Enough breastmilk?

[Waffle12]

Hi

Have a 5 week old who I am exclusively breastfeeding.

Baby only lost 5%body weight and has been putting on decent weight (was back up to birth weight at 2.5 weeks)
Also plenty of wet and dirty nappies.

However, I am finding it hard to be confident she is getting enough milk, even though all the above suggests she is.

My worry is that she is not content with the amount she is getting. She feeds for about 20 mins at a time and takes herself off, usually when she falls asleep. However she quite often wakes up when i try and put her down, and gets upset, and quite often the only way to comfort her is to put her back on the boob. This is different from cluster feeding I think. She also doesnt seem to sleep for long periods that often and the easiest way to get her back to sleep is to feed her.

On a very unsettled night this can go on for a few hours-feed, falls asleep, try to put down, wakes up, gets upset, goes back on boob- and repeat!. I feel like she has taken all my milk, but still wants to go back on. My boobs feel empty (although I have read that they are never truly empty)

So I am not sure if she is getting upset and wanting to go back on because she is not satisfied, or whether she is upset for another reason and I am using the boob to comfort her? How can I tell? Do i need to top up with formular to see if this calms her down a bit?

Thanks for any thoughts.x

I wouldn't worry about it - if she's gaining wet and there's plenty of wet and dirty nappies then I'd say it sounds fine. My DS was exactly the same at that age.

Sounds like normal baby feeding to me.

If she’s gaining then she’s getting enough. She’s doing it for comfort. Are you on a bit of a routine? I had mine on a routine from day one. It takes a while for baby to click in to it (my son was quite easy, my daughter took three months). It will get easier.

This is completely normal feeding and baby behaviour, nothing to worry about at all. Breastmilk is really easily digested and babies have little stomachs, lots of little feeds is what’s needed. They also feed for comfort not just food, just go with your baby.

Hi, I'm feeding my 14 month old.

You don't need to top up with formula - everything you've described is completely normal.

Your baby is still very new to the world and breastfeeding is a great source of comfort. Keep up the good work. If still in doubt have you tried the national breastfeeding helpline? That way you'll be speaking to someone trained and they definitely helped me when things were tough.

Congrats on the baby

Sounds like classic 4th trimester. The issues is not feeding but needing to be cuddled. Read up on 4th trimester and safe cosleeping and get your a sling.

Yep, completely normal. It’s comfort and stimulating supply.

Sounds totally normal
U never run out of breast milk they always produce milk
So don't worry
I felt the same with my DD
The more they feed the more they up the production u will they are never off the boob sometimes

Thank u for the replies.

Common sense tells me she is getting enough, but I am just concerned it seems to be over so many feeds rather than a feed every 2-4 hours.

If she is doing it for comfort, should I not be so quick to offer the breast? We do try other methods to sooth her but she does have quite a big and loud cry that escalates quite quickly, so there is only so much I can take before I think I should just put her back on.

We dont really have a routine at the moment. What do u recommend for a 5 week old-would it be a very loose routine?

Like others have said it sounds totally normal. The act of feeding and the milk itself help them fall asleep but then they wake up if they don’t stay cuddled close to you, or once the breastmilk is digested (quickly!). Feeding for comfort is absolutely fine too - hers or yours.

Given you mentioned a worry that she may not be getting enough milk, if you hold off giving her milk your breasts will gradually get the message to stop producing so much, as when they’re full they get signalled to slow down production. If instead you offer a feed whenever she or you feel like it your supply will stay regulated to what she needs, as a more empty breast gets the signal to make more milk.

I can't remember the ages but I remember reading that babies stomachs are the size of a marble, then a walnut so I think they have to eat little and often. Sounds like you're doing a brilliant job 😍

Also I wouldn't expect any sort of routine for a good while yet. Just responding to her when she needs you is absolutely great. It is very full on in the early days! If you haven't heard of it, it really helped me to read about the '4th trimester.'

Thank u all so much for taking the time to read and reply- I feel.alot better that this all sounds normal.

I think I am focusing too much as well on seeing other mums with babies that seem always content and the mums always seem so calm and in control!! I feel like I am very much just living minute to minute!!

Off to google 4th trimester!!

Thank u again

This is similar to what happened with me. At a certain point I cracked and realised that even if this was ' normal' as all the health visitors kept saying, my mental and physical health was suffering from the lack of rest from constant feeding. We went to mixed feeding and never looked back - baby was happy and satisfied and I knew he had enough milk

She is stimulating the milk flow by regular feeding and establishing breast feeding. It won't always be like this, I promise.

Absolutely normal. Keep offering as often as you can/like. Even if she is 'just' feeding for comfort, let her. You are her whole world and she needs you. You're doing a brilliant job!

@Waffle12 the 2-4 hours feeding thing is not a natural feeding pattern, it’s a routine invented by adults and imposed on babies. Your baby is feeding totally normally, what’s wrong is your impression of what a baby should do and we’ve all been fed a lot of misinformation about that.

Also - your comment about not offering the breast if she’s doing it for comfort. Why?! What’s wrong with comforting your baby? Human babies are helpless and need constant comfort. They’re essentially a tiny animal that can do nothing for themselves, they don’t know they’re separate from you. Hold your baby, comfort your baby, it’s what’s natural. All these ideas of routines, feeding every 4 hours, ‘spoiling a baby with comfort’, that’s what’s not natural

@BuffaloCauliflower wise words

Your baby hasn't read any of the books about routines or feeding schedules. The reason she wants to be held is that she feels vulnerable away from you- basic mammal biology. Think about chimps etc, they carry their young at all times. After all we are just primates! She'll grow out of it all when she is ready. I had a super boob limpet and she's so independent now.
Make your life as easy as possible, be led by her and don't stress when she "isn't like other babies"

Also look up flutter feeding, lots of people confuse feeding from this high fat milk which takes longer and needs frequent rests as comfort feeding.