Newborn attachment to boob

[curlyrebel]

My 3wo wants to constantly feed! If he's awake and he's not being fed he will scream his head off. I swear my DD was not like this as a newborn.

I can spend hours cluster feeding him. He might come off one boob and seem satisfied but a minute later will start screaming for more. I think it's not just hunger but a comfort thing and seems to be the only way he will settle to sleep.

Sometimes I can go 5/6 times from one side to the other till there is nothing left to give!

We have tried giving him a bottle - both formula and expressed but he is most likely to settle with me.

Is anyone going through the same or has done? If so is there anything that makes it more manageable for you?

My DD slept a lot more as a newborn. She's now 2 and it's pretty impossible for me to take care of both of them on my own because of his attachment to me.

I would try a dummy. He just might need to suckle in order to settle.

If it’s a comfort thing he’ll settle with a dummy but it might be hunger. One of my nephews wasn’t able to be satisfied with breastmilk alone and so sil would express and then feed him formula too.

All children are different. My dd refused a bottle, was an awful sleeper and pretty much boob obsessed until I weaned at 21/2 years. Fwiw she is still an awful sleeper at 6!!!

I realise it's hard with two dc but I think you just need to roll with the punches and get as much help as you can fromDH and family. For me cosleeping was my saviour.

Good luck.

Thanks for the advice. I tried a dummy with him but he didn't like it. I'll try a different one...any ideas of good ones for newborns?

Get a number of different brands and teat options. The MAM dummies are meant to be good.

Yes this was normal for my DS. 3 weeks was the worst time for it too! It does (gradually) get better. He never took a dummy or a bottle so I had to persevere with breastfeeding but hopefully you'll have more luck there than I did!

He's a tiny baby, of course he wants you and the comfort of nursing. I know it's a pain but that's how it works! Have him in a sling during the day and in a next-to-me cot at night. Don't let him fall asleep on the breast. Introduce sleep cues like patting, deep breathing in his ear, 'mmmming' swaddling, dummy etc and when he's learned to be comforted by these make the transition to doing them while he's in his cot. Wear his sheet or a muslin inside your bra for a day before you put him to bed on it, then swap with the other so there's always one that smells like you so he feels comforted when he's laid down. Use sing during the day.

How's his latch? If he's not suckling productively that won't help.

A sling, not sing! Of course you can sing too though!

Of course he doesn't like it, boob is superior! Hold it in for a minute after each feed. He may well get used to it.

Otherwise, there might be something else going on e.g. silent reflux.

Thanks @Teddybear45. I'll check the MAM ones out. Have got some tommy tippee ones I've not tried yet. Anyone used those?

@KatnissK it's so different with every baby isn't it? He's accepted the bottle a bit. I don't want to rely on it but I think it does help when I need some sleep!

Nice advice @FurrySlipperBoots...I like the idea of a muslin smelling of me in his cot to comfort him. Usually when I put him down he wakes up. Haven't had much luck with a sling so far. When he's asleep he's fine but when he wakes up he will scream for a feed still. It would be good to wean him off suckling to sleep but he's been quite persistent that's what he wants so far.

Ah I've just thought - I'm due my second in a few months and I've been thinking about how to tackle this constant boob issue as I also have a toddler so can't be stuck to the sofa all day. I was going to try feeding baby in a baby nest thing (probably a sleepyhead) as I quite like side-lying for feeding anyway and then hopefully I can roll away, leaving baby to snooze in the nest. It may not work at all of course but the physical act of moving DS used to wake him, whereas I could unlatch him and he'd happily snooze on my lap for ages. Also some of my friends used to feed in a sling - I never got on with slings but I may try again and see if I can master it! At least then you can walk around and do stuff while baby is attached.
You may have tried these things anyway but just thought I'd mention them!

Thanks @KatnissK. Yes it's the same with this little one - as soon as I try and move him to the cot he wakes up. I either have to sleep with him or wait until he's in deep sleep to move him.
With the baby nest, the lullaby trust don't recommend them for co-sleeping. I'm not sure why though. https://www.lullabytrust.org.uk/safer-sleep-advice/co-sleeping/. I guess you could try the same but just clear space on the mattress?

I didn't know you could bf in a sling...that's good to know and try out. I'll see if I can find some YouTube vids