Probably too late for most folks, but need advice/support/slap......8,5 mo old feeding like a newborn and I'm really struggling

[LackaDAISYcal]

that's about the sunm of it.

for the last few weeks DS2 has been feeding like a newborn again, feeding for about an hour at a time, every three or four hours and up feeding three or sometimes four times in the night.

I am hugely passionate about BFing, but I am really struggling with this . I have another two DC and they both slept through from before 3 months, so this level of feeding is completely alien to me...we are BLWing this time, so maybe he isn't getting enough solids?

this evening, it all came to a bit of a head and after feeding half an hour before bed and then waking after half an hour I gave him a bottle of formula thinking thois was bound to fill him up. He wolfed it down, continued to grump and then less then half an hour later BF again for 15 mins before zonking out......and I'm sitting here fully expecting (and dreading) him to wake soon for another feed.

Is this normal? third child and I've never had anything like this before and feeling pretty despondent . I've also got really sore nipples again as he now has teeth which rub and I had mastitis last weekend and feel very thrushy this weekend.

The though of keeping this up and dealing with the school holidays as well is a very very lean prospect

Not sure what anyone can advise, I supoose I'm just after a virtual pat on the back of the hand and some chamomile tea....

thanks for reading.

ah well i thought it might be too late

for you LackaDAISYcal - I seem to remember DS going through a stage where he started overfeeding again (to my mind, anyway!) but I can't quite remember when. Perhaps it's a growth spurt?

Do you co-sleep? I found that if DS woke after 1am and I was too knackered, I brought him to bed with me and then we both got more sleep (although he might have fed a couple more times in the night than he absolutely needed to because of availability).

It might be a temperature thing - is he getting too hot/too cold at night? My DS wakes if the temp is wrong and when he wakes he wants a feed, regardless. Very occasionally I can get away with patting him back to sleep but more often than not it's a feed that does the job.

Hope you get more constructive help soon!

I'm sorry I know nothing about babies but wondered if he was eating lots of other food during the day? Are you doing BLW?

It must be a growth spurt, I'm sure I've read others on here say that about 8 months

Poor you, have a rather useless womanly pat on the shoulder.

Hi, I have no words of wisdom, but dd fed like a newborn from about 8-10 months (2 hourly night and day if i was lucky)
It DOES get better.
ds was ff from 8 weeks so it was all new to me.
Can anyone take them off your hands for a couple of hours so you can sleep?
dp used to let me sleep till 11 9 at the weekend to catch up
Its shit but it will get better, you just need to stay strong and get some sleep where you can

oh, thanks

We do BLW "lite"...which means he gets to feed himself but I also shovel in what I can as he makes an unholy to do if it isn't coming thick and fast enough. I put half a dozen raisins on his tray earlier, thinking it would keep him entertained for...oooooh five mins...and he scooped them all up in his palm and shoved them in at once.

today he had a weetabix for brekkie, some banana and raisins for a snack, a cheese sarnie and some apple for lunch, some organix crisps as a snack and spag bol for tea. In addition to this he BF at 6.30, 9.30, 12.00, 4.00, 6.30, 8.30 (and midnight, 3 and 5 in the night). that seems like a LOT to me...but he is a chunky wee thing.

He starts off the night in his own bed but usually ends up in the bed with me....although this morning after his feed at 6.30 I fell asleep again...and he fell off the bed . With a thud I'm scared of having him in with us again incase of a repeat performance.

He has to share a room with his older sister as well, so I can't leave him to cry incase he wakes her up (and believe me she can make a much much bigger fuss)

I feel absolutely drained. and hungry, constantly hungry.

I had this with DS, it was awful and so draining. Eventually realised that a lot of it was thirst, so now he always has a cup of water around during the day that he can have whenever he wants.

It does sound as though he's hungry though so maybe try upping his solids a bit and see if he's interested? I know milk is supposed to be the bulk, but he's doing a lot of BFing still so he isn't going to miss out.

For yourself - I know it's not ideal but just eat whenever you feel hungry. I was on portions of dinner the size of DH's for weeks and then having toast before bed as well - it's hard work. I found drinking milk myself really helped keep me going during the day.

Would it be too weird to give him some more easily transportable food during the night.? Anything to take pressure of you really, at least if you cut down the actual food part of the breast feeding then you might be able to cope better - if it was only a few minutes at the end at least then you wouldn't be so hungry.

I'm really hoping this is a very short spell for you. It's crappy being up all night.

I'm off to bed with a farting dog now so I hope tonight goes ok

oh dear! have you a spare duvet you can put on the floor as cushioning in case he does that again? Not nice, I've had it happen a couple of times but DS has never made it as far as the floor cos I had a beanbag aside the bed.

