Breastfeeding mums of hungry boys.....talk to me...

[detoxdiva]

I have a dd who is 4yo and a ds who is 16 weeks. I fed dd until she was 8mo and my plan with ds is to do the same.

He is a very happy, content little fellow - feeds and sleeps during the day roughly every 3 hours, and at 10 weeks he was sleeping 7pm-4am (or on the odd occasion, 7-7am yes, lucky I know )

However for the past 2 weeks he has been waking several times in the night - always at about 1am and then again at 4pm - with occasional 10pm and 5.30am wakes too. I am offering him the breast at each waking and he is feeding each time before settling quickly back to sleep.

Now - I never experienced this type of hunger with dd - is this a temporary growth spurt...or is this just the way it's going to be with him until weaning satisfies him for longer and I stop feeling completely exhausted!

Sounds like the 4 month growth spurt

Not sure it's a boy thing but I'm onto my 3rd hungry boy. DS3 only 6 weeks so we're in the middle of a hideous growth spurtm but the other 2 were very inconsistent in the feeding / sleeping.

It's awful when the starty waking at night again but hopefully soon he will drop the feeds again.

I'm not sure weaning will make much of a difference though - my oldesy started solids at 4 months as was the advice then but still randomly woke for night feeds until 6 months so IME it's more of a phase thing. Good luck

16 week growth spurt?

some babies are just hungry - if he feeds and settles back to sleep then it is hunger and it will pass

FWIW, DS was a little and often hungry baby and DD is the same (am EBF DD)

Thanks for the replies....am hoping it's the much mentioned 16 week growth spurt - despite it starting at 13 and a half weeks! - it didn't seem to happen with dd!

I have heard that baby boys' calorific intake is higher for the same weight gain, so these 'greedy boy' stories may have something in them.

Ds1 was INCREDIBLY hungry - he was bottlefed, but frequently drank 12 oz in one sitting at 4 months old. He's a very muscular child now - whereas ds2 fed 'normal' amounts (5 oz max) and isn't as muscular as ds1 was at 3.

FOUND THIS

Babies
Babies from birth to six months should, as far as possible, exclusively be fed breast milk. The EAR for boys is 545-690 kcal (calories) per day, and for girls, 515-645 kcal per day, the figures rising as the babies grow and become more active as they approach their first half year.

From seven to 12 months, the EAR for boys is 825 to 920 kcal per day, and for girls 765 to 865 kcal per day.

What can I say DS who is 8 months and on solids still feeds through the night. I think they get int he habit of waking and then look for boob.

And beware - teenage boys need 3000 cals per DAY just to be halthy

I think I might just make mine drink half a pint of lard each morning once they hit their teens

According to this page here, my Ds1 should be eating adult woman calories.

Maybe I'm being a tad stingy with the cake ...

I had a hungry girl. The longest she went between feeds was 2hrs until 7 months when she managed 3hrs occasionally. She went from 50th centile for weight and length to off the charts within weeks of her birth and has stayed there. She's 2.7 now, still bfed but gave up night feeds at about 2. She did also have the classic 4 month growth spurt, went on for about 3 weeks and she fed at least hourly for the whole time. I don't recall a lot of it now tbh, it was a haze of sleeping/feeding.

So, anyway, just confirming it's not just boys!

I took great comfort from the fact that milk worked so well at getting her back to sleep. She never cried or wanted to be rocked/carried etc. We co-slept and it made life so much easier that a short feed was all she wanted and then would turn over and go back to sleep.

Lol Coldtits 3000 calories That's about what dd consumes now She was and still is a skinny little thing - no mad feeding frenzies with her, but now she's making up for it...I constantly find her with her head in the fridge moaning "muuuuummmmmm...I'm hungry" Heaven help me when ds can get into the kitchen on his own

Lastofthemulledwine - I too do love it that my milk can settle him too - another reason why I don't want to be hanging up my nursing bra yet!

DD was exclusively bfed until about 28 weeks btw. Weaning made beggar all difference to the milk intake until she was nearly a year.

Teenage boys are incredible. When I met DH he was 17, swimming competitively and competing at karate regularly. His brother was 14, played rugby 3 times a week. His other brother was 12 and did gymnastics and ballet. They ate and ate and ate and ate and ate and ate and ate and ate. I went shopping with his Mum occasionally and they had to have 3 trollies of food per shop. It was astounding. BIL2 is a professional ballet dancer and his eating habits haven't changed. It's most entertaining.

Actually, his sister wasn't much better. She plays rugby for England and managed to keep up with their eating habits. Obvioulsy they're all slim, muscular and healthy.

I look at a cake and put on 2lbs. It's all very cruel.

Not much help but my ds is now 14 months. He was bf until 12.5 months. He fed in the night until almost a year old He still sometimes wakes and wants some water from his sippy cup. The feeds did slow down but then he'd get super hungry again.... and he definitely packed on the pounds quickly after being born at such a low weight! Until he was about 5 months old I'd never go to a supermarket unless there was a cafe in it because I knew I'd need to feed him in that time. Always. He took so much milk. He's not overweight now, happy healthy little boy It's tiring, but I'd say expect ebbs and flows. HTH

All my boys were like this, my girl fed a lot less even at the same weights (she was prem so things bit different)
Ds3 currently has a stinking cold and isnt feeding much and I am like Jordan all the time. Shows how much hes still having off me normally at 8 months

Star and Norfolk - thanks! Whilst it's completely exhausting at the moment - it's good to know you're not alone