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2 week old won't stop feeding!

29 replies

LG123 · 14/09/2018 20:11

It's like she's permanently latched on. She won't settle. Anyone else had any experience with this?

I feel guilty at my temptation to give her formula! I'm exhausted, I have an infection, raging temprature so I just want some sleep! I know I would be sleep deprived anyway but this constant feeding is just too much, and if she does settle, it is only on me my chest and for about 20 mins before wanting more food, the second I put her in her Moses basket she wakes up!

Any advice or reassurance this won't last would be greatly appreciated!

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RaymondHolt · 14/09/2018 20:23

Don't panic - Babies tend to cluster feed in stages. They bulk up and then slow down again. It tends to get easier after 6 weeks...
It feels like a long time away but it will go in a flash.

RaymondHolt · 14/09/2018 20:24

Just read that back - she'll probably sleep and grow Tomorrow. The feeding waves tend to calm down after 6 weeks!

whothefuckhas5children · 14/09/2018 20:25

Sounds like a growth spurt. Demand and supply. She's trying to get more so they your supply will increase. It does pass after a couple of days.

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Pamdoo · 14/09/2018 20:25

As pp said, she's just establishing your supply. Could you express and give a bottle just to give yourself a break?

Florries · 14/09/2018 20:25

Hello! Totally normal. My baby fed on me for 10+ hours a day. Exhausting! Combi feeding with formula was the best decision I ever made and wish I did it sooner.

LG123 · 14/09/2018 20:39

She's been at it nearly a week now!

@Pamdoo Would love to express a bottle but it feels like I don't get 5 mins to do that! If and when she finally settles I will do just that!

OP posts:
SnuggyBuggy · 14/09/2018 20:41

Sounds like mine at that age. Could someone take her for a walk in the pram to give you a short break? That's pretty much the only thing that helped me.

Flatwhite32 · 14/09/2018 20:53

Totally normal @LG123. It's exhausting! I got mastitis twice in less than a month. My DD is now 7 weeks and it's only this week she's started to go a bit longer between feeds. Could someone have her while you express?

KTCluck · 14/09/2018 20:54

My DD was exactly the same. It’s exhausting isn’t it. It really does get easier though. Is it mainly in the evening? It can be normal cluster feeding, but it might be worth getting her checked for tongue tie - DD had a bad one which meant her latch was rubbish and she wasn’t getting milk effectively so all feeds were long.

I found it easier to deal with once I just accepted I was going to be stuck on the sofa for a while rather than checking the time and being impatient for the feed to end. Get organised before settling down for a feed, it won’t harm her to cry for a few minutes while you go the loo, get a glass of water, cuppa, snack, phone (and charger!) and the remote.

I can’t remember exactly when it got easier for us. There was an improvement after her tongue tie was snipped but it was quite a gradual thing. I just remember it being the hardest thing I’ve done at the time and then suddenly feeds were quick and I didn’t get a minute to sit down anymore! I then found I missed those long leisurely cuddles in front of a box set that I’d resented for the first few months. It’s easy for me to say at the other end of it, but try and enjoy the quiet time if you can.

Formula wise, although I definitely considered it in the hardest moments, I was desperate for breastfeeding to work out in the long term and personally felt, because of her rubbish latch and how hard I was finding it, if we started with bottles then we’d soon end up switching completely. I did start expressing the odd bottle for DH to give her from about 8 weeks once I felt breastfeeding was well established (was more hassle than it was worth looking back although good to know she would take a bottle so I could leave her with DH if needed) and began giving the odd bottle of formula from about 6 months ready for her starting nursery a few months later, she took it fine. I have no regrets about that as once we were over the worst of it I loved breastfeeding, it really did get so easy and so to me it was totally worth the hardship and I’d go through it again. Having said that, I’ll never know if we would have had the same outcome if I had given some formula in the earlier days and made things a bit easier for myself then. There are plenty people who successfully mix feed from the start or manage to EBF after supplementing with formula at first.

You should not feel any guilt at all for considering formula or giving it if that’s what you decide to do. You have to do what works for you. If you are wanting to EBF and are worried about jeopardising that with formula then it is possible to get through the hardest bits without giving it. But there is not ‘right’ way to do things and if formula helps you through then no harm done.

I’d recommend a local breastfeeding group for support if you can get to one. I rang the National breastfeeding helpline one night too. The lady I spoke to was lovely and I felt much better after talking to her.

It sounds like you’re doing a fab job, and congratulations on your new baby. 2 weeks was about the worst time for me from what I remember. 17 months in and I still BF at bedtime and any night wakings because we both love it and it works for us. My DD is no different to her little friends who were mix fed or formula fed from the start though. Good luck!

KTCluck · 14/09/2018 20:58

Sorry for the essay Blush

Just saw your update about no time to express though - I really recommend a nature bond pump. About £12 off Amazon on offer and you whack it one boob while
feeding from the other. I used to use it in the morning to catch the leaks and got more with that than I ever did with a manual or even hospital grade electric pump. It was a revelation!

Oly5 · 14/09/2018 20:58

This is totally normal. It does ease off. You need to rage team with your partner so he holds the baby on his chest for her to sleep while you get a few hours and then swap.
In the early days babies don’t really do Moses baskets. I know they’re supposed to but they don’t.
So make your partner stay up for a while while you go to bed and then swap. It’s totally normal for babies this age to feed an awful lot too. Don’t stress yourself trying to pump, just put your feet up with cups of tea and biscuits and feed. It does get easier!

