Newborn feeding advice please

[JKDcot]

Hi all
FTM looking for advice. My 4 week old has started to cry and be unhappy after breast feed. I can’t tell if it’s because he ate too much; has colic/allergic to dairy I’ve eaten; needs to burp/ have a break, or is still hungry and wants more?

I know all these options are possible. How do you know which one to do?!?

Ok. Just put him back on the breast and he is much calmer. should a feed always finish calmly?

Sounds like cluster feeding.

Sounds like he might be cluster feeding, 4 weeks is a spurt age so he probably just wants to be fed as much as possible and this will be increasing your supply to facilitate extra milk for the spurt

Also are you in any Facebook breastfeeding groups? There’s some really good helpful ones

Likely it's cluster feeding which is totally normal and not a sign that you don't have milk. Baby will cry and ask for milk a lot. Get a good box set going and go with it.

4 weeks is also prime time for the witching hours to start. Both mine cried and were grumpy from 7-9pm every night from 4 - 12 weeks.

It's hard, but it's predictably and developmental. Eat before it starts and sit with them on your boob all evening. It will pass

Yeah you just need to feed feed feed! Fussy behaviour is perfectly normal and not necessarily indicative of any kind of problem. Things will get easier!

In fact - the fussiness actually helps your milk supply increase, it triggers certain hormones (please don’t ask me for any more detail!) babies know how to get what they need

Thank you so much!! He is just so frustrated and fussy before latching then he gets frustrated again when I think he has finished. I’ll just keep offering more milk to see if that keeps him happier

Yeah I think when I was in that situation I just kept them on my breast. Such a chore , I feel for you. Hope it’s gets less time consuming soon .

The fussing is definitely stressful for you, but doesn’t necessarily mean anythings wrong - most likely it isn’t and it’s just cluster feeding. Offer the breast as much as possible and skin to skin as much as possible, he just wants to be near you really

Cluster feeding means being nearly constantly on the boob.

Sorry if you knew that already but it confused the hell out of me as a new mother and I felt too stupid to ask.

I wish it had a more obvious name.

Lots of lasinoh to protect nips after every feed! It will settle down again