feeding regression

[Maud]

My daughter is 8 months old. She eats 3 big meals a day and has 4 breastfeeds (2 during day, 1 at bedtime and 1 overnight).

The last few days she seems to have totally regressed with her breastfeeds. She's gone from feeding under 10 minutes per breast to hanging on determinedly for 20-30 minutes. She is also using feeds as an easy route to a daytime nap.

I don't know if she is just seeking some extra comfort (she's going through quite a clingy phase plus is teething) or if she needs more milk now she's crawling (although she doesn't ask for any more and her weight gain is fine), but I'm struggling to stay awake during her night feed and am just exhausted.

Can anyone reassure me that she will go back to nice short feeds soon?

 

[tiggy85]

Is she feeding properly for the entire time or is she comfort feeding / flutter sucking towards the end? If so I would probably unlatch her.

Sounds like it could be teething though, I think they can either go down the comfort route or not be so keen to breastfeed. I had the opposite problem and started having fussy feeding very short feeds and refusing feeds at that age which was teething so sorry I can't help with the longer feeds.

Although it probably is just a phase! Like with most things! Little monkeys like to keep us on our toes. Hope you get some rest soon. Will she have some expressed milk via bottle so you can get a break? X

 

[Maud]

Some of it is definitely just comfort sucking, but she is very reluctant to let go and starts actively sucking again if I try to remove her. She has set off additional let downs by staying on so long, so I worry if I take her off too soon she might not get all the milk she needs. Someone suggested to my OH that she needs more milk ATM for brain development, but not sure if that is true. She hasn't had a bottle since she was 4 weeks old and didn't take to it very well then, so I don't really want to try introducing one again now (although I might have to next month when I've got to leave her with OH for most of a day and might not be home in time for her bedtime feed...)

 

[naomip]

Around this age they do have a developmental leap. Leo has been a nightmare, really clingy and fussing, crying a lot. X