Cluster feeding and wanting cuddles!

PuddleDuck77 · Nov 30, 2010 12:57PM

We've always struggled to get Sophie to sleep before midnight/1am but now she's cluster feeding, it's exhausting. She's feeding for shorter periods in the evening but it's pretty much constant! Hubby fed her a bottle of ebm last night not long after I fed her, but even after that she was still hungry. There was approx 3 oz in the bottle. So I had to feed he'd again. I think it's for comfort more than anything.

Then she won't settle in her Moses basket. She just wants to fall asleep on our chests. As soon as we put her in her basket she asked up again.

Any suggstions for either dilemma? Should we try a dummy? Xx

Socksxx · Nov 30, 2010 6:37AM

We are having similar problems with Iz only she is in the morning not the evening, she wakes between 3 and 4 and then wants feeding\/cuddling every hour until 8am. I am exhausted. I actually put her in our bed last night at about 5am and she slept. I asked my HV about dummies yesterday and she said not a good idea to introduce with breast feeding until at least 4 weeks and then buy the old fashioned type ones with the really big teets, she didn't think much to the TTCTN dummies or bottles, with regard the feeding, she told me I should feed her until she is floppy. Even if this means topping up on formula. I did it last night and she went 4 hours!

moominmama-97233 · Nov 30, 2010 6:47AM

Hi hun g/c from BIO even though dd was born on 4/11.

This is an awful situation and i feel for you so much. We have had this for 2 weeks now and i wish i could offer some good advice, but sadly there isnt any that i have found. The cluster feeding does lessen after the first week though and your supply will be up so it wont seem quite as bad although it it is tiring.

With regards to getting her in the basket, have you tried swaddling? This works for us sometimes as she will still have that "cuddled" feeling. Another thing i do is when she falls asleep on the boob is to move her away from me gradually, so she gets used to not having the feeling of me next to her and to also warm her basket with a hot water bottle.

We have introduced a dummy but it has had limited effect and even though bf was established i have had to do a bit of latching training since. If you feel like you are being used as a human dummy then it will give you a break at least - and it may work better for you in any event.

Sorry i have not been too helpful, but i wanted you to know that you are not alone and it does get a little easier over time. xxx

PuddleDuck77 · Nov 30, 2010 6:49AM

It's so hard isn't it. Different peoplee will give you opposing views. Some will say try dummies or formula and others will say to avoid. I really don't know what to do. Might phone my hv.

We ended up cuddling her in bed too. She happily sleeps lying on one of us and we nod off too. It scares me a bit though.

Moominmama the hot water bottle is a good idea. Hubby said the cold of the mattress might affect her. We put a heater in our room in the end last night as it got so cold. Will try a hot water bottle tonight thanks. I do the gradual thing too. Sophie was born on the 6th, so they're very similar ages. Xx

[Modified by: PuddleDuck77 on November 30, 2010 10:56 AM]

Socksxx · Nov 30, 2010 7:19AM

RE the hot water bottle thing, we tried warming the mattress but it was becoming a nightmare in the night feeds, there is alot to do already, we bought a mothercare snuggle pod. We pick her up and feed her in it, it stops hands interfering with nipples (!) but also because she stays wrapped in it it resolves the cold mattress issue. We are so pleased with it we have bought another! It also makes it easier to pick her up xx

rosemary20 · Nov 30, 2010 7:20AM

dummies didnt worrk 4 us but give it a go hun,

hot water is a miracle wonder

Mummy2bn2 · Nov 30, 2010 8:28AM

We have exactly the same problem ds is 17days old now and feeding every hour at night!!!My nipples are agony!!!!And he wont go in crib, only asleep on one of us, just got a swaddle thing from boots so will try that 2nite but going to try a formua feed about 11pm and see how it goes!

SplashPurple · Nov 30, 2010 10:06AM

Hate to say it and I don't mean it in a bad way but I'm so glad that it's not only me! I had the nightmare night of cluster feeding just over a week ago when N was just about two weeks old. She settles pretty well at night now as we have good little routine going but she's now clustering in the say - this morning we were on the go from 7.15am til 12 when I finally gave her 60ml of EBM. We've been mixed bottle feeding EBM and breastfeeding since week 1 due to the problems we had with jaundice and other blood problems which meant that she ended up in neo natal care. I've then not been able to really get her to latch on without nipple shields and the feeding has all become stressful. N can feed for anything from 20 mins and be happy or be on the go for a whole hour or more. I'm getting really sore - even with the shields as it feels as tho I'm just rubbing against the shield. I went to a breastfeeding clinic last week and although I got a little bit of advice about how far round I had her it wasn't the most useful thing in the world! I have to say that a lot of the 'help' that I had in hospital in the first week was someone just trying to shove my breast into the baby's mouth. I do worry about using the shields constantly as people have commented about them not getting as much milk through them and that could be why she id taking so lone.

Anyway, in amongst our constant feeding this morning I sis have a small victory - managed to get N on the breast for 15 mins without the shield!

I have totally gone off the point of what I was going to say and that was that since we introduced the 'top up' at the early evening feed and the last before we go to bed N has settled much better and goes for four hours. If I can catch it before she wakes for a feed I express about 30ml off each side (theory being that it is then easier for her to get to the hind milk) and then feed her. I've given this a limit of 40 mins and then offer the top up from the bottle. Sometimes she takes a little, sometimes all, but it generally settles her. I've found that although it's not easy in the day , esp if you want to get out and about, the cluster feeding is easier to cope with then as the nights were just shattering and I found those challenging nights really daunting. Prob easier for us as she was already taking a bottle but it may be worth thinking about.

Sorry for going on for so long!!!! xxx

moominmama-97233 · Nov 30, 2010 12:57PM

So glad to read that we are not the only ones going through this. I would love to be able to try the pod thing with her but she usually hates being swaddled and it only works some of the time, so i dont want to spend money on something else that she wont take to

Does anyone else find that their lo wont sleep for hours when they are like this too - sometimes Biba can go for 7 hours without a sleep usually finally going off at about 2am - but sometimes she can be up until 5!

We have tried introducing a formula feed for when i just cant cope but she will only take my expressed milk and wont touch formula at all.

If anyone comes up with any other solutions over the following nights please please share them as my hubby went back to work yesterday and he has to be up at 5.30 - so he only gets a couple of hours sleep at the most.

Cluster feeding and wanting cuddles!

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