How much does he drink that isn't breastmilk during the day? And how much are YOU drinking? He might just be thirsty; have you tried the thing of giving him water in the night instead of a feed? I admit I have never tried it but it might work for you, I know it has worked for others.

Laurie I don't think that would be weird - there have been many nights when DH has been shovelling yoghurt into DS as fast as he could at 3am because he was clearly starving and I was shattered.

Thankfully I cross posted with you Ali as you actually know what you're talking about, I was just guessing

that's apoint alibaba, he tends not to have any other drinks in the day. I;ve given him water, but he just dribbloes it down his chin rather than actually drinking.

obsessively feeding baby vs farty dog.....that's a difficult one, although I do have a farty DH

actually it's past his usual "wake up call" so maybe the formula has worked?

Off to get at least some shut eye befiore he wakes again.

I'll try getting some more solids and water in him tomorrow and see how we go.

thanks for listening

Sleep well

I am also going throught this and my baby is nearly 12 months. I feel like a husk and she barely eats. she won't drink formula either only 3 ounces at the most if I ever try and then wants my milk anyway so thats a waste of time. I sleep with mine though cot with side off attached to my king size bed, but from the early house she feeds attched so i get a crap sleepa dn wake up feleing like a train wreck also I'm constantly hungry , weak, chewed nipples adn feel shite. I'm very pro breastfeeding but this sucks

oh, and tried water last night but he just screamed louder. Have also tried DH just dealing with him in the night as he goes nuts when he sees me. Never thought about yogurt; he loves it, so that might work.

I am terrible at drinking anything other than diet coke water in the day, so maybe I'm also a bit dehydrated?

argh fucksticks, he's stirring. I'm off to nudge DH awake and into action.

night.

sleep well lol

Oh dear poor you! He sounds as if he is growing a lot at the moment. No wonder you are hungry.
On the co-sleeping, I bought a cheap bed rail because of the falling out of bed thing and it did sort it out, although not a lot of help to you at this hour, but perhaps you could resurrect one from your other children and stick it on your bed, so at least you aren't worrying about him landing on his head.
Do you think you are getting enough to eat? If not perhaps you could try adding some snack to your own daily intake, what your DS is having all sound like lovely snacks.
I had a bit of a wakey up boy during the night, but co-sleeping did mean an extra few zzz's.
Hope you get a bit more sleep tonight.

aw jennylee; I'm there with you!

Hopefully we'll get some sleep soon!

yes, here's to sleep and feeling energetic in the morning!

I did BLW with my DD and had the same problem - i added an extra meal at 6.30pm ish and that helped alot. I'm going to do purees this time with DS... as DD hardly ate solids until she was 13 months and did not eat a decent amount until she was 2 and I'm not going through that again! BF all the way through - I'm convinved BLW much easier if you formula feed.

that's interesting iwantitnow as most people I know who BLW also BF.

He was up at three but managed to resettle him without resorting to boob! It's a start I think

I did used to have him in a sidecar cot, but moved him in with his sister a month or so ago, as he was waking and feeding every 45 minutes, because it was so close I think. It is better since we moved him, but I think he has lost the ability to self settle and he is wanting to be cuddled or fed to sleep all the time, so when he wakes in the night and there isn't anyone there......

and the feeling like a husk jennylee....that sums it up exactly! Now if only I was as thin as a husk, but my body is one of those irritating ones that holds onto every last ounce of fat when I'm BFing.

I'm not thin either lol, today was getting a bit much but i took my kids out and so there was an escape from bf for a few hours so feel better, will try and get her to eat more, think that is key

ah, jenny, the late shift again, waiting up for the dream feed

I have stuffed his lordhsip full of food today so we'll see what tonight brings. I'm not sure he's had enough milk though

I need someone to tell me what the secret to this baby is; he's my third but is such an enigma that's it's like I'm a first timer again. DH and I regularly just sit with blank looks wondering what the hell is going on....

anyhoo...my master's voice is calling.

oh goodness, I really do feel for you, I've got another child too and thought I would avoid this kind of pitfall also, I've just eaten at this ungodly hour as I felt awful. dh wants me to wean, I feel like laughing in his face, I think she has to like, eat for that or like drink formula, or she will starve, so I'm grimly determined to feed her more tomorrow, I mean offer her lots of different stuff so she can throw it on the floor or close her eyes, or the ounce of formula thing. I guess like everything else it will get better. i think I'm starting to sound bitter and deranged about bf but I do like it, just not so often at this age, would be nice.