Breastfeeding ALL DAY. Tell me it's normal...

[BeeHobz]

Hello everyone...

Just looking for some reassurance really - I have a six week old DS who is currently breastfeeding all day. And I mean ALL DAY. Today he woke at 4am, and has continually fed all day - I had a few short breaks of happy smiley time, but after about 20 mins, he'd cry and root for boob again. He also had a one hour nap at 1pm when I took him out in the sling.

I've just got him down at 9:30pm, feeding him to sleep. It's just getting too much and I'm exhausted. I just want a few breaks - or to eat dinner with a knife AND a fork.

Is this normal? Do I have a supply problem? We're getting lots of wet and poopy nappies, and aside from little spit ups, no signs of reflux or colic.

Any assurances would be gratefully received.

I have my six week check up in two days, but am worried that I'll just get fobbed off if I ask if it's ok...

Xxx

Normal I’m afraid. 6 weeks is growth spurt territory. He’s busy building your supply for the next stage. Nothing wrong with your supply, but he’s going to need more in due course. Hunker down and get people to bring you things. I understand the need to have both arms free though, it’s tough on you.

Has this just started today? Occasionally babies have cluster feeding days which might explain this but if it's been going on for a few days I'd either get yourself to a feeding clinic or phone your health visitor for advice.

It’s a supply and demand system so look at these marathon sessions as DS putting in his order for the next few weeks! As he grows, he needs to encourage your supply to grow too so this is normal i’m afraid. Accept it won’t be forever, stock up on chocolate and box sets and settle in. If you ‘indulge’ these sessions then your supply will be good and strong for the next few weeks.

That said, if the nappies start to become less frequent or if he’s never happy or if this goes on for more than a few days, I’d be looking for a breastfeeding support group just to check latch etc with an expert.

Totally normal. I found it really frustrating too because everywhere I read 3-4 hourly feeds. But, sounds like your baby is like my first. You'll get through it but it's exhausting!

Babies can be so different. Yours sounds exactly like my friend's baby. We had them within two weeks of each other, and hers fed CONSTANTLY - as in, I rarely saw her without her son attached, and he'd stop for a few mins every so often then be right back to it. Mine was much less of a constant feeder. That said, her son chilled out eventually, and wasn't that way because of any particular thing. He just liked to feed! He self-weaned at 1 year. Mine on the other hand, fed much less frequently, but is still going at 2.5 years...much as I'm encouraging her to give it a rest!

I think they're just all really different. You're certainly not the only one with a baby who enjoys their milk (and also the comfort - I think often it's not really about the milk, just the closeness) :)

Mention it at your check, or speak to your HV if you're worried, but I'd say it sounds quite normal! Well done for keeping going! It is truly exhausting and you're doing so well :)

In addition to the above it could also be a comfort for him, babies are so happy when they have boobie.

You say about the sling, try not using that as much so he gets used to you not always being so close to him.

When ours was a newborn we had a couple of days like this and we now know she was just tired and needed to sleep (which she would on my boob!).

We ended up introducing a combi feed as BFing was incredibly painful for me (tongue tie that was fixed!). Most of the time, with formula, it was 3 hours between feeds then which meant I could have that all important break! I stopped BFing at 5.5 months and it was incredibly liberating. On reflection I didn't enjoy BFing at all really. Glad I did it but I'm not sure what I would do if we had another baby.

It is absolutely normal. Look after yourself and baby and don’t worry about anything else.

If it's literally all day, every day with a couple of 20 minute breaks, I'd get it checked out. If it's all day with barely s break for a couple of days and then a few days if less frequent feeding, then that's s growth spurt and us normal. And if it's feeding for half an hour, then falling asleep and suckling in his sleep and waking for another feed as soon as you put him down, and then feeding a bit more and then being alert and happy for a little while but demanding a feed as soon as you start doing anything or try to go to the loo, and getting a couple of longer stretches of sleep in but possibly only in a car/sling/ moving pram, then that's normal for many six week olds, and he'll go longer between feeds as he gets older.

Yes it’s normal. Relax and enjoy. They really are babies for such a short time. All too soon it will be over.

When you say all day, how much time does that add up to? DS spent ages attached, I think he was building my supply. I found it so difficult I started tracking it with an app, at his worst he was latched on for 10 hours a day (over 24 hours so including night feeds). It started getting better from about 8 weeks from memory, as his feeds started spacing out better. If you are spending significantly more than 10 hours feeding it might be worth getting help, otherwise afraid it's normal. Things I could have done with hindsight that possibly might have helped speed feeds up are breast compressions and switch nursing if you haven't already tried them. Having put the hard work to build supply in with DC1, I got my reward with DC2 when I seemed to always have plenty.

^^What Broomstick said.

How long are the individual feeds lasting? DS used to take about 1.5hrs to finish one side - he had a tongue tie, and sped up noticeably once that was treated (there were plenty of other signs though - heart-shaped tongue, very noisy feeder with lots of milk leaking out of the side of his mouth mid-feed, lots of burping).

After the tongue tie was snipped at six weeks, he took about 30mins to feed, then dropped off for thirty minutes or so, then we would have about an hour to change him/play with him, and the cycle would repeat. He hated being put down though, so I never really got much done. He’s always been pretty full-on, I just try to get things done after he’s gone to bed at night.

Totally normal I think but at six weeks I think you're almost through the hardest stage and it will gradually ease off. Keep going a couple more weeks if you can.

May be comfort sucking rather than feeding - have you thought about introducing a dummy? I hated the idea with DS but he was constantly latched on and in the end at six months we tried a dummy and it worked wonders. DD has had one since 4 weeks old. It means there's less feeding for comfort, which for me made breastfeeding more sustainable. Fed DS til he was 13 months and my DD is 7 months now and planning on feeding her for the foreseeable so dummy hasn't had any impact on feeding.

I remember this! It was a rainy few days in November and I watched nearly a whole series of The Good Wife. Then it settled down again thank goodness!

Thanks for your answers everyone...

Good to know it's normal, if pretty intense! Will hunker down and get on with it - why does no one tell you how hard BF is gonna be!?

Hope you all have lovely Sundays x