Very hungry 19 weeks old - it is time??

[Velvetcu]

This is my first baby as you will probably gather from the desperate tone of my post!

From 11 weeks, DD was sleeping through 7-7. For the past 2 weeks she has started waking once, sometimes twice for a feed at night. She is also very very hungry during the day. She had gotten into a routine of going around 4 hours between feeds (ebf), now it's every hour and she's having each boob at least once but more often two or three times each sitting!

I have read the guidelines and I know that the advice is wait to wean until 26 weeks and I understand the reasons for this. I have also read about "the signs" and she meets all of them.

I tried her on a couple of spoonfuls of baby rice. Her mouth is wide open before I've even dipped it in the rice, she sucks it straight of the spoon, swallows and opens her mouth for more. 2 spoonfuls makes her very angry as she wants more so I have given her up to 5 spoonfuls but she it still hungry afterwards. She has a milk feed before and after the rice.

It's frustrating because I cannot get anything done during the day because she wants me almost constantly, I feel as though I've gone back to having a newborn. I can't keep up with the amount of feeding she wants, I'm so tired and I feel as though I don't have enough milk for her. If this is just a normal part of her development, I will persevere with just ebf because I don't want to cause her any problems by weaning too early but how do I decide what to do for the best?

I think you've been extremely lucky with her sleeping so far, and growth spurts or illness will disturb it. When to wean is up to you but if you're genuinely at your wits end with constant feeding I suspect an occasional bottle would fill her more than baby rice. And before I get flamed I say this as someone who is still partially BFing an 18 mo.

Onelittlebabygirl she does cluster feed at dinner time, or rather has always had a very long feed between about 4:30-6. I attempt dinner with her attached.

More fool you! (sorry) why should you do it all? Madness.

Going back to your question have you noticed whether solids helps? If so, then try one meal a day at first?

Also have you considered teething and are you feeding at night? Night feeds will up your supply faster.

PS screw the housework! You have a young baby whose needs are changeable. My DD fed 12 times a day during growth spurts and 9 times not. The housework did not get done to anyone's satisfaction, we lived on toast/ tins/ takeaways, and the world did not end!

Why risk your own and your baby's health and happiness to meet your DH's selfish demands?

Listen to your baby, not your DH, and tell him that is what you are doing.

Solids didn't particularly help, maybe gave me an extra half hour. I am feeding at night at the moment.

Thankyou all for posting. I feel a lot better knowing that it seems pretty normal. I have read up about growth spurts but they never tell you just how often the increased feeds may be (I know, all babies are different) and I thought they were short lived whereas this has been going on for 2 weeks.

Please keep adding your words of wisdom!

I'm having similar problems with our 19 week old. For the past 6 weeks, he has fed normally during the day but then ups his feeds massively at night - every one or two hours, often from both boobs. We've tried formula many times but he absolutely refuses a bottle (even when we offer expressed breast milk) and it just stresses everyone out. We're tired, he's tired... Other than his age, he's showing all signs that he's ready for weaning so we have started offering him some teaspoons if pureed veg this week. It won't cure his sleepless nights but I'm not sure what else we can do.

jammic sorry you're having the same issue. Is the food making any difference at all?

Honestly it will pass. All you can do is feed. Veg has less calories than milk - you risk filling up with empty calories only for them to get hungry later on.

Plus it isnt always hunger they feed for - developmental leaps make them want to feed because they wake at night, their brains go dolally making it harder for them to sleep again so feeding is their answer as BM makes babies sleepy.

see this about developmental leaps at 19 weeks

and see this

There's a huge sleep regression at 4 months. Go and check out the sleep topic!

So as I've already said - it's not all pure hunger. Google "4 month sleep regression"

Your DH is being unreasonable (I know this isn't AIBU but still!)

I think stress and anxiety can affect milk supply (not sure though) but if that's the case then your DH could be exacerbating the problem.

I don't see how the suggestion of FF would help - as mentioned upthread it has the same calorie content as BF, you'd spend just as long feeding anyway AND you'd have bottles to wash and sterilise (and I'm saying this from the PoV of someone who FF from 7 weeks)

We've only been giving him a few teaspoons at breakfast so i'd be surprised if it impacted on his nights at the mo. It hasn't affected his daytime feeds.

Yes, have googled the sleep regression before (spend many a sleepless night googling, haha). Its prob part growth spurt, part regression.

Right, after considering all comments carefully through the night I have decided to stick with ebf and just feed her all day if needs be! I'll see how we go for a couple of weeks and then reconsider my options.

She slept 9-3 last night but then wanted feeding at 3, 6 and 8. And then 9, 10, 12 and 2 and she's currently napping.

Thankyou everyone for your comments.

Sounds like a good plan

It might help you mentally to think of the 3am feed as a night feed, but anything from 6am as a daytime feed - then you're straight down to 1 night feed!

as soon as I'm able to put her down I start rushing around like a loon trying to get things done in the hour I have before she wants feeding again. I'm really exhausted

There's your answer, you need to rest as much as possible.

Tell your husband if he wants the house tidied he can do it himself, if he doesn't know where the hoover or iron are now is the time to learn.

So I thought I'd just come on and update in case it is of any help to anyone else in this situation.

DD continued to feed every 2 or so hours until 2 nights ago when she woke twice for a feed and then last night she slept right through. Her day time feeds have slowly moved from 1-2 to every 2-3 hours and she is still have both boobs, sometimes more, but it is manageable.

I feel a big sense of achievement that I was able to keep up with her milk demands, I really thought I wouldn't make it and that I would resort to either formula or solids but I didn't :) I am completely exhausted and I really hope that's the end of this growth/developmental phase and that we don't hit the next one too soon!

Thanks again everyone for all of your advice.