Baby won't nurse unless hungry?

[Fire]

Tell me, how many feeds does your little one have in 24 hrs? What have his weightgains been like? How long does he spend on each breast? Does he tend to have both breasts each time?

Thanks, Barb . It's hard to tell precisely how many feeds as we cosleep and he is pretty much attached from midnight until dawn. But through the day he is very regular, at three hourly (I think he eats more at night, but maybe it just seems that way cos that's when my breasts are most full, and well emptied by morning) so that would be about 6 feeds (not counting snacks or attempts to feed to sleep) during the day and about 4 to 6 from 10pm.

As for weight gain, he is a heffa. Huge. Only 8lb10 at birth but gained two kilos his first month! High gain still but not as high as that since. I only offer one breast a feed as we have a foremilk oversupply problem. I have block fed for two feeds (approx six hours on one side) and it rectified, only to return a few days later when we reinstated one breast a feed. It's gotten bad again, with an explosive green watery poo yesterday so i'm figuring I have to block feed two feeds again for a while. This morning he had a little yellow in his green and it wasn't as watery so maybe it's not too bad but really, this issue with foremilk is annoying. Sometimes he can only get through half a breast full. So of course I don't offer both breasts cos that would make it all so much worse.

I'd really like the breast he fed from to be flopsy so he can comfort suck from it to sleep but it's usually still got a whole feed left in it! Shall I block feed and for how long? I've increased my intake of fat, more fish oils, coconut cream and EPO. My protein intake is pretty lame.

I will admit to a fear that as long as I am cosleeping/bfding he will cluster feed all night. Other women in my position all say it just continues until they wean from the bed or the breast, usually by two or so. I honestly don't know if I can go that long now, but maybe I'm looking at it through the glasses of a two month old which can be rough at the best of times. He doesn't look for the breast unless hungry when sleeping with DH, so maybe that's the key, keep him on DH's side of the bed all night. I didn't want to stick him in a side car bed, and basically I can't cos he protests if not on a body 24/7.

Thanks for reading. I appreciate any help.

[Barb Glare]

Hi,

Your baby sounds completely noemal and well adjusted. When I first read your e-mail I thought you were wanting your baby to feed more, but then your second e-mail suggested maybe you wanted him to feed less? As I said before, follow your baby's lead. He is certainly getting plenty to eat, so he probably won't want to feed more often. Other settling techniques might be more helpful for him - patting, rocking or the sling, rather than feeding to sleep. It's good to have a balanced diet - but you needn't worry too much about it. The block feeding has worked for you, so it might be sticking with it a little longer. If you want to co-sleep, that's perfectly fine. You do get used to it, and all the research shows that co-sleeping mums get more sleep overall than mothers who sleep apart from their child
Regards
Barb