Breastfeeding questions

[Rachel]

I have a few questions about breastfeeding and would like your advice

Kieran is nearly 4 weeks old now and is still feeding near constant. Sometimes he will sleep for 3 hours now and again but most of the time he is wanting a feed. Is it normal for him to still be feeding this often at this age?

Tonight he has fed from 6.30pm until 10.45pm without a break (except to move on to the other boob) and now im worried that he isn't getting enough milk from me because even after all that feeding he is still awake now and looking like he willwant feeding again soon (he did fall asleep while on the boob though and only woke up when he came off himself)

He's putting weight on and having plenty of wet nappies so he must be getting enough but with the constant feeding it's just making me worry abit about if he is getting enough, especially tonight and with the hot weather.

Sometimes when feeding recently he will be sucking then start fussing and pulling himself off my boob but then go looking for it again straight away. When he does this I try winding him incase it's that but even after he's brought some wind up he still does the same thing when I put him back on the boob. He dosen't do this all the time, just now and again. Anyone know why he might be doing this?

I like breastfeeding Kieran and love how close it makes me feel to him but nights like tonight when it just feels constant I feel like I want to just give in and give him a bottle. Im not going to give him a bottle because I know I would regret it and most of the time I find breastfeeding quite easy but it's just tonight that's got me down abit

Also, when can I start to express milk without problems? I don't need to do it yet but will be leaving Kieran with my Mum when he is 8 weeks, is it ok to express then?

Sorry about all the questions

 

[Rachel]

Oh, while I was writing this post he has gone to sleep

 

[valentine]

Hi Rachel,

I know you probably don't want to hear this, but it does sound like a growth spurt. Evenings are a common time for babies to feed constantly for hours and hours in order to build up your supply. I would put money on the fact he'll be getting enough as he is contented. If you don't want to give him a bottle, don't - trust your instincts! I know its frustrating and very draining, but keep him on your boobs and just let him feed and feed and feed and feed! It may happen for a few nights in a row or even for a week or two, so please be prepared, particularly if you don't want to cave in and give him any formula.

Re. the fussing - is he definitely eating/drinking while he is on as it sounds like he might be comfort sucking - at about 4/5 weeks my DD found her hands and chewed them for hours instead which was a godsend to me! She still sucks her fingers as a comfort and to get to sleep now.

Re. leaving him at 8 weeks, I should think you'll be fine to start expressing within the next couple of weeks - try him with a bottle before you leave him of course (never worked well for us) as some babies don't take well to them.

It sounds like you're doing a fab job - well done!

Valentine Xxx

 

[Sherlock]

Ditto what Valentine said. Growth spurt times saw my LO feeding for 3 hours plus sometimes. He would then sleep for an hour and then wake up and we'd have to feed all over again.

My LO lived on my boobs for the first 4 weeks. We then caved and got a dummy to get him off my boob and out of the comfort sucking habit which he liked far too much and I could no longer cope with. So whenever he started fussing after a feed and started falling asleep (when having been awake and feeding vigourously) on my boob I would swap my nipple for the dummy and he would carry on comfort sucking and usually stay sleeping. If he did stir he soon drifted back off. The first few days of swapping him from nipple to dummy sometimes had me putting him back on my boob as he was still hungry but mostly he had been comfort sucking and it soon became easy to tell the difference and to give him back the dummy.

Don't worry about the heat too much if he is feeding well. Your fore milk is the thirst quenching stuff (usually all gone in the first minute or two of a feed if LO sucking constantly) and he'll be getting his hydration there before the hind milk comes in.

I did try expressing at 3 weeks a few times for Galen on advice from HV (I had health problems myself and so tried it a few times to get some sleep) but its not advised before 6 weeks. 8 weeks should be fine to express It was incredilbly tough for me breastfeeding my LO till he was about 7 weeks old due to health problems, but I stuck with it and am so glad I did. Hopefully you can also. It really does get easier.

FWIW it sounds like your LO is getting plenty. You are having wet nappies which is always good Poos can be far more infrequent so not to worry overly there. Just let him feed to establish your supply and get him over the growth spurt and hopefully if you can recognise comfort sucking you can find a way to get him off your boob then (If you do use a dummy try getting one that is nipple shaped rather than flat, we use the nipple shaped ones and its worked great. Ditching them next month tho )

 

[loz]

Hi, I have been in a similar position with Emms when she was that young. It could be that your bab is tired and as Sherlock said, could be suckling. Especially the fussing on and off boob, could be that he just wants to go to sleep rather than eat. You could try walking up and down and see if he gets sleepy and then putting him in his bed with a dummy if he still needs to suckle and see if he wants to sleep. Sometimes it takes over 5 times of doing this before Emms will sleep. If she is hungry she will carry on crying, if tired, she will eventually sleep. Emms tends to fight sleep and get overtired, and then finds it harder to go to sleep.

