Breastfeeding

[LeannaMontana]

Hi im new here so im not sure if im posting in the correct place but any advice would be welcome!

I am currently breastfeeding my 13week old. For abit of background he is my 4th child and was born 9 weeks prematurely we have never experienced neonatal before, but thankfully had a relatively short stay because he had no issues other than low birthweight. So his corrected age would be 5 weeks.

Bascially i just want to know if breastfeeding will ever get easier??? And does the fact he was premature have anything to do with the timeframe? Ive read everywhere by 6-8weeks it should level out but we are way past that now but obviously in medical terms im still to class him as 5 weeks for development so do i need to give it a few more weeks.

Ive never been this successful with breast feeding ive only ever managed 2 weeks with my other children due to my milk drying up straight away. I really dont want to give up, but my moral has taken a hit this week

Thanks in advance guys

Hey OP,

I am still breastfeeding my 14 month old and I'd say yes it definitely does get easier, they do stop feeding quite as much as during those clusterfeeding weeks. That said though, mine definitely did still feed more than every 2 hours (or whatever websites say is standard) for quite a while.

However, I'm glad I did it because it's been an invaluable tool to me in terms of calming her, getting her to sleep etc. Although it's been a sacrifice for me and has been tough on me at times (nightfeeds....sigh) I think things would have been harder for me without it as it's an instant soother and my baby never took a dummy, comforter etc.

The cluster feeding is exhausting! Its what imstruggling with most i must say! Ive tried with a dummy but hes not having it at all. I was worried i was doing something wrong but ive badgered all the professional help available and as far as i know he latches lovely and feeds really well so im quite proud of that. I know its something ive got to roll with but it seems like there isnt a light through the tirdness at the minute.

Thanks for replying i really appreciate it 💜

Well done for bf’ing to 13 weeks, that’s a great achievement.

It definitely does get easier, and like PP I’ve found it to be such a useful tool for comfort and sleep, even now at one year old. We co-sleep and I don’t even fully wake up when my little one wants milk during the night, I can respond immediately and we both drift off back to sleep quickly. I’d really recommend that for helping with the nights.

I remember like feeling I was losing my mind with cluster feeding, my daughter was like a savage beast and nothing had prepared me for it. No one tells you, right? Was convinced I had no milk supply. But I had lots, it was just her revving up for a growth spurt. A friend's going through it now, been reading this - helpful cheap read with tips and some of the science behind it
www.amazon.co.uk/Everyday-Expertise-Breastfeeding-essential-Children-ebook/dp/B0CP7VWCRF

@LeannaMontana Yeah the cluster feeding days are hard - I remember sitting on the sofa with my DD from about 6-10pm every day😐 It was intense and my DP had to bring me food I could eat with one hand so she could continue feeding constantly. But it did pass after a few weeks, can't remember exactly when but definitely less than 3 months so you're nearly through the worst :)