Cluster feeding

[JohnLIreland]

We have a lovely baby boy who is being breast fed by my wife. Our problem is that he seems to be feeding very often, every 2-3 hours, and for about an hour at a time. That means my wife is only getting a couple of hours rest at best between feeds. Has anybody any ideas as to why this is happening?

[Solarjunkie]

Congratulations on the addition to your family and the fact that he is getting such a good start in life with breastfeeding. It sounds that he may be a baby who simply enjoys sucking, so a dummy could be a godsend to you! One other possiblity springs to mind that he is not quite latching on properly so not getting as much milk as you think he is, easily checked with your breastfeeding advisor. Is he simply thirsty? Maybe a teaspoonful of water would refresh him.
Good luck.

[scoobybob]

Hi John

How old is your son?
I bf my son & I remember going through the same thing a couple of times. The first time was at about 6 weeks - it was an absolute nightmare for about a week, then he settled into feeding for about 20-30 mins every 4 hours approx. The second time was at about 5 months, at this point I started to introduce baby rice at lunch time as I think he was letting me know he was ready for weaning!!

Try speaking to your hv, they should be able to provide some guidance.

I hope everything settles down soon - oh, and big congratulations!

[winny]

Hi, it could depens how old he is. They do have severel "spurts" when they feed alot then return to normal. Was he feeding ok then did this or is this just how he has been. Your health visitor can help but the NCT give free advice over the phone too. Solarjunkie is right it could be lots of things. Iremember one feed seemingly running into the next as mine had bad wind due to not latching on properly and no sooner did you seem to get the wind up did you atart again.
He probably isnt getting as much milk as you think for whatever reason. There are several different positions your wife could try baby in to improve the latcking on. It is important baby is supported and wife is relaxed so use cussions and pillows to support everyone. Most places have a local mums support group for breast feeding too. If baby is very young breast feeding can be a knack that needs teaching but then gets easier.
Good luck.

[JohnLIreland]

My son was a month old yesterday. I know it's early doors yet but I'm obviously keen not to make a mistake and end up going down the wrong path.

I've just read "Cry it out??". I'm hoping I don't end up with the problems that the parents there are suffering.

Thanks for your congrats and support guys...

[boobesque]

My daughter fed like this til she was 6 weeks old, after that she settled into a routine of her own, they do this to up the milk supply and is perfectly normal, but awfully tiring!

[Pippa68]

I agree with boobesque ~ mine did the same thing!

It's supply & demand..the more baby feeds, the more milk mummy makes :o)

I am sure it will settle, and please make sure your wife is drinking enough while she feeds (as well as rest) I quite often used to drift off while feeding in a semi sleep.

Big congrats to you both..breastfeeding is hard work, but worth every minute. xx

[boobesque]

It is so rewarding, i am still breastfeeding now at 5 months, nothing else like it, the closeness is just so nice and my daughter is a mummies girl by far!

[Lore]

Hi John, Congratulations to you and your wife :)

My daughter's 4 months old now and I found breast feeding very exhausting at first, I found that no matter how much I tried to feed her, she simply wasn't getting enough so I intrroduced a top up bottle late on in the evening. This helped her get a decent 4 hours sleep and enough time for my breasts to produce enough milk for the next feed. Over time she started to have a formula feed every night so eventually I decided to swap her on to formula.

I do miss the closesness but I have a very happy baby who is now trying out her first tastes of real food.

If you contact your HV, S/he'll be able to give you the details of a 'breast friends' group - this is a local support group for women who breast feed, where mums offer advice and discuss what works for them.

Good luck with it all, I'm sure you'll find a routine that'll suit your baby and mummy and daddy. A new baby is hard work but believe me, it's worth every sleepless night!

[ronnientom]

Hi this is not unusual at all very normal so dont worry! He will get into a routine which could take 6 to 8 weeks, when i first started breastfeeding my little girl she would feed for four hours and still not be happy, latching/ positioning was all correct but i suppose she was just getting used to being in the outside world!

Good luck to you both, i know it must be very hard but stick it out and im sure he will calm down soon!

[banjosister]

Hey John,

Many congratulations to you all. I am expecting my 2nd grandchild early August, can't wait.

I agree with just about everyone here, I will give you my experiences.

I found with my first child that he would nod off whilst feeding, as soon as I would try to move him he would start to suckle again. I could end up doing this for over an hour! He was my first so I was still practising! The midwife suggested a dummy but I had said whilst pregnant, that I would never give my child a dummy - as so many do! In the end I got one and it was superb. He fed until he was full and would even doze through the nappy change. It wasn't as difficult to get him off it as I thought it would be.

When my daughter was born, I didn't hesitate I bought a dummy before she was born!

I fed both children until they were 8 months. My granson sucks his thumb, so does his Mum.

Good luck xx

[AniseedTwist]

Hi,
Congratulations on your son! A very exciting and very exhausting time :) Yes, I also remember the first few months as almost one constant feed. My daughter used to dose off during feeds and also used to 'comfort suck' rather than feed, making feeds extra long. If your son's falling asleep your wife could gently wake him up by stroking his ear and also listen out for a swallowing sound and seeing if his jaw's moving up and down to check he's actually drinking. If not then moving him might do the trick to remind him he's supposed to be feeding!

If you find that he is comfort sucking, like the last lady said, a dummy is an option, although there may be a risk this early on that he'll get nipple confusion. Might be best to wait a few weeks longer. We resorted to this after a few months and it did comfort her very well and I got a better night's sleep. You might find that in the next few weeks his feeding will have calmed down anyway, so I would say if she can put up with it for a bit longer then carry on with the frequent feeding, sounds like she's doing a great job!