Is this normal?

[ElizaDee]

I asked this in the online expert too, but wanted some mum's opinions too. :)

My boy is 4 weeks old today, when he is awake all he wants is boobie, and this can be for 2 - 5 hrs! He wants to be on them constantly. My boobs are killing me now, as they are grazed a bit from his attachment. He sucks the nipple in to where is should be so for a few secs it kills! He is also on for over 20mins and near the end it starts to hurt, kinda like there isn't any milk left and he is sucking air through. Not sure if that make sense.

The last two days he has not slept during the day not until about 6pm. And when he wakes for a feed he is up for about 3hrs, again constantly on the breast. He will not go to sleep until he falls asleep on boob and I then cuddle and pat him some more.

So is it normal for him to be wanting the boob so much? or is this an issue with his not sleeping? I am actually looking forward to when he can have awake time and not want the boob.

Am I just being used as a dummy?

[MJ]

Wow they are long feeds .. especially as my DS is a snacker - only feeding for about 10-15min at a time ..

Your doing really well and I know how hard and tiring it can be. The sleeping thing will get better and then change again .. bubs are so unpredictable!

Could you use a dummy maybe? I know when I went to the breast feeding class they were really against dummy use but if DS is using you as a dummy it may give you some releif? I don't use one but all the other mums in my Mothers Group do - and all their bubs sleep through where as mine still doesn't .. maybe I should!

Not sure if I have been of help but hope that things settle down which I am sure they will!

Always seems like the boys that just love sucking! Must be an instint thing! :laughing:

[Funkychicken]

Hey, Eliza, Spencer sounds very much like my first DS! It is so tiring trying to keep up with this. It will change soon though so try not to worry too much-he will grow beyond this eventually. i, too was a human dummy and my DS sucked for up to 2-3 hours sometimes. Looking back though, i believe a lot of it was wind. he would suck until he fell asleep only to wake within 10 mins asking for more booby! The health nurse at the time (I rang her in tears when DS was about 3 weeks old) explained that small babies feel 'something' in their tummies but they confuse hunger and wind. If they feel movement they will try to feed, only to get more uncomfortable and so the cycle goes round! I can only suggest you feed him and when he lets go, try to get him over your shoulder and move around to lull him into sleep. Whilst he is upright, he should be able to burp as many times as possible. The actual truth is that most babies get all they need from the breast in the first 5-10 minutes-anything beyond that is pure luxury :D . But that aside, babies loooove to stay closse to the most important person in their life-you.
All the best! :) :hugs:

[sopolicha]

Whatever he is doing to your boobs is about right. It feels good for him, so he is doing it.

If it was me I would be getting onto a proper Lactation Consultant (not one attached to the hospital). She will check out 'your performance together' and tell you what should be going on.

My DD#2 is just over a year old and she would sit on the boob all day if I let her.

[meme]

hi eliza, the early days can be so draining , but it does get easier over time. it sounds like you are having a coupla issues, bubs not settling well during the day, and marathon feeds.
you sure will get al ot of great support here, but i would also consider getting in touch with a lactation consultant or breastfeeding counsellor, that way they could really go into some depth with your situation.

little babies really do seem to be feeding all the time, it is comforting as well as nutritional, but sometimes you need to find other comforts for bubs, many mums swear by carrying bubs in a sling, almost as good as a boob sometimes, bub gets to be nice and close to mum and the movement is familiar to in utero i reckon. other top settling idea's in my house were, a warm bath (done at any time of day or night;) a walk in the pram outside, or the sling outside. the rocker, being put down for a sleep (but picked up again if it didn't work), music and dancing, and more boobing.

frequent feeding is a great way to encourage supply, so it's definately encouraged to respond to your babies cues with frequent feeds whenever they seem to want it. getting positioning right will help lessen pain, especially getting the big open wide mouth, attachment also needs to be good so that your baby is milking the breast effectively. do you think that bubs is getting plenty of milk? having plenty of wet nappies? fairly contented? poos? do you notice a let down, or see/hear bubba swallowing? these are all good signs that bubs is getting plenty of milk.

have you tried swapping sides when he feeds and you feel the 'sucking air' feeling?

what's he like when he is awake but not feeding? could it be reflux? wind? something else medical/health related?

it does pass and most breastfeeding hurdles can be overcome with the right info, so keep searching till you find what works for you.

good luck with it all.

[Mum&bubs]

To me it sounds like he is going through a growth sprout. Summer went through hers at around 5/6 weeks so I can understand where your coming from :hugs: to you! It should end soon though (hopefully!)

[bronny-jane]

glad im not the only person with a baby constantly attachted to the breast:D

i was told that although you shouldnt time feeds, generally they'll empty your breast with in 20 mins, and if they want more just offer the other:D

[Seekrit]

hey ED.
Maybe you are being used as a dummy, I have to admit, it was fun days at 4 weeks when I bought Cobey his actual dummy! :D (he wouldn't take it at first because he loved to hold me when he sucked, be in my boob or my hand as he held my finger, so I kept my fist in front of his dummy (not pushing it in) so he could hold it.. and weaned him off my fist. :p Even now he likes to hold something a lot :))

Anyway, I'm sure that any of us that have breastfed a baby know exactly how you're feeling. You want to do the best for your baby, but you also want to have some tie out. Then you're not sure if giving boobie all the time is the best. etc.

My opinion, and I'm not a lactation consultant or even a BF expert, is to (and I'm sure you've tried) find other ways of settling him. I found I was misreading Cobey's cries and thinking all he wanted was boob. boob boob boob. Soon I realised he wanted play, or chat, or songs, a cuddle, a rock, tummy time (who am I kidding, he never wants tummy time) etc. In fact at about 4 weeks I realised that when he woke up, if I picked him up, rocked and sung, he just might fall back to sleep.. he didn't REALLY want the boob like I thought!

Someone said that when a babies cry, our instinct is normally to feed them, and when they're that little they will just take any nipple shoved in their mouth at any time but this can cause a windy bubba.

So while I'm sure you have tried other settling techniques, maybe with some persistance (if he's not truely hungry) he might work out that he doesn't always have to eat at wake time.

And just once more, I'm no expert, and I could very well be giving you false information!

[ElizaDee]

Actually all the info I have gotten here has been great. I am finding that Spencer will empty my boob at about 10-15mins, as he stops and his sucking changes from eating to dummy sucking. So now I know what the difference is. I take him off change his nappy, then offer the second boob until he hits this stage.

At night when he finishes he just goes back to sleep straight away, its like he knows that dark means sleep! :yes: Thats a good thing. But this morning he started to fuss, and against daddy's wishes I tried the dummy again. By not giving him more boob he has less wind! So I don't have to hold him upright and pat the wind out for as long either. :D
He took it and went to sleep in 5mins! :yelclap: Once he was alseep I took dummy away... don't want him dependant on it!

So now boobies are getting better, they don't hurt so much as the feeds now, and baby is sleeping! Far better than the last two days I will tell you! :smiliedance: So this equals one very happy mummy!

Thanks all of you for your help it is much appreciated!