Does BFing (cluster) tire you out?

[HotI]

In the evening, BFing (especially if it goes for a long time) just wipes me out. If bub then goes to sleep, i recover within 20 mins and feel good again. If she is having a party night, it just sucks cos after a long feed or multiple feeds i just don't have the energy to pat or do whatever else to get her to sleep.

do others get this too?

[MummaSue]

yeah me too DD still feeds like a new born

[*TripleJ*]

yeah i do but if u have a bottle of water nearby it helps a bit not much but a bit lol

[MantaRay]

It's been a while since I've breastfed (a couple of years actually) but I still find I get tired at that time of night. I think it's more the busy day and being a mum that is tiring. I found breastfeeding helped because at least I could (mostly? sometimes?) sit and rest while feeding.

[helle]

apparently there is a hormone that is triggered during night feeds (So Dr Karl on JJJ was saying XD) that is meant to help baby sleep, that you also get too. I guess it's natures way of making sure you get back to sleep ASAP so you're not THAT sleep deprived...

Might go google up on that out of interest now '

ETA

When the baby suckles, the mother releases CCK. The hormone infusion relaxes her and readies her to drift off to sleep again.

Quote from the blisstree website.

[MantaRay]

That's true helle. Studies have shown bfing mums get more sleep than ffing mums and that lovely hormone contributes. That's why it's so hard to stay awake during night feeds - gotta love co-sleeping!!

[*Infinity*]

I hear you.....DD cluster feeds for about 4-5 hours most evenings and I fall into bed once she finally konks out. You can hardly get a word out of me most nights I'm just too exhausted. Good excuse to sit down and not clean up the sty that is my house right now though....although its eternally frustrating feeling like you never get anything done.

[studymum]

Oh I love that dreamy, heavy body feeling while feeding, too bad it doesn't stay around forever.

Yes cluster feeding tired me out too, but I always knew there was going to be at least a 5 or 6 hour decent sleep afterwards. I found growth spurts did as well and I had to increase my eating and fluid intake to compensate, otherwise I was left feeling run down.

[diva det]

oh it hear you!
DS2 is nearly two and can still have a big feed for an hour or so at night before he finally crashes- i am wiped after for a bit and often find myself nodding off as i am trying to get him to do the same!
yup it is a hormone thing
dont fight it- its pointless lol
a cuppa afterwards seems to perk me back up again- caffeine free of course lol

[HotI]

Yes cluster feeding tired me out too, but I always knew there was going to be at least a 5 or 6 hour decent sleep afterwards.

That sounds like heaven! if only my little one would get the sleepy feeling too.