yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

DS is almost 3 weeks old and i am having issues with him breastfeeding... he has fussy periods in the morning and evening where the only thing that will soothe him is eating. since i am BFing, i offer that to him first - the pacifier only works for a couple of minutes so that's not an option. he eats for a few minutes - maybe 10 or 15 minutes - and then falls asleep. but as soon as i go to put him down, he wakes up, cries, and wants to eat again!

that basically means he is eating every 20 minutes for at least 3 or 4 hours in the morning and at night - in addition to his normal feedings. holding him, rocking him, swaddling... i've tried all that and he stuffs his hands into his mouth and cries, so i know it's "food" he wants.

is it possible that he is fussy because he is not getting enough from me? when i give him a bottle of pumped BM or formula this doesn't seem to be an issue.

or maybe it's a latch problem? to be totally honest i can't afford to contact a lactation consultant right now. any help you ladies can offer is much appreciated

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

I BF my 1st DD for 3 months and my 2nd DD for 6 months and let me tell you, I HAAAATED it for the first month or 6 weeks...HAAATED it! And it was just for the reason you described. They each got into this crazy cycle of cluster feedings where it was driving me insane--yep, about every hour or less. I think it's a normal phenomenon as troubling as it is for us!

I would just say hang in there...it sounds like you're doing a great job...and it won't remain this insane; little by little you should see him going longer between feedings. But, then again, I'm no lactation consultant

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

YOu would be surprised what you can afford. LA leche will offer you free advice over the phone and check up on you two later. Many lactation specialists will also advise you over the phone for free. I was advised by both when my baby wasn't gaining enough and sdid not pay a dime. I recommend calling one.

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

It sounds like you're doing a great job & it's going to seem like you're feeding non-stop for a couple of weeks.

Maybe just wake him up when he falls asleep so he can finish the feeding & then sleep

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

You r doing great. I BF my DS for 9 months and so far 3 mos and going strong with #2 they were both snack eaters. They both ate for a max of 10 minutes and then stopped for a few monutes or a few hours although at night it was eating 5 minutes, stop for 15 minute, eat for 5 and so on and so forth. I had no problem offereing it anytime, anyplace, but that is just me. If you dont mind I would hang in there your little 1 is still really young to get his complete groove. FM me with any questions I ve been to a ton of laleche meetings adn read a lot too.

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

Hang in there....this too will pass...its a fussy period and they will cluster feed. A great resource is la leche and they will call you back if you leave your number and give you advice over the phone. Also go to www.kellymom.com and there is tons of BF advice on there. If you can stick this period out you will find that it becomes so easy and like second nature to you

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

LIJ offers a free BFing support group. I went yesterday. I am pretty sure you did not need to deliver there. Ill get the calendar and let you know when the next meeting is if you wanna go with me or meet me there though I think it is next month.

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

I remember feeling the same exact way....like a cow.

It's probably a combination of things. He's growing and just plain hungry, uses you as a pacifier in addition to food source, and just plain typical man - loves b00b.

To be honest, I'd lay off the bottles for a few more weeks. You really want him to establish his latch and suckling, best way to do that is practice. The bottle/paci could be throwing him for a loop. I just read the other day your feeding sessions shorten in time because as the baby gets older their suckling improves and becomes more efficient.

I've read to stay away from bottles/pacis for 6 weeks, I'd even suggest 8 if you could stand it.

I know how expensive a lactation consultant could be. And I am by no means a profession, but I'd be happy to come by and try to help you out. Let me know!

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

Have you talked to a LC?

I was VERY reluctant at first but talked to one on the phone (for free!!) and she guided me so much.

From the time DS was 2.5 weeks to 8 weeks he cried all day. I had to hold him from 9am to 9pm. He would do cluster eating. BFing every 40 minutes to 1 hour.

There were several reasons

- He was colicky and eating made him feel better
- I did not recognize that he cried because he wanted to sleep during the day and I was thinking he wanted to eat

Also how is your milk supply? Is it abundant.

DS (from the time he was born) would BF for 10-15 minutes MAX and that was with trying to wake him up while feeding.

