Extreme cluster feeding at night.. exhausted mummy needs advice.

Goodmoring,

My DS2 is 13 days old and feeding normally every 3-4 hours. Sleeps well and has a good amount of wet nappies.
In the last few days, i've noticed a pattern of cluster feeding. At first it was random during the day and not really that long. 2-3 hours of almost constant feeding. Nothing drastic at least. But now I am feeding every evening/night for hours on end without much of a break. Last night was the worst. DS2 started around dinner time. (say 6pm) and pretty much wanted the boobies till midnight. By the end of that marathon, im utterly exhausted and emotionally a wreck.

During this marathon cluster feed, he is dozing and lets go of the nipple. He seems to be asleep. So I let him doze a little more.. then put him to bed. Only minutes later he wakes up. Since he didnt burp. I pick him up to assist the bubbles out. But all the lil man does once in my arms, is too nuzzle for my breasts. Makes sucking motions and gives all indication he's hungry. So back on he goes.

This goes round and round for hours. I know cluster feeding is normal and to be expected. But 6 hours straight is extreme! My poor husband has a blubbering mess at night cause Im just that worn down physically and mentally.

PLEASE .. any advice would help so much.
Is this really normal?
Is there something wrong with my supply?
Am I doing the wrong thing by letting him get back on so much?

Thank you

Firstly congratulations on your little. I assume that as this is DS2 that DS one did not do this?

I know 6 hours is long, but it sounds normal to me. And I doubt it will last.

My DD fed like that in the evening on and off for the first 12 weeks. Not all the time, but from my sleep deprived memory for several days at a time when she did.

My DH got dinner and did everything of an evening while i just sat on the couch for hours. Of course as DD is my first i had that luxury - however, often got a sore butt and sore boobs and desperately tired and cried.

Do a google search for Wonder weeks and you may come up with info that can help explain. It may be a wonder week/growth spurt thingy.

In terms of supply, I do not think there is a problem. The baby is stocking up for sleeping. They do so much growing in their sleep he needs the energy.

Also when I was expressing milk before DD started breast feeding (she was premmie), the evening express was regularly less than at other times of the day. I do not know if that is the same for bf or just an express thing. But could be a reason babies feed more at that time of day. (i could be wrong here)

I do not think you are doing anything wrong by letting DS2 feed like that. I demand feed and believe it is best for the baby. Obviously that might not work for everybody and every family situation.

It does end and i only vaguely remember the fatigue now.

All the best.

hi tascha, congrats on your newest little man :dance:

i'm hoping one of the bfing pros will be along soon but i don't think that sounds too much out of the ordinary. i know my DS fed every two hours at that age during the day so maybe your DS is making up a couple of feeds? rather than anything being wrong with your supply it may just be that he's making sure that it meets his demand, if that makes sense?

do you have a sling? a lot of people seem to swear by them - esp in the early days as it means your DS can snooze away in that & you can do other things without having the trouble of putting him down & him waking up again.

:hug: it is so tiring at the start - esp with all the doubts that creep in on top of the sleep deprivation but it sounds like you're doing a great job.

That sounds like a loooooong witching hour! It is, unfortunately, fairly normal.
2 suggestions - a sling (sometimes just being close to mummy will do the trick, or you could even feed in the sling, freeing your hands up during the day)
- cosleep. Do you feed lying down? It's a blessed relief to feed in bed when they're like this - you can sleep while they feed.

It's normal, but that doesn't make it easy. I think the best thing is the find a way to give bubba what he needs while making things as easy for yourself as possible. that's why I recommend slings & cosleeping. The early days are about survival - no right or wrong, just what's right for us right now. And it all changes very quickly - it seems like an eternity now, but in a couple of months you'll have been through so many phases and have a completely different baby.

If you're concerned about supply, what his output - plenty of wet & dirty nappies means he's getting plenty of milk.

:hug:

ETA - oh, one thing I would add is that 3-4 hourly is quite a long stretch for little ones. you could try feeding 2-hourly during the day and maybe you'll start to get longer stretches at night. no guarantees though, especially when they're this age as their tummies are so small

:hug: Tascha...these early days/weeks are exhausting! You're doing a great job. What you describe sounds very normal. My DD cluster feeds from 4pm to around 10pm, so for around 6 hours of an evening also.

For us I have found the best thing is feeding while laying down. I get so much more rest this way. Try it if you can - ABA website has a page on how to do it. It's very easy once you know how!

Also a sling can be very useful. I use an ergo when DD is clingy, bit tricky to feed in but we manage and sometimes she is quite happy just to be close to me and it keeps my hands free to get other things done.

The best piece of advice that I have been given so I always pass it on and that is call the ABA helpline on 1800 mum 2 mum - they are just brilliant and can help with any breast feeding issue.

Fingers crossed it doesn't last long - we all know how exhausting it is. Hang in there sweety.

Thanks ladies.
Just hearing that its normal is a huge relief. DS1 did cluster feed. Just not to this extreme. He was a vacuum cleaner and screaded my nipples so totally different problems last time.

We dont have a sling. But I will try the lying down while feeding and feeding him every 2 hours during the day. I phoned ABA.. and they where saying similar things to all the great advice from you ladies. So ill give it all a go. I hope that this knowledge will at least keep me some what sane tonight! Knowing its all normal and there will be an end to it.. just not sure when!

THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH FOR YOUR ADVICE!

goodluck hun, it will pass, just hang in there x

Hi
Just so you know there are others out there, my DS feeds about every hour if not in the sling. He also cluster fed at night, often from about 8pm till 2am but this seems to be calming down now (although he is sleeping less at night now!!) In the daytime, I have been putting him in the sling just to get him to sleep as he won't sleep anywhere else and he will sleep in the sling for about two hours (sometimes 3!!!) and wake up for a feed. The cluster feeds are shorter now at night but he has reduced his night sleeping from 5 hour stretches to 3-4! I co-sleep so feeding lying down is a godsend. I often fall asleep before DS!!! So my pattern now at 6 weeks old is perhaps 2 hourly feeds in the daytime and hourly feeds in the evening with a bit of a 2-3 hour cluster just before bed then a nighttime sleep from 2am to 5am or 6am a feed. (It used to be 2am to 7am Luxury!!!!)

Tascha, the first weeks are so difficult and it's great that you are doing all the right things. You might find that the 6 hours of cluster feeding was more of an adjustment than a trend. As Marcellus mentioned, babies generally feed 8 -12 times in 24 hours at that age, so 3 - 4 hourly might not have been quite enough. Your little one might have been doing some catch up feeding, and if this is the case it might settle down in a day or two (fingers crossed for you).

I really don't have much to add to the fantastic advice you have already received, just to reiterate that you are doing a great job and that if you can try feeding lying down or anything that makes your life easier, then go for it.

You might like to think about getting a sling too. I found it not only helped with these unsettled times, but it was much easier to get out and about with baby in the sling rather than a pram, especially with two little ones. I found that more often than not the bag was in the pram with DS1 and DS2 was in the sling, or if DS1 walked then I didn't even need the pram. DS2 never really liked being in the pram until he was able to sit up, so the sling was a life saver, but it would have been easier anyway.