Feeding all the time HELP

[taiyasmum]

My little girl is 6.5 weeks old.

Up until last week she had been feeding every 3-4 hours. All of a sudden she wants to be fed all the time. I am feeding her every 1-2 hours. It is rediculous. Has anyone else had this problem. I thought maybe she was going through a growth spurt.

Please help.

[poshBecks]

Yep! I think eveyone's had this problem! By the sounds of how often, it probably is growth spurt! Just keep persisting, you'll get through it in a couple of days :)
Becky

[BeccaBunny]

My DD (10 weeks old) was the same and is only now beginning to have feeds every two hous during the day although she sleeps through 6-9 hours most nights. I told the Child Health Nurse that I was breastfeeding Rebecca approx 12 times per day and she said that it was not a problem so long as I was coping with the frequency. However when I told the (male) pediatrician he was horrified and said it was far too often!

It is my experience that the midwives and child health nurses know their stuff so I suggest that if you think you can remain sane and happy, just enjoy being close to your little girl on an (extremely ;) ) regular basis.

If not, this trick works to help my Becca sleep longer at night. Instead of accepting that your baby is full when she stops feeding, keep offering the breast - if she refuses change her nappy, or have a short cuddle, a few smiles and maybe a burp or two, then try again. Our last feed of the day can take as long as an hour but we think it's worth it for a solid sleep.

Cheers

[MoushiMoushi]

Yep been there done that! reading your post brought it all back to me :eek:
I hated all the sleepless nights- DS would feed for about one hour then it would take me 10-40 mins to put him to sleep then he'd wake an hour or two later. I would barely have 2 hours sleep a night!!!!

It does get better, at about 6 months DS was sleeping from 6pm till 5am BLISS :D
Now his 14 months he sleeps from 6.30/7pm till 7.30/8am HEAVEN :)

Sorry dont mean to tease you :p

Hang in there!

[JanetF]

Your very clever baby is upping your supply! How smart is that?! Now is the time to just let everything else go and nurture your precious little girl. Cosleeping will really help you feed overnight without any problems. Here's some info to help you.
http://www.naturalfamilyonline.com/5-ap/312-co-sleeping-safety.htm
My son is 21 months and has coslept and breastfed from day 1. I've never had a truly sleepless night although he fed every 2 hours till he was about 11 months. I slept easily in between. Make sure you sleep during the day too when bubs sleeps. You're still recovering from birth as well.

[Nickster]

Hey taiyasmum,
Yes it definitely sounds like a growth spurt. I remember going through that regularly. I had a big baby, and until she was about six months old, she demanded feeding every 2 - 2 1/2 hours, apparently this is very normal.
If you're worried, call the ABA hotline. Someone is available 24 hours a day to help you and to reassure you, which sometimes can mean everything! Good luck, and just know that it won't last forever. :o

[AM]

Every baby is different, and some are just more frequent feeders than others.
Keeping in mind how tiny a babies stomach is, and the fact that human milk is lower in fat than a lot of other species, it stands to reason that there are a lot of babies out there who do feed more than the designated 3 hours.

I think the best thing I did to keep my sanity, was to place complete trust in my babies ability to guage when and how often he was hungry, and to never look at the clock.

I used a sling a lot, and it was just so easy to pop him on the boob, after a while the whole thing became second nature.

Growth spurts do make it seem as though all you are doing in a day is feeding your baby, but really, it is great for them healthwise, and also great for your milk supply.

The other thing which could be happening is that sometimes if a baby is feeling a tiny bit under the weather, they will feed little and often, to ensure they are getting plenty of antibodies from your milk, then they will be fine the next day, and you will wonder why baby was feeding like a demon!

Just try to relax and enjoy this time, they aren't this snuggly for long at all, go with the flow.

All the best

[Chickadee]

When my 3-4 week old baby started wanting to feed almost constantly, my CHN suggested I was mistaking tired signs for hunger. I then encouraged bub to sleep and stretched out feeds. Stupid me. DD lost weight to below her birth weight and my milk supply never built up to what she needed

It's exhausting, but apparently it does pass. The ABA is a great resource too for any questions you have and have members on call.

[taiyasmum]

Thanks everyone. The last couple of days Taiya has changed back to a 3-4 hourly feeding pattern and last night she slept through the entire night without waking!!!!! I was so excited. Hopefully it is not a one off and she will continue to sleep through the night. :D