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Anyone else feel like they're constantly feeding??

My LO is only going about 2 hrs between feeds and after yet another exhaustive night Im feeling soooo tired and fed up today.
I know its not about me anymore, Im feeding my baby and it does make me so proud when I get her weighed and shes putting on weight so well (almost a pound in 3 weeks!) But I had no idea it would be so very hard!
I feel like a zombie and wonder why shes feeding so frequently this only started yesterday, could she be having a growth spurt or something? Im worried my milk isnt satisfying her.

Also she feeds for about 5-10 minutes then falls asleep so I know she cant be getting enough!

a very tired sarahboo.x

Replies

  • Sarah, Tilly is exactly the same!! Luckily she only feeds every 4 hours most nights but during the day it's every 3 hours and she feeds for about an hour at a time!!
    Today she is poorly and wont sleep, she has been constantly attached to me!
    I've just started to express so hubby can now help out with the feeds.
    Don't worry about her not getting enough, the fact she is putting on weight is a great sign!
    I mentioned the constant feeding to my mw and she said they can have a growth spurt around 2-3 weeks which could last a day or up to a week so it's all sounding perfectly normal.

    It is exhausting though, stick with it hun it will get better!

    Lulu
    xxx
  • it will get easier- really it will. They will constantly feed for about 8 weeks whilst getting yor milk supply right to suit them. not all babies do this, but i think the majority of newborns do this. its not always about the milk, remember they need comfrt too, its big out here and lonely without mummy right by them all the time. dont worry about routine or time, throw your watch away! sleep when you can, sod the jobs, make sure you eat and drink loads! get some high cal food in you, or carbs. this is a hard time for you, tiredness and hormones can get the better of you. just think to yourself it wont be like this forever. i kept chanting this to myself with dd2 as i knew from experience, everything changes when they hit abround 6-8 weeks. they are different again during growth spurts so watch for this, buts its all normal and you're doing fab xxx
  • Me too! It's every two hours in the night at the moment, but today I have felt like it's every half hour! Sam's only just gone to sleep but the rest of the day he has wanted to be in my arms, feeding intermittently. I've tried a dummy but he won't take it. He's 3 weeks old today so I'm hoping it's the 3 week growth spurt everyone talks about!

    I've expressed for the first time and DH will attempt to feed it to him tonight - hoping it goes well, otherwise I'm seriously considering topping up with formula occasionally...

    I don't want to wish away this lovely time when they're so tiny, but at the same time I am looking forward to some kind of routine! It's not a problem when I'm at home but if I want to go out I have to be constantly prepared to be near somewhere I can feed him...

    xx
  • update: after drinking the 4oz of expressed milk he slept for 4 hours - heaven! But today we're back to constant feeding!

    [Modified by: coco25 on September 29, 2009 03:46 PM]

  • I know exactly how you feel! yesterday was my first day alone all day with my baby who is just over 3 weeks and I was literally feeding all day! I fed on and off from 7.30am to 2.30pm and just when I was sitting in my underwear crying because all id managed to do all day was have a shower and I hadn't eaten since breakfast she finally went to sleep for three hours. I then fed from 6pm until 10.30pm! Luckily she can sleep 3-4 hours during the night but The days are killing me! I really hope its just her 3 week growth spurt as its making me paranoid Im not satisfying her or not got her latched on well enough and am scared when I have her weighed on thursday she wont have put on enough.

    Also my nipples are agony so the constant feeding is so painful - I used nipple shields over the weekend but then read they can prevent baby getting enough milk and decrease your milk supply so Im just suffering through it instead.

    Sorry to ramble on - Im just really glad Im not the only one with a constantly feeding baby as I was worrying it was me doing something wrong.

    Nothing will make me give up breastfeeding though as despite all the above I love being able to feed my baby image
  • I have the same problem! I dont want to force her to stop feeding incase she is genuinely hungry but I think a lot of it must be for comfort as she is happy just to lie with my boob in her mouth half asleep without much sucking. I hope when she is a bit older and easier to distract with play she will realise there are other things to do than feed when shes awake!

    We tried a dummy yesterday out of desperation but she didnt like it at all.

    I have found today if I dont try and rock her to sleep still sitting down after a feed but carry her round the house with me while doing a few one handed jobs she drifts off instead of rooting for more boobie!
  • Girls.. glad to of read this! Hard work is in it!!

    God was feeling so disheartened that she's unsettled - like she is not being satisfied but I know i've got plenty of milk because I can express 5oz! :lol:

    I was trying to express then go to bed so Daddy could feed her so I felt more able to cope with the nights, but she was screaming as soon as I had expressed! :roll: so it felt pointless doing the job twice.. So now I've started expressing an oz or so after each feed, so that I can make up a good bottle so she is satisfied for a little bit longer (well that's my idea lol :roll: she has others!!)

    It just feels like it's all the time! I'm sticking with it - but emotionally so hard not being able to just run to the shop quickly for a little bit of space (encase she needs feeding), or to ask OH to do a night feed!

    I do know it's because she is lonely in this big old world, & I do co-sleep with her to enable her to get as much comfort as possible, spose I just feel like i'm struggling cause i've got another tiny tot to get up to in the morning & feel like me & OH have spilt the children He's OH's 'job' and She's mine.. but I'm missing my little boy!

    :lol: Although on the brighter side! My OH is getting good night sleeps, which means he is rational when i'm emotional and is giving me lots of support, and praise, and cuddles and love - he's made it his job to look after me so I can look after her & he brings me drinks and bits to nibble on & tell me how well I am doing, and runs me baths ect! & it's soo nice when your just about to burst into tears cause you feel it's all too much!

    image sorry to go on sooo much I just really needed to get it out to people who actually understand!! x
  • Hi Girls
    My LO is now 8 months but wanted to reassure you that she was exactly the same when she was a newborn! I cried loads and felt like all I did was breastfeed.
    Then it seems like it all changed overnight. She slept through the night from about 7/8 weeks and went to feeding every 3-4 hours in the day (although she often cluster fed in the evenings). It got a bit tough again when she started to need more food (then I started giving her solids) but now it is fantastic and I'm so happy I worked through it all.
    I also had one of those mini cartons of SMA in the kitchen. I never actually used it but knowing it was there made me feel like I had a back up if I desperately needed it!
    xx
  • Hi Girls
    My LO is now 8 months but wanted to reassure you that she was exactly the same when she was a newborn! I cried loads and felt like all I did was breastfeed.
    Then it seems like it all changed overnight. She slept through the night from about 7/8 weeks and went to feeding every 3-4 hours in the day (although she often cluster fed in the evenings). It got a bit tough again when she started to need more food (then I started giving her solids) but now it is fantastic and I'm so happy I worked through it all.
    I also had one of those mini cartons of SMA in the kitchen. I never actually used it but knowing it was there made me feel like I had a back up if I desperately needed it!
    xx
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