My boy & his feeding..
Printed From: OHbaby!
Category: Have A Baby?
Forum Name: First baby? Second or more?
Forum Description: Want help? Need support? Want tips? Men and women share advice and tips in this supportive community
URL: https://www.ohbaby.co.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=10622
Printed Date: 02 June 2024 at 3:41am
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 12.05 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: My boy & his feeding..
Posted By: .Mel
Subject: My boy & his feeding..
Date Posted: 10 September 2007 at 5:50pm
|
I think Cooper has just started doing this cluster feeding that I've heard people talk about, last night for example: He woke at 9.20pm for what I thought would be his last feed before settling in for the night. I feed him one side, then changed him then did the other. He conked out and I put him to bed approx an hour later. He woke up screaming and was really unsettled, so I fed him again, and we basically went through the above process on and off till around midnight. Then it turned to custard, I couldn't settle him down I tried patting, swinging, rocking, even put him back onto both breasts to see if that would help...I think around 2ish I found a dummy and stuck that in his mouth, but would have to get up to put it back in...FINALLY 4.30am I got him to sleep, and today my nipples are paying for it, they are cracked, bleeding and very sore and throbbing, and the Purelan isn't helping at all.
Today he's done a similar thing but that only lasted from around 1.30 to 5pm and he's asleep now...I have been trying to feed him every 3 hours as he was slightly jaundice when we left birthcare. Did I do the right thing by constantly feeding him? Should I have left him to try and settle himself (thought he was too young)... Does he need a top up of formula somewhere along the night to give me a rest? Is it normal and how long do I have to endure the pain? I'm not coping very well with this feeding like I did with the other two (I don't remember it being so demanding and hard)...  ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3) 
|
Replies:
Posted By: aimeejoy
Date Posted: 10 September 2007 at 7:19pm
He might have been unsettled from too much milk in his little tummy. Its up to you, but I would persevere a bit longer before trying formula top ups. Hope tonight is better for you.  ------------- Aimee Hannah 22/10/05 Greer 11/02/08 |
Posted By: jaz
Date Posted: 10 September 2007 at 7:30pm
|
Caleb does the same thing and I used to get a bit sore after so many (3) feeds close together. When he was a month old I starting giving him a bottle of EBM or formula in between two breast feeds. I usually try to express in the morning when I have lots of milk so he can have a bottle at night. He then sleeps for about 6-7 hours, sometimes longer. ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: jack_&_charli
Date Posted: 10 September 2007 at 7:31pm
|
charli was like that too and would cluster from 9pm without fail....have you spoken to your mw about it?
i'm really sorry but i can't remember what we did for charli but i'm sure my mw said to make sure she was fed every 3hrs and it was also about the same time we gave her a dummy and putting her to bed on her side with a rolled up handtowel on each side of her, which seemed to help also. i'm not sure i would be giving him a top up of formula just yet, he is only 5days old and you are both still learning together. not much help am i! i'm certain you'll get some good advice here soon hang in there hun....this too shall pass ------------- http://www.alternatickers.com"> 
http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 10 September 2007 at 7:53pm
|
Have you tried him with nipple shields to give your nipples a little bit of a break?
Daniel use to cluster feed, it does help if you express off during the day and then give him a bottle as at night your milk has more carbs rather than proteins in it (I think) so it's not as filling for them which makes them want to cluster feed. |
Posted By: Bizzy
Date Posted: 10 September 2007 at 8:52pm
|
sounds like he might have had a bit of wind stuck ... ------------- http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"> 
|
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 10 September 2007 at 9:12pm
|
Caprece is also a cluster feeder. She used to just cry all evening with a few feeds but generally unsettled and then just go to sleep. I found tho she sometimes didn't want milk just to suck so I would let her have one side and then stay there as long as she liked so she could suck without getting lots of milk. I wouldn't go for formula unless he isn't gaining weight. Hes just trying to make a good supply.
Make sure hes latched on properly maybe get your midwife to check his latch. In the mean time you could give the nipple sheilds a go. |
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 10 September 2007 at 9:39pm
|
Hi, Spencer did this when he was about 8 days. He wanted to feed every 1.5 hours for about 2 days, midwife very unhelpfully told me it was a phase and then made me feel bad because I had expressed so that DH could do a feed while I got 2 hours sleep (Bad Mummy!!!!). So I ended up crying whilst DH demanded to know exactly what was wrong with expressing and explained that it wasn't any good for baby or me to have no sleep for 2 days. I found that until about 8 weeks he would cluster feed in the evening and then settle down at about 11, midwife said that they graze in the evening to build up milk supply for next day.