Hope it gets better for you

 

[Squiglet]

breast milk is perfectly designed for human babies... so it is absorbed 100% by the baby... which means they are hungry more often. The problem is that Western society is a formula feeding society and people think that a baby should feed every 3 hours etc... but bf'd babies are really nothing like that and you just can't compare.... Formula/cows milk has something called casein in it which just sits in a baby's stomach and fools them into thinking they are full. Its also one of the reasons formula fed babies are more likely to sleep in longer stretches as they are "full", however deeper sleep has been linked with SIDS so while its exhausting feeding a wakeful bf'd baby remember its actually reducing their SIDS risks.

At 4 weeks I don't think lil miss was off my boob for longer than a few minutes... and there is a definite growth spurt at that age.. I think the fussiness is because they are starting to get bored of just feeding but still require feeding all the time... there are loads of phases in their lil lives like this, where their mental capacity outstrips their physical one... and usually the periods of fussiness precede a developmental milestone. So be prepared

The general rule is, if your LO is producing 2/4 poopy nappies, and 6 wet ones a day, they are getting more than enough boob milk and low supply is very rare. It sounds like you and you LO are doing brilliantly...

 

[charlie84]

sounds all normal perseverance is the key ...as for the bottles around 8 weeks but these lil newbs are not fooled easily

goodluck and welldone x

Agree with Midna here, my LO is not fooled by the bottle. Only takes from mummy

You sound as if you have taken to breastfeeding very well hun. Keep going, as others have said you will find yourself feeding near enough constantly for the first so many weeks then you will notice a change i promise you.

 

[Rachel]

Thanks for the replies Glad to know it's normal and that it sounds like he is getting enough.

He might be comfort sucking sometimes, I have tried him with a dummy but he won't have any of it Just spits it out lol, might try another type of dummy though incase he prefers a different type.

Think in a couple of weeks I will try expressing some milk and try him with a bottle before the day im going out so at least I will know if he will take a bottle or not. If not then I will know to cancel/change my plans instead of not finding out until the actuall day

Im definately going to stick with the breastfeeding, I have found it quite easy, been lucky and had no sore nips or anyother problems (so far!) except for the near constant feeding but now I know it's normal and he's getting enough im happier about it. Only thought about the bottle becuase I wasn't sure if he was getting enough from me before posting this thread

 

[Charlie:-)]

I started expressing at 4 weeks and gave Maia a bottle around 5 weeks.

Definitely use a nipple shaped teat to help your LO latch back on and not become confused, I use NUK bottles but was using Tomme Tippe Closer To Nature and Maia had a few problems latching at one point, hence why I switched.

Also when you do give her a bottle try and ask someone else to feed her as she might not take it from you she will be able to smell your milk and want the breast rather than the bottle.

Good luck.

 

[Sherlock]

Also when you do give her a bottle try and ask someone else to feed her as she might not take it from you she will be able to smell your milk and want the breast rather than the bottle.

Exactly what we did. If ever Galen has a bottle of EBM I never ever feed it to him nor am I in the room. I don't want to confuse him by feeding him from it.

Glad the NUK bottles are working for you btw I looked at others but decided to stick with them for the expressed feeds. Not that we have many at all, just when my Mother babysits usually.

 

[abcd1234]

Your post sounds exactly like what Tally does, if she doesnt have an afternoon nap she fusses for ages on my boob, she'll suck then come off then be looking for it striaght away after. I usually take her off and sit her up and try and wind her or play with her, most of the time she'll be happy to sit but others she'll want boobie again, but the break usually helps her settle better and i also swap boobie a lot, i think she prefers the less filling milk when she's fussing. i also find she'll drop off to sleep but be up 5 minutes later or if i try and put her down, i've tried giving her a dummy but she doesnt like it and it takes ages for her to figure out how to suck it thoiugh it'll quieten her for a while.

She'll be qeighed on tuesday but i'm amost certain she's put over a pound on since birth and is definately getting the good stuff, like you im determined not to bottle feed though i am looking forward to someone else feeding her this afternoon! i've been slowely expressing for days so when i go visit baby daddies family today they can feed her.

