Newborn breast feeding for hours

[ebbyniko1108]

Hello everyone! My newborn is 17 days old. Since 2 days she is willing to breastfeed for hours! Yesterday she woke up breastfed for 2 hours then to sleep then she woke up and breastfed for 4 hours then sleep then again 4 hours breastfeeding. Night time was okay. I thought today might be different but again we are on the breast since 4 hours. Sometimes she falls asleep and I put her in her cot but she wakes up in 2 minutes and wants more breastfeeding. My breasts are really sore and painful due to breastfeeding for hours. I am not sure why she is being like this she has barely got any sleep. Has anyone got any idea please?🥺🥺

Is she actually awake whilst feeding? My DD has always preferred sleeping latched on and if I try to pull away she'll start sucking furiously again but is asleep at the time

She may want the comfort of suckling. Have you tried a dummy? Still cuddle her but give her something to suckle for comfort.

I'm afraid this is completely normal. Both of my babies fed like this. It's part for food and getting your milk supply up and part for comfort. It will reduce at some point though and doesn't last forever. Have you tried nipple creams for the soreness? I found going braless helped and plenty of lanisol.

Exactly this.

She is awake

This is the baby with the recently cut tongue tie, yes? She's probably just getting used to the new latch.

This will pass soon. She’s getting up to speed and she will settle down.

My dd was like this. Just go with it and stick on a boxset. I promise it passes really quickly. Just check she's growing because I suppose really long feeds could be a sign she's not getting enough milk? But for me, she went from 2nd to 75th centile in one gruelling month which I found awful at the time but now feel nostalgic for 🤷‍♀️

She might not be latched well enough. If she isnt, she cant extract milk well and will leave your nipples sore. Have a look at this video and make sure you know yourself how to get a good latch. Dont just take the HV or MW's word for it, this is stuff a BF mum needs to know.

"Sometimes she falls asleep and I put her in her cot but she wakes up in 2 minutes and wants more breastfeeding"

at that age she won't want to go in a cot I'm afraid. When she finishes feeding could u try unlatching her and then just letting her sleep in your arms? Not possible with a second so much, but if she's your first I'd recommend trying to find a good box set and making the best of things. Do you have other people who can hold the baby for you while you rest or shower etc? Do you have a partner / dh who you could do shifts with?

Oh bles you, that is very long feeds then! Have you got access to any breastfeeding support in your area, as others have said maybe her latch needs another look?

It’s totally normal. My first baby did it too and I couldn’t understand what was happening. Sadly I got had advice that she wasn’t getting enough and encouraged to switch to mixed feeding which spelled the end of breastfeeding for me as my baby started refusing the breast after that.
I wish someone had told me that some babies just like to be latched on for hours. Some babies don’t like to be put down to sleep on their own, and that’s normal. The first 6 weeks is brutal OP - week 2-3 is a growth spurt and baby is sucking so you have more and more milk for the coming days.
My honest advice is but lanisoah nipple cream and apply whenever you can. Sit or lay with baby and let them latch. Watch a box set. Chat to visitors. Just rest and let her latch and much as she wants. Put baby in a sling or go for a walk to get her off the breast and to sleep.
learn to breastfeed laying on your side with baby laying next to you. It’s a godsend.
This stage does go by - takes a few weeks and seems like forever but it’s just a few more weeks.

Lanolin for your nipples, get your partner if you have one to make you a little base station on sofa in morning with snacks, drinks, remote control, everything else you might need, and just settle down and watch some box sets or read. It doesn't last forever, but especially if she's had a tongue tie cut, she is cluster feeding to establish supply. If she hasn't been transferring milk very efficiently beforehand, she has some catching up to do!

Get a sling instead of trying the cot if you want to move around the house and get her to sleep.

Getting her latch checked is a good idea but if all seems good then it’s just how she is.
It used to infuriate me (and still does!) when a friends baby would latch on, suck and gulp for 10 mins and fall asleep for 2 hours before the next feed.
None of mine were like that either on the breast or with formula!

Check If she is actually eating, swallowing as she might be simply comforting in which case perhaps dummy would work?
Just know this doesn't last long.4th trimester is brutal ,ask for all the help you can from family,friends etc.Dont stress too much ...
Also breastfeeding gets so much easier. I made friends with couple of mums from antenatal group.It helped me so much mentally to know everything is as it should be .That's one advise I could give.

Her latch got checked as she had her tongue tie cut and her latch is so much better now! She did so well on Sunday she breastfed for 30 mins then slept for 2-3 hours. But since yesterday its so different she is always hungry today she has been breastfeeding for over 5 hours and she wont sleep

Yes she is swallowing

It could be that she's having a growth spurt. They are all over the place at this age. It's difficult but she will settle down soon.

3 week growth spurt.
Cluster feeding totally normal
get yourself a big bottle of water, and a very long boxset.

You will get over this one just in time for the 6 week growth spurt to kick in

Lend into it.

It gets much easier in about 4-5 weeks

We went through this with DS. Turns out he had a tongue tie. A couple of weeks after having it snipped he started to shorten his feeds down to about 45 mins to an hour, then gradually down to 30 mins, then 15 and by about 5 months old his feeds were down to 5 mins. It was a very gradual process but it did get better. However it can be completely normal, i think many people assume cluster feeding is on and off for a period of time but it can also mean being attached for hours at a time. You can always try a dummy if you're satisfied that the LO is full and has fed enough (i did give a dummy at times but if he spat it out and cried i'd offer boob back)

It’s gruelling isn’t it? Do ensure she is feeding rather than just comfort sucking and stop as soon as this happens. Also ensure you’re drinking plenty of fluid to help maintain milk production – have a jug of water next to where you’re feeding her.

Could be a growth spur.It doesn't last .Sending hugs

Ok so that’s good. My advice is when she goes to those little sucks that are sleepy sucks for comfort, see if you can gently pull her off the boob and just let her lay next to you or on your chest and try to rest/ eat and drink. or if you have someone else to hold her and she will be held by someone else do that. Then you put nipple cream on asap. Either sit there with baby or if someone else has her stretch, get up, eat, drink, maybe snooze if there is time. Then repeat. It’s that cycle over and over. It’s totally normal. Don’t expect to do anything much except feed feed feed in these early stages. It’s brutal but just take one day at a time and before you know it she will be 6 weeks and things will start to change from there.
3 months is really then really a big turning point

She’s could just be putting in an order for more milk. Mine used to take five (awful) days of non stop feeding, and then on the fifth day - whoosh! Huge amounts of milk, much more satisfied baby.

Friends had similar experiences, except their lead time varied from 2-7 days. As long as weight gain and nappies are ok, then just set up a feeding station, call a friend or put on a box set, and ride it out.

After 6 hours she finally fell asleep. But I think she cant really fall asleep because she keeps opening her eyes or makes crying faces and then falls back asleep. I think she has got pain somewhere and I feel so sorry I wish I would have the pain instead of her🥺🥺🥺