Expressing in the morning is a really good idea, that way you can top them up at night without having to use formula, also you can sleep through that last feed if someone else is home to give them a bottle. I had one nipple get really sore so I expressed from this side an alternated between boob and bottle for 24 hours just to give the sore side a rest. You could also try latching on with the rugby hold or lying down, so bub is fixing on from a different angle, I found this really helped when I got a blister on one side. (makes my eyes water just thinking about that) http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Listings.aspx?member=1738084 - Handmade Jewellery ------------- 
 
|
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 10 September 2007 at 9:45pm
|
When I was in the hospital they told me that a newborn is often cluster feeding anywhere in between (and sometimes all of) 10pm to 5am. I don't know why that is, but I sure don't like it either! If you can have an afternoon nap, it really helps.
Anyway, keep persevering, he is trying to get your milk established properly (so best not to introduce formula yet). Were your other two bubs girls? Because apparently boys are hungrier babies. Get your mw to check your latch because it sounds like he may not have latched properly for you to be that sore  . She can probably also give you something more soothing for your nipples.-------------  |
Posted By: AN E
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 8:52am
|
You're doing a great job
Stick with it, and try to avoid the formula if possible. I too swore by nipple shields - they just helped me get her on without hurting me more. In between feeds I would also use nipple shells. They are hard cups that go over your breast, and will then allow you to have clothes on, but not touching your nipples, they also help if you get engorged. Talking with my lactation consultant, she said that approx 70% of feeding issues are with boys, but that is not saying it can't be done! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
|
Posted By: mum2paris
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 9:41am
|
Ayja did the cluster feed thing from day 1, i got 10 mins sleep per hour through the night and she darn well slept all day instead! she continued that until a few weeks old (hence the extreme exhaustion ending in a certain hospital admission)
All i could do was sleep during the day when she slepts and try stick at it at night. After a few weeks she settled down, but i definately noticed her efforts from cluster feeding, she had been 6lb 2 oz at birth and never lost weight, instead all that feeding made her go up by half and sometimes whole pounds in the first few weeks! she was just doing it to catch up, then slowed off again. Once he gets your milk supply up from doing all that cluster feeding, it should settle back down, Like aimmee said, i would hold off on the formula top ups as the more he feeds from you the more milk hes going to make you produce.. so the cluster feeding should settle once that happens. ------------- Janine and her 2 cool chicks, Paris & Ayja 
|
Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 10:11am
|
Thanks everyone, I feel so much better today. Can someone recommend to me a brand of nipple shields? I went into the chemist this morning and they had Tommy Tippee ones, but I wasn't sure if they were any good or not.
I'll definitely talk to my mw tomorrow when she comes, just to check that he's latching on correctly. We definitely had a better night last night, and this morning has been good too. I did feed him at 5.30 laying down, and that seemed to make alot of difference, I'm not as sore as I have been. I didn't think about the fact that your baby dictates how much milk is needed...and that may be why he's been doing this.. ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3)
|
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 11:15am
|
Hi,
Avent have some nipple shields that are shaped so that the baby can still have skin to skin contact. The ones I tried didn't have this and I think that may be why he wouldn't latch on to them. Just make sure you don't use them all the time as bub can then end up only wanting to feed with shields. http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Listings.aspx?member=1738084 - Handmade Jewellery -------------
|
Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 12:25pm
|
I hear ya on all this too. My MW said to make sure they get enough feeds during the day (so to wake up the little sleepy thing) as they need so many calories a day and if they dont get it during daylight hours they will want it all night long. So I try to not let him sleep more than 3 hours during the day and I'll let him sleep as long as he wants (orwill) at night.
Bloody hard yakka though isnt it? |
Posted By: Rachael21
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 12:31pm
| Thats great lying down works for ya. If you feel comfortable with it you can let him drink while you have a wee doze. Its how I got through those first few weeks. |
Posted By: Maya
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 1:00pm
|
Glad to hear you are feeling a bit better Mel. If nothing else, just keep reminding yourself that "this too will pass", it's only a phase, altho it is tough to function when you've had no sleep.
The gremlins were big cluster feeders, especially Mercedes, but I found if I fed them too often my breasts didn't have enough time to make enough milk to feed them properly so they ended up having frequent 'snacks' but no decent feeds. My midwife recommended not feeding any more frequently than 2 hourly as 2 hours is the minimum time it takes the breasts to fill. (thats 2 hours from START of feed to START of feed). Hang in there, try and stay away from formula if you can even for a few more days to let your milk supply settle. I agree you should definitely talk to your midwife about the cracked, blistered nipples tho coz it does sound like he might not be latching properly. ------------- Maya Grace (28/02/03)
 (02/01/06)
The Gremlins:Sienna Marie & Mercedes Kailah (14/10/06)
Lil miss:Chiara Louise Chloe (09/07/08)
Her ladyship:Rosalia Sophie Anais (18/06/12)
|
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 1:09pm
|
Yeah I got a sore nipple because of a fissure(?) and was also told that my fair skin made me more prone to soreness, so is not always a latching problem but is good to check. Thats why I suggested changing position as it worked for me. Rachandjack's idea of doozing while feeding laying down is good as well, I did that a few times without meaning too!!!
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Listings.aspx?member=1738084 - Handmade Jewellