Newborn cluster feeding

[Elisabeth3468]

Did your newborn cluster feed? Anything to help them sleep better? We are day 5 so she's only very new but cluster feeding all night and I have a toddler and he's been so so poorly so unable to sleep in the day much. Any advice? I'm running on about 4 hours sleep in this past week and I'm not exaggerating. I need sleep. Baby is breast fed.

Are you/can you co sleep? Only thing that helped me get some rest!
Sounds so tough and I hope it gets easier for you soon x

Do you have a spouse who can get up early with your toddler whilst on paternity leave? Baby is so new your partner should be doing all toddler care and having baby in a sling mid morning or afternoon so you can nap more. Get the white noise on so you can't hear any shenanigans downstairs and then he can wake you the next time baby wants a feed (in the day).

I second co-sleeping but I personally started with babies in a next to me crib then the sidecar cotbed, only having them in my king size from about 2 as and when.

Baby isn't the problem here it's lack of support so you can breastfeed, nap and that's pretty much it at day 5. You need to recover .

Yes that's what we've been doing but my son is really poorly and come down with this terrible virus since I got home from hospital. I haven't even had chance to recover from the birth. Baby is still awake feeding. Can't co sleep because already me, partner and toddler in the bed. We have no spare bed.

People keep saying to formula feed as it will help her sleep longer. But I want to give her the best milk especially with a toddler bringing in so many nasty germs

Yeah my baby would cluster feed for hours. Eat for 30 minutes, sleep for 30, and start all over again, for like 10-12 hours at a time. My milk only came in on day 5 so it was paaaainful.

I would hallucinate all kinds of things from sleep deprivation.

Even after that initial period he would cluster feed in the evenings (although it meant by week 3 he was doing 4-5 hour stretches of sleep at night).

Good news is I have never had problems with my milk supply!

My baby slept better than my friend's who formula fed when they were that small. Hang in there. Husband should be taking care of toddler 100%.

It's horrific but it does settle down. I was also so sleep deprived I was hallucinating. Reach out for any support possible, tv time for toddler and just try and doze whenever you can. Can you put your pram in the living room and doze on couch while toddler watches tv?

Yes this sounds like her. I'm feeling so unwell though I really sleep before it just takes over. My milk supply is good too. She was weighed today day 5 and has only lost 2 percent of birth weight,

Thank you. This makes me feel less alone

Oh yes, I remember I also had the pram in the living room!

it sounds like you’re doing amazing, especially if she’s only lost that tiny percent of weight! That’s terrible timing for toddler to catch a virus, can’t imagine how exhausted you must feel. Echo the others on here, partner should be doing 100% of toddler care, call in any help from friends and family that you can also. Hopefully the virus will pass quickly. The cluster feeding will settle but to be honest mine cluster fed in the evenings for weeks but did start doing longer stretches of sleep by week 2 or 3, breastfed, which saved my sleep sanity.

Thank you for your kind words. It's the hardest thing ever being a parent.
She cluster fed until 2am and then slept till 530am so managed a few hours sleep. I won't be waking her for feeds that's for sure because she feeds frequently I know she will wake when she's hungry x

Your husband should be looking after your toddler downstairs in the day so you can nap and doze in between feeds upstairs, do you see what I mean?

Yes this is what we've planned and planned today but not easy when he just screams and screams for me because he's so poorly. It's all just a nightmare tbh. I feel like I'm gonna collapse at some point