Hi all
Am new to bb. My DS is feeding very frequently still and needing a ff before bed time in order to settle. Am I wrong to expect him to be going longer between feeds by now? My boobs hardly ever feel full, only overnight when he feed 3-4 hourly. I haven't had him weighed lately but at 7 weeks he was 50th percentile and seems to be gaining weight and filling out his clothes.
I have a 3 year old so the frequent feeds only bother me when she's at home too because I feel bad I can't play with her but I'm just wondering if this is normal?
I gave up bf with dd at 4 months due to poor supply ( or at least I thought so due to poor weight gain).
Determined to keep going this time.
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Last edited by Disco; January 30th, 2012 at 12:33 PM.
Very normal! My ds fed two hourly day and night for at least 4.5 months. Hang in there! You're doing perfectly and your baby is doing all the right things to help you make milk.
A formula top up a bed time is a common thing to do, but it may mean you have to do extra feeding in the day to keep up the milk supply baby needs.
Perfectly normal. Just be thankful that he doesn't feed every 1.5 hours all night too... my DD did for the first couple of months.
It is also normal for your boobs to not feel full at all during the day. It doesn't mean you don't have enough milk. They only really get that full feeling when your supply changes or you have gone longer than usual between feeds, like at night.
Hang in there... it does get easier.
Thanks heaven and berrme. I've looked through some of the other threads. Might give the lactation cookies a go Berrme - did your Dd ever sleep longer than 40 mins at a time during the day? That's all DS does lately.
Sounds perfect, Disco, and good on you for perservering. Baby-trainers and formula have kind of skewed our expectations and experience of what's normal - I remember thinking 3-4 hrly feeds were normal when in fact most young babies are feeding way more often than that, and that is the best thing for the baby, and for your milk supply. When you consider that women with low supply often pump AS WELL in between feeds, in order to increase stimulation of the breast, you can see why frequent feeds are really ideal.
And it is really encouraging that your breasts have some fullness to them when the feeds are slightly more spaced - proof that you are making enough milk.
I have just been through a real low milk supply journey with my 4th baby, inexplicably, which was very disappointing - but through it I learned a lot about how to boost supply when it's on the low side, so if you want more info on that please contact me. Or there is a page called Low Milk Supply on fb too.
A galactogogue herbal tea can be very helpful, the one I make contains milk-production boosters like Goat's Rue, Blessed Thistle, Fennel, Vervain and more.
Eating the galactogogue foods can be helpful also.
There's a great book called The Nursing Mother's Guide to Making More Milk.
But lots of skin to skin cuddles, baby-wearing, co-sleeping and frequent feeds on cue are the foundation for good milk supply.
It sounds like you are doing a fantastic job and it is not easy with a wee toddler needing you as well.
Support is so essential, do you have the ABA support hot-line number? 1800 686 2686
Let us know how you're going and if you meet a glitch, sing out, we're here for you.
another vote for perfectly normal from me! i think my DS was still 1.5-2hourly around the clock at 9 months. and his naps were appalling (well, compared to what i would have liked!) until he was 1ish!
Thanks everyone. Yes I think I had been led astray by the dreaded routines indicating he should be feeding four hourly by now. I'm pretty confident that my supply isn't as bad as I thought I just didn't realize feeding so frequently was fairly normal .
Yes he always takes both breasts and frequently a top up too. Sometimes the feeds just seem to run into each other! We don't co sleep due to too small a bed, no room for a bassinet in the room but I bring him in of a morning and feed lying down to get a bit more sleep and sometimes nap with him like that in the day too.
I saw the post about babies taking the same amount of milk from one to six months and am amazed! I was sort of thinking I had to be producing the same amount of milk as you would give formula and could even imagine my little B cups making that much!
Right on Disco! It's remarkable, isn't it? Just how wonderful a system human lactation is
Glad you're feeling better about things - that's the trick to it, really
Disco, it was a good day if DD slept for an hour. Mostly it was about 40mins or so. Generally 2 feeds between each sleep too. I was tired!
It improved after about 3 months for us. Now at 8 months she has only 2 day sleeps, a short one in the morning and a long one in the afternoon. Still feeds more frequently than 4 hours during the day even with 3 feeds of solids. I do get a big sleep of about 6 hours during the night now though. It is really hard to imagine she will be like DS1 and happily give up the boob at 13 months. I think I will be feeding for a while yet this time round.
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Feeding 1.5 to 2 hourly at 10 weeks
Berrme - did your Dd ever sleep longer than 40 mins at a time during the day? That's all DS does lately.
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