I found out my foremilk (the "weaker" one that comes first) came very quickly and in huge quantities. I can't tell you how many times that poor kid got sprayed on by one on my spraying boobie. It was actually funny!... Anyway, he was getting a lot of milk VERY fast but it was not the hindmilk (the nice fatty one) so he was hungry 1 hour later. So after 10 minutes he was full. Kind of like Chinese food. Full but hungry 1 hour later.

Of course, I found that out at 4 weeks PP and BFing.

I found that pumping for a few minutes was really helping. He was getting a lot with the time between feeding.

HTH!

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

I have been reading On Becoming Babywise and they recommend to make sure your child is BF'ing for a good amount of time so that they are getting the hind milk. Right now he is just "snacking" which is why he wakes when you put him down. They recommend to undress, blow in their faces, stroke their feet or face to keep them awake when BF'ing. Try to do at least 20 mins. Now this is all from a book but hopefully it can help you

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

Can you post his sleeping times?

The reason I ask is it sounds exactly like when I was mistaking Joseph's sleep cries for hunger. He was so overtired because he would only sleep for tops 20 minutes at a time, that putting him down he was completely exhausted.

Overtired babies are hard to put down & strangely enough wake up more. The term "sleep begets sleep" is true.

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

La leche Legue meets at the East Islip Library on Tuesdays (not sure if its every tuesday)- im not sure what the fee is, but its worth looking into if you live nearby?

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

Honest opinion here, it sounds like your DS is going through that normal "witching hour" that many babies go through, at least in the evening hours.

After 5pm, Alex would ALWAYS fuss andt he only thing that would calm her down was to nurse her. I later learned that it wasn't at all because she was hungry but because she had bad gas and nursing comforted her when she wasn't feeling well.

I literally became a human pacifier.

As long as your DS is having a sufficient number of wet and poopy diapers, I wouldn't be concerned that this is a sign of hunger, it very well might be that he uses your boob for comfort, and that's why when you put him down, he starts fussing again.

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

thank you for all the kind words and support ladies

i have been trying a few different things - pumping before he eats in case my let down was too fast for him, offering only one breast so he gets the hind milk, offering both breasts so he gets enough to eat... i hear/read so many different things!

barb, i am pretty sure he is hungry, not tired, when he cries these times, because i only nurse him when he is trying to stuff his hands in his mouth - that's the only sign i am positive of that he is hungry!!

and like you said beth, this may just be his "witching hour(s)" and i generally don't mind being his human pacifier - but his fussy time at night just lasts SO long i get tired and frustrated and i don't want to "lose it", KWIM?

last night his fussy period wasn't nearly as long b/c my mother came over to help - DH had given him a bottle of BM, he drank half and fell asleep on here for 2 hours no idea what will happen tonight

i am going to contact my local LLL to see when their next meeting is, i may try that to make sure i'm not doing anything "wrong"

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

Hang in there! The first few months are the "worst".

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

Sounds like a growth spurt. My breastfeeding support group says that they go through growth spurts at 3, 6 9 and 12 weeks where all they do is eat eat eat.

You're doing great!

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

When DD was 3 weeks I was LOSING MY MIND with BF. For her it was cluster feeding due to a growth spurt (the first 4 months of her life was a non stop growth spurt!) and an allergy to all the dairy in my diet. She was on the boob every hour.

I would speak to an LC if you can, but it will get easier once you get past this hurdle!

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

I went through this with my first DD...she was a lazy eater as I put it...so would cluster feed all the time...

I think it was a combination of two things (at times):

1. Definite growth spurts

and

2. We forget that bf is very hard work and knocks them out...they fall asleep and then wake soon after and say "hey I'm still hungry"...

Re: yet another breastfeeding question (kind of long and possibly confusing)

I think at this age you have to feed on demand and that's pretty much it. I felt like a walking boob for the first 6 weeks. That's ALL I ever did!!! I watched A LOT of TV.

It's pretty simple.....there's no problems...it's completely normal. You are the milk machine.

It will get better!