SnuggyBuggy · 14/09/2018 21:00

If there is any TV series you want to rewatch now is the time to do so. I managed every episode of Peep Show in 3 days.

Namelesswonder · 14/09/2018 21:01

Totally normal. It will get easier in time, you just have to hang in there for the first 6 weeks or so.

LG123 · 14/09/2018 21:09

Thanks everyone, it is mainly evenings yes. I think my ear infection and temperature really isn't helping things! My mum is coming over in about an hour so she'll provide some relief.

@KTCluck She has a small tongue for but she has good feeds usually it's only been the last 5 days during the afternoon to early evening, I would love a cuppa during it or something but my extra large boobs require my free hand to hold it up so I don't suffocate my beautiful baby! (Heavy GG's really are pain along with south facing nipples!). I'm letting her stir while I type this just to give my poor nipples a rest!

@Oly5 Sadly I don't have a partner and daddy is nowhere to be seen!

OP posts:
SnuggyBuggy · 14/09/2018 21:11

Have you tried side lying down feeding?

Oly5 · 14/09/2018 21:24

Ah bless you LG, that must be so tough!! Can your mum hold her for a few hours while you go to bed? You just need somebody to cuddle baby while she sleeps while you get some rest.
It is totally normal though... she will settle down and she will sleep in a basket/cot eventually. You could try warming the basket with a hot water bottle, that helps the transition from the warmth of you to the basket. It’s really tough.. we’ve all been there. It does get easier!

Oly5 · 14/09/2018 21:26

Ps yes I also had to hold
My boobs for every feed to avoid suffocating them! Whatever you do stay awake for the feeds. Well done x

KTCluck · 14/09/2018 21:28

Ah yes, apologies, I forgot about the holding the cuppa issues in the early days! I’m also large in the boobage department but it got a bit easier when DD was stronger and getting more mobile as she liked to hold them herself. If it helps, they got a lot smaller once feeding was established and I’ve actually gone down a few bra sizes from pre-pregnancy now!

MeadowHay · 14/09/2018 21:29

Have you tried rugby hold? I know lots of ladies with large breasts find that position the most comfortable, I mostly did that for the first few weeks. It is really hard, I would try and get your mum or anyone else you can to help you as much as possible. DH took 3 weeks paternity leave and I think for about the next two weeks my mum popped in every day for at least a couple of hours whilst he was at work because I would struggle to have lunch or get a shower or anything otherwise because my baby fed almost constantly all day and like you would hardly nap other than for 20 mins at a time etc. It was exhausting but I think it is 'normal' and quite common. Is your baby a decent-ish sleeper? Mine slept well at night for her age right from birth so she was tanking up all day to sleep longer at night which was one plus side. I used to pump one one side whilst baby was feeding on the other by the way to express a bit, introduced a bottle of expressed milk every other night from being 2 weeks old and baby took to bottle straight away. Like you I wouldn't have had time to pump at a different time so did it whilst I was already stuck feeding her anyway.

Pixie2015 · 14/09/2018 21:31

Sounds normal for age mine hated Moses basket and would only sleep on me or when out in pushchair- occasionally we gave one of the tiny premade formulae bottles in first few months DH did this on a morning after all night on/off feeding to give me a couple of hours catch up lie in - hope your ear better soon x

LG123 · 14/09/2018 21:46

@SnuggyBuggy Can you do that with such a small baby?

@Oly5 I wish having a cuddle with my mum or someone would work! She just goes mad and only kind of settles when my mum sticks her little finger in her mouth (washed by the way!)

She's been at it since 4pm.

OP posts:
Pixie2015 · 14/09/2018 21:48

I feed lying down with baby from day 2 we both just found it comfortable and it helped me rest x

LG123 · 14/09/2018 22:10

@MeadowHay I do indeed use the rugby ball position, I only use my hand to hold my boob up as it just flops and covers her entire face! She started a 4pm but was also at it this morning then gave me a couple of feeds with an hour in between. Once it hit 4pm it all started again. She does settle and sleep at night but still feeds every 2hrs so not like she's tanking up for longer stretches at night. Expressing whilst feeding isn't an option, I have no free hands!

@Pixie2015 Ah cool I might try it! She does like her Moses basket as usually sleeps like, excuse the pun, a baby.

OP posts:
SnuggyBuggy · 14/09/2018 23:37

I'm actually trying to remember when I started to feed lying down and can't remember. It's probably something a breastfeeding support worker could advise.

MeadowHay · 15/09/2018 09:59

LG You could consider getting mum or someone to give a bottle of formula now and then for a rest but obv I understand if you don't want to do that. Has your mum tried to give dumy? Maybe baby doesn't take it if you're the one giving it? D introduced our baby to dummy, it did take a few attempts but she got there eventually and now she's 12 weeks and almost always has it to go to asleep etc which maybe isn't great but it has been a life-saver. It meant when she just wanted to comfort suck on me she would be ok with dummy and I got a bit of a break in-between feeds. I understand again if you don't want to do this and as I know they advise not before around 6 weeks for BF babies but we slowly introduced one from around 2 weeks and I had no problems with supply or nipple confusion or anything, same for bottle.

If you have an electric pump could you pump one side and feed baby off the other as you wouldn't need hands for the pumping side then would you? I don't know as I only had a manual pump and I know the electric ones are expensive although sometimes you can buy secondhand. Also you could try a Hakka/NatureBond, I don't think you need hands for that as far as I'm aware you just stick it on your other side and it does the work itself?

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