Coping with cluster feeding

[Fibilou]

My 12 day old seems to be going through a growth spurt at the moment and for the last 2 days I have been feeding pretty much constantly from 4pm until midnight. It's driving me bananas as the only way I can put her down without her crying is to give her a dummy, which I am really reluctant to do as I know she is feeding so much to up my milk supply. She won't sleep in her crib but fortunately she does sleep for about 5 hours once she does go down

Does anyone have any tips for coping with the nightly boob-fest, I am rapidly losing my few remaining marbles.

Hi Fibilou, no magic answers I'm afraid, just wanted to say it does get better!! I have had exactly the same thing since birth, and found my evenings v frustrating. DD is now 13 weeks and the start of clusteirng has got later and the end earlier, and she now reliably goes down by 22.30. Just hang on in there. Have you got someone who can bring you the phone/drinks/food/remote etc?

husband at the moment - but he goes back to work next week and works shifts. I am dreading it

I know how hard it is not to dread the evenings, but as LM said, try and plan for it to make it more bearable (we watched all of the Inbetweeners and Gavin & Stacey). Can you have your laptop on the sofa? Have water/drinks in sports cap bottles so they can be in easy reach, have a cordless phone and catch up with friends so you don't feel too stuck and isolated. It is really hard but I feel so much better now I get bigger breaks and it finishes earlier - it will get better!

I agree with everything that's been saidI! DS is 13 weeks and now feeds on and off from 5ish until 930 but then can sleep for between 6 and 8 hours! He used to feed from 5pm until 2am so it definitely improves! Plenty of sports drinks, remote control and mobile phone, bread sticks are good to have handy, and lansinoh cream for when you hit the brick wall from feeding so much! I also always feed baby on a pillow so when he falls asleep he just falls back on to it so I'm not constantly holding him.

You do have to just accept that this is what your job is at the moment but I know it is hard. It does get better though. By 7 weeks I was enjoying the cluster feeding as it had greatly reduced and he was only waking once in the night after the great feed. 7 weeks sounds like a long time but you've already done a couple of weeks and it will soon start to settle down. We've just had a growth spurt where he fed every two hours during the day usually for 30 minutes at a time. So even when it's settled there can be days where all you do is feed.

If you're getting a five hour sleep then the cluster feeding is definitely working! I wish I'd had that from 12 days! That's great!

Try to enjoy the experience and cherish the time you have, firstly sitting on the sofa, but also holding your baby in your arms.

It does get easier I promise. You've done well to get this far. Just take it one day at a time.

Advice?

Chocolates - or whatever your vice is.

A remote that's close by.

A flask of tea/coffee whatever you prefer (mine was hot choc) at a temp that won't hurt your lo.

A film you can bear to watch more than once in one day on your dvd or a selection on a lap top if you have one.

A handy supply of books - make dp go to the library for you

At 20:00 move everything upstairs and try co-sleeping if you can or just lying down if you can't.

When upstairs have the intercom/baby thingy on - if you have one - so you can alert dp when you need something.

Bendy straws so you can drink whilst on your side.

An upstairs supply of chocolates - or whatever your vice is.

Have the remote for your tv in the bedroom (if you have) one handy.

More books.

As for food for you I found sandwiches/salad or anything not too warm could be eaten. You know you're at 6 weeks when you have to switch sides with your baby to remove the crumbs from their ear - didn't do that honest

FORGET:

Housework
Looking after your dp - they are a grown up and can fend for themselves for a while
Ironing
Shopping - dp can make lists and shop!
Trying to host people to come to visit you - they know how to make a cup of tea and can make you something/wash up/hoover etc. in return for gazing at your lo. This works esp well if they are family

You have 2 jobs whilst this is going on, feeding your child and not going crazy. Everything else can wait.

Hunker down and know that this too shall pass.

God, I wish I'd known about this before I started bf'ing - it wouldn't have been quite as much of a shock!

Please note if your dp works shifts have a supply upstairs and a supply downstairs - go on you're worth it

ThePatentedTiggaMethodForGettingThroughTheFirst6/7WeeksOrWheneverYou'reKnackeredBroughtOutAg ainCosItWorksTiggax

Ha ha! I'm always picking crumbs off him!

Wish I'd read this when dd was cluster feeding.

For a few weeks she did nothing but feed from about 2pm to 11pm. Drove me crazy! But then one day, she just decided at about 8pm that she'd had enough and went to sleep. From that day on, her bed time has come to 6pm. She now either sleeps until 5/6am or wakes at 1/2 then 7/8.

Apart from just now, with 2 teeth coming through! Give me cluster feeding any day over teething!! (sorry)