Breastfeed 10 week old - how often?

[Bubbaboy]

Hello!

I know every baby is different but just wondered how long your baby breastfed for and how often when aged around 10 weeks?

I am combi feeding but mainly formula due to several difficulties. Want to move to more breastfeeds than formula but he only feeds around 15 minutes and is hungry an hour later! With formula he feeds every 3 hours. I know formula heavier etc but just wondering what people's experience was with breastfeeding?

My baby is eleven weeks exclusively breastfed. She feeds about every 3-5 hours overnight. During the day is variable, every 1 to 3 hours. Some times of day she'll have a few feeds quite close together. Not always easy to predict, seems a bit random, although she always feeds on waking from a nap.

I’ve just looked back on the app I used when my one was that little. In the day she fed every hour for average of 10 mins (unless she was falling asleep and using it for comfort) then she’d feed once or twice at night. She’d often cluster in the evening too as part of her 5 to 9 whine.

She was 90th percentile so definitely getting plenty of milk. Her feeds didn’t really start to space out in the day until much nearer 6 months.

Roughly 2 hourly and ranged between 5 mins and 15 mins but I have quite a fast letdown so I think they probably got quite a bit of milk in a short space of time, but I think it digests quicker so they need it more often

Thanks everyone! Perhaps his feeding is normal then, I'd convinced myself it wasn't enough. His nappies did seem less wet/heavy tho when I breastfeed that's why I got worried. Anyone that combi fed noticed that? I'm gonna try again to breastfeed more now I feel a bit more confident hourly isn't necessarily a sign he's not getting enough. He was a month premature and only weighed 4.5lb so him getting enough milk has always been something I've obsessed with!

My experience with ebf Ds1 and 2 was similar to Skyla01.

Remember you will need to increase your supply and that happens predominantly through baby feeding more and "fussing" on the breast.

Without knowing how you're dividing feeds or how much of a change you want to make it's difficult to offer any advice. The hormones which encourage milk production are more plentiful at night and highest between 2am and 4am so you might find it easier to swap evening feeds (though cluster feeding often feels like hard work)

An IBCLC I follow on Facebook has a book on combi feeding coming out so is doing loads of posts at the moment, she’s called Lucy Ruddle. You might find something there that helps you.

@User0ne thanks for your reply. Well I tried to breastfeed at every feed to being with but he was still hungry after as my milk took a long time to come in, he was premature and had jaundice and tongue tie which caused difficulties establishing breastfeeding early on. I continued to try and pump etc too but formula fed most of the time as I wasn't getting much milk out pumping and he wasn't transferring milk from me well. So I'm still trying to breastfeed at least three times a day, first thing in morning, middle of the day and once in evening. He's having about 6 bottles in addition to this. I tried to put him to the breast every time he got hungry last week. He fed continuously (apart from two nappy change breaks!) from 9pm to 3am!! Then at 3am I gave up and he had a big bottle of formula so he was still hungry. And very light nappies not wet and heavy. That's my worry!

@Bubbaboy

Hello!

I know every baby is different but just wondered how long your baby breastfed for and how often when aged around 10 weeks?

I am combi feeding but mainly formula due to several difficulties. Want to move to more breastfeeds than formula but he only feeds around 15 minutes and is hungry an hour later! With formula he feeds every 3 hours. I know formula heavier etc but just wondering what people's experience was with breastfeeding?

That’s normal. I fed DS through a tongue tie and he would feed constantly - often 4 feeds an hour. He wasn’t efficient at breastfeeding at the beginning so I often would listen out for gulps - he got to stay on the breast while he was gulping milk but as soon as that stopped I delatched and then put him on again a few mins later.

@SamanthaVimes hello thanks for your reply. I just wondered what your cluster feeds were like? I've just been feeding him for 1.5 hours straight and he's still hungry! Screaming although he unlatches himself.

15 mins is a very short feed. Are you offering both boobs?

@Bubbaboy I think our record was 3 hours straight but that was only once. It wasn’t unusual for her to be latched for one or two hours during cluster feeding evenings. I ate many meals over her head whilst she was feeding. It feels like a lifetime ago now though and she’s only 9 months so it gets easier!

@Thatwentbadly yeah I do offer both but he tends to only take one so I alternate at each feed. He then sometimes goes for a couple of hours! It's either 15-30 minutes or hours on end!! And he's still hungry after the marathon feedings!!

@SamanthaVimes he did 9 hours once!! And was still hungry. That's why I think he's not getting enough 😞

www.facebook.com/411977425899963/posts/1143285219435843/?d=n

www.facebook.com/411977425899963/posts/1071649556599410/?d=n

This IBCLC I follow on Facebook has some posts that might help. It might be worth reaching out to her / another IBCLC if you can afford it as combi feeding can be tricky to keep the balance where you want it.

@SamanthaVimes thanks!!

He was a month premature and only weighed 4.5lb so him getting enough milk has always been something I've obsessed with!

Please be careful with this. I was the same with my parents. I got so anxious he wasn't eating enough and pressured him to eat more which led to a feeding aversion. Best advice I can give, don't think about it. Feed him when he's asking for food and as long as he's gaining weight and is overall happy don't monitor what he eats. Good luck I know it's hard especially with a premmie xxx

Not my parents! My baby 😀🤪🤪🤪

@Trixie78 thanks! I do only feed him when we wants it but just with the breastfeeding it never seems enough for him. I've literally tried everything apart from medication to enhance my supply. He never seems satisfied !!

I was feeding every hour sometimes more, lots of short feeds. Health visitor told me babies digest breast milk a lot easier so need more feeds than if they were formula fed. She said as long as you are getting lots of wet nappies and baby is putting on weight then it’s all fine.

Also I was told that sometimes they will feed for comfort.

No advice, read these with interest as I’m combi feeding too (expressed milk and breastfeeds)

Just wanted to say you’re doing bloody brilliant!

You are doing a great job, I've no doubt you'll crack it in no time xx

@Flappityflippers1 @Trixie78 thanks!! Although doesn't feel like doing a good job sometimes!! I thought feeding would be the easiest part of motherhood!!

Breastfeeding was how I got into gaming. Some days it was almost none stop.

Problem with doing both is your boobs aren't getting the message to make more milk. They think they're meeting demand. The only thing I would do is just ramp up the breastfeeding and pretty much only do that for a few days to get supply up. Cold turkey. Or carry on as you are if you're happy combi feeding.

@gamerchick haha! Having a baby has made me have to give up gaming! Stuck to a pump or bottle every second!! Yeah I've tried putting him to the breast constantly but he screams with hunger and has little wet nappies so I worry he's starving / dehydrating. Maybe just increase each day and drop a bottle feed might be better. I'd prefer not to combi feed but I think he's got way too used to the bottle!