and get some more rest.

Thanks to both of you .

tyv, what you said about her pulling off makes sense- she's almost certainly teething at the moment. I can't seem to help her with the teething as any teething aids I give her, she has a little bite then screams that angry/frustrated scream. The only thing she's happy to bite on is my finger or her own thumb .

I don't really want to co-sleep (although it's very tempting, as I feel that'll just be another thing I'll have to 'sort' out at a later stage.

I'll stick with it and just try to sleep while dd1 is in nursery/ dd2 naps.

DD1 was at this stage at exactly the same time that the recommended age for introducing solids increased from 4 months to 6 months (2003).

After several frustrating conversations with HCPs, I decided to introduce a very small amount of baby rice once a day from 5 months.

DD immediately dropped back to 2 feeds a night.

Talk to your HCPs first, but it's a thought.

have you tried bickipegs? They were the only thing DS1 liked (DS2 only likes his thumb, like your lo)

They are a bit rougher than plastic teething aids and I think he liked the feeling on his gums more.