Newborn extreme cluster feeding?

[Jaggy1]

Hi,

I have asked other places before to be told this is just normal and it’s the way it is it’ll get better etc. But my little boy is nearly 4 weeks old and all he does all day is eat, ebf, he’ll maybe sleep for half an hour at a time then he’s awake and wants fed, settles for ten mins then rooting again. I try and distract him, wind him well and everything but it’s been like 11 days of this now just constant. Tonight he won’t be put down on his back but he’s sleeping in my arms, what else could be going on with him in your experience? Don’t know who to phone or ask if I’ll just be told it’s normal but it just feels too much.

I'm sorry to say this - but one of mine cluster fed for 13 hours straight.
It's hard. No, it's brutal, but cluster feeding is what they do. And yes it feels extreme at the time but it is normal.
The feeds will stretch out. It helped when they got to 6 months and they could start eating solids. Hang in there.

I would want to check baby was gaining weight. If not, could be feeding ineffectively. Otherwise, you might want to try a dummy.

It's relentless and exhausting but provided he is growing and doing well it is normal.

Now is the time to ask for help. Meals, one handed snacks, someone hanging out the washing etc.

Poor you, it’s tough. My baby did this. Gained enough weight so it wasn’t flagged as a problem but it was exhausting and caused me a lot of pain. Turned out to be tongue tie. I’d insist on someone checking for this, at least so you can rule it out.

Would a dummy help?

Yeah he seems to be gaining weight amazingly the last time the heath visitor came he had put on 9oz on a week, and he’s definitely keeping it up. He’s never sick or anything either. One night it was jus test too much and my partner gave him some formula, he sometimes takes around 4oz in a bottle of breast milk if I’ve managed to express but this night he had nearly 6oz n just wasn’t stopping. He wasn’t sick after it either he’s just incredibly hungry all the time 🤣 I was expecting everyone to just say it’s normal to be honest just hoping it could be something else. No tongue tie, he never hurts my nipples and a dummy will work for two mins then it’s forcibly ejected 🤣

Very normal, both of mine fed very often at that age. I ebf and it's tiring but by number 2 it's amazing what you can do whilst feeding!

I had a baby like this. He's now 3 and still has a ridiculously large appetite!