Oh and i've got some bottles called breast flow by learning curve which are meant to prevent confusuon and she took it fine before, but the boobie will be around today if she refuses the bottle.

I've kinda just come to accept that i'll be feeding her all afternoon for a while, as long as shes gaining well and happy then i guess i'll just have to deal with it.

 

[Tick-Tock]

That's exactly what Evie is like... if she's awake she wants feeding.... even worse in this hot weather but my HV said they feed more in hot weather because they are thirsty.. I'm assuming when we get more into a routine then it should lessen. at the moment she's feeding at about 10.30pm then sleeping with feeds at about 12/1, 3/4, 6/7 when she is awake and wanting constant feeding til about 11. if i can get her to sleep, then she sleeps for about 2 hrs, feeds, another 2 hour sleep, feed and then she wants to feed on and off until 10.30 again.

Evie is totally refusing the dummy too... she'll suck boob, or a finger but if you try to swap it for a dummy she won't even close her mouth round it and she cries while trying to spit it out...

part of me doesn't mind as I don't really want her to have a dummy, but when she's comfort sucking and I want to eat my dinner/go to the toilet I wish she would!!

J
XX

Oh yeah, and by her 4 week check she's put on 2lb since birth.... I wouldn't worry you're not making enough milk... like you I worried, but obviously not a problem...

 

[Rachel]

I will try expressing soon but make sure I get someone else to give him my milk then so he dosen't get confused.

The dummies I tried before were avent ones with the flat teat and he wouldn't have any of it, just spat it back out so today when I went shopping I bought some round teat ones which look more like nipples than the others, lol. I only want to use the dummy now and again, just for when I want to eat, go to the toilet or for a bath etc.

When he was weighed last week he was 9lb 4oz so I know he is putting on weight, just couldn't help but worry about him getting enough when he's feeding all the time.

 

[clarey]

Sounds like you are doing great, I dont really have anything to add but I'm pretty sure I made a very similar post when Eva was that age too! The fussing comes and goes I think, we did resort to a dummy, more because of the reflux which it seems to help soothe. We havent had any teat confusion, been expressing since 4 weeks and giving Eva a bottle of EBM a day since 5 weeks, no probs there either....although I was advised not to leave introducing a bottle too late as its a different skill to bfing and needs to be learnt like any other skill. Maybe my daughter just takes after her dad and just isnt fussy where the food comes from tho lol!
Good luck glad you are enjoying it

 

[Rachel]

I tried the dummy this morning and he's not interested at all I'll leave it now, probably best he dosen't want it anyway.

He has been abit better yesterday and today, not fussing at the boob so much and not feeding constantly

Do you think im best off trying to express abit of milk for him now then and try him with it so he can get used to it before I go out or leave it another week or so yet?

I've got an Avent breastpump - Anyone used this one and is it any good? What about the Avent teats, are they good for breastfed babies?

 

[abcd1234]

I use an avent breast pump, and as long as it's put togehter correctly and theres no gaps for air then i find it's very good, it doesnt hurt, and i manage to get a fair amount of milk out.

I havnt used the avent teats yet though, i just use the bottles for storage atm and use the breast like bottles to feed her, she took it fine when i fed her last week, wouldnt take it when her nanny tried to feed her and then was fine with it when Dave fed her it earlier (i did have to calm her down with boobies first tho but only to stop her crying so she'd pay attention to the bottle) I've read you should try it when they're calm and clean etc

 

[Kylie1007]

I hope you're getting on well with the breastfeeding - don't give up though - imagine the satisfaction at 4 months or whenever you decide to begin weaning, knowing that you alone have created and nourished a healthy baby!

As the other girls have said, you need to trust your body and be assured that you are producing plenty of milk. In fact, if you give him a bottle you run the risk of not producing enough because you produce milk on demand! As long as your baby has got plenty of wet nappies and is putting on weight, you're doing just great. Just a little thing though, if he's feeding for AGES it could be a couple of things - it could be that he's having a growth spurt or perhaps your positioning is a little off and you could try moving your baby just a few millimetres which might make all the difference. Also make sure that you keep him on the one boob for the length of a feed as it's a bit like a 3 course meal so you need to make sure that he's getting all 3 courses (after all, we'd be unhappy if we missed our puddingcourse! )

Hold in there because in no time at all your baby wont be feeding as much - I'm feeding Finn still and he's nearly 9 months and is on only about 2 feeds a day - when he wakes and when he goes to bed.

If you do have anyu more questions, just ask!!