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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

5 week breastfeeding nightmare

10 replies

missMILKmonkey · 27/04/2010 15:34

hello my DD is 5 weeks old and she doesnt stop feeding. shes putting on weight fine and latches on well most of the time so im not worried about that side of it, im just finding it really hard at the moment.
for example we got up at 7 this morn she had a good long feed then a nap for an hour and since then shes pretty much been constantly feeding....its not as bad as this everyday but most days
my boyfriend is fed up of hearing me moan and cry about how much my boobs hurt and wants me to move on to formula, we already give her one bottle in the evening to give me a break, which i feel bad enough about. i really love breastfeeding and am desperate to carry on with it but im going out of my mind...
everyone says it will get better, but when? does everyone have this problem or have i just got a greedy piglet?!
any words of encouragement appreciated
thanks

OP posts:
Bumbleconfusus · 27/04/2010 15:51

Does she feed like this at night as well? Do you have a baby carrier at all? If I'm just in the house DD seems to feed allllot so if it gets too much then I put her in her baby carrier and go for a walk (I suppose going to the shops would have the same effect) for about an hour and a half, which she will just sleep through. Gives me a rest and an excuse to get out and about... also someone suggested to me that if required you can pump in the mornings to make up 1 feed (if your supply seems good/full at that time) and give that as the evening feed.

pooka · 27/04/2010 15:54

Prob a growth spurt. mine all had feeding frenzies at about same age. Tailed off after a week at most.

rubyslippers · 27/04/2010 15:55

It is usual if extremely tiring

the first few weeks of breastfeeding are just one long feed

my DD latched on after she was born and never really unlacthed

i was given some great advice on MN about how to deal with it:

co-sleep as much as possible (naps and at night)
do nothing else but feed (ignore housework etc or get other people to do it)
try to get out of the house at least once per day - looking at the same four walls can make things feel worse

it does pass - DD settled down at around 8/9 weeks and am still feeding her at 7 months

i could never have imagined carrying on when i was at the point you are, but i did

it is hard but it does pass - the more your baby feeds the better your supply will be

keep going - you are doing brilliantly

PS if your boobs hurt then make sure her latch is ok and you haven't got blocked ducts

Original poster
missMILKmonkey · 27/04/2010 17:15

thanku i took bumbleconfusus advice and took her for a walk around the village so it gave my nipples a nice hour long break! shes back on the boob now but things are looking a bit clearer now we've had some fresh air
i really really dont want to give up now, im trying to express more so i dont have to give her that formula feed before bed, but its so hard to fit it in between feeds, and i only ever manage to get about an ounce out of each boob anyway.
glad to hear it settles down after a while, i was worried that this is my life now for the next few months!

OP posts:
Bumbleconfusus · 28/04/2010 06:04

Does she always use both sides? If you are feeling particularly full, does she still use both sides? If not, perhaps you could pump at the same time as feeding (I have just started to do this in the morning as thats when I'm fullest, using a good manuel pump) as this should make pumping easier and quicker.
I don't know what other people think but if she is feeding constantly then I'm not sure what benefit pumping in between feeds gives, apart from perhaps stop her from getting as good a feed when she nexts asks?

Another question is does she last substantially longer between feeds when she is FF? If you have ever given a bottle of EBM, does she drink the same quantity as she does if its formula?

Bumbleconfusus · 28/04/2010 06:25

Also another question is when you were walking, did you stop walking because she woke up and wanted fed or just because you didn't want to walk anymore (understandably perhaps)? Another woman I met at my GP practice was saying how her DS wasn't going long between feeds, so the health visitor suggested going out for a longer period of time, (I suppose it easier if the baby is sleeping) so that when they were ready to feed they would take a 'full feed' and so be fuller for longer the next time,this was done gradually be increasing the time between by about 10 mins a day. This has helped the woman during the day time at least by stretching feeds out by an extra hour.

NotQuiteCockney · 28/04/2010 06:48

Hmm, you say she latches on well 'most of the time'. It's possible the constant feeding is caused by her normal latch being less good than it could be. (bad latch -> milk comes out slower -> baby needs to feed constantly) What sort of help have you had with breastfeeding?

And are your nipples sore?

Original poster
missMILKmonkey · 29/04/2010 20:38

bumbleconfusus i did worry that pumping would take away milk from her for her next feed, but i was told that the more i do it the more i should make, im not entirely sure this is the case tho.
i've started expressing a little at each feed with her on the other boob. im only expressing so i can give her that instead of the formula i already give her before she goes to bed- she definately lasts longer with the formula but it mite be because i have been feeding her from my breast for several hours before she has it anyway.
and yes, she will drink the same amount of expressed breast milk as formula (if i manage to make that much during the day)

shes absolutely fine most of the time in her buggy,infact when we went for that walk she was awake for the entire journey and she didnt cry for food once, which makes me think its a comfort thing more than anything. she would have been fine for a couple of hours, but it was me that got tired, my village is very hilly! we usually go out for longer and shes very good. i am just a bit shy about public bf so i worry she'll get hungry...another reason im trying to express.

notquitecockney i havent had much help with breastfeeding, just the midwife and health visitor telling me that my latch is good, i know theres a workshop i can go to but its just getting round to it....
my nipples arent sore all the time, just when shes had a particularly long feeding frenzy. sometimes she gets quite fussy on me and pulls away really hard with my nipple still in her mouth, which is agony

OP posts:
Quiltingmama · 30/04/2010 20:59

DS1 was the same - I remember calling a friend in tears late one night around 5w because he just wouldnt stop feeding. She calmed me down and I bf until he was 15m. I now have ds2 who is 6w and I can spot the growth spurts which makes it all feel less overwhelming. The NCT website is quite good on growth spurts. You are doing brilliantly and it does settle down to distinct feeds. I swear by getting out every day. Can you visit a friend for a coffee? I dont mind endlalss feeds if i am gossiping. If i am stuck in front of daytime telly i lose the will to live! Good luck

Morloth · 30/04/2010 21:27

We had a marathon feeding session here last night, constantly feeding/switching boobs for almost 6 hours. I am pretty chilled about BF whenever, but this really took me too my limit.

DS is 5 weeks and today (after huge session), I have a stack more milk and he looks bigger so I assume that was the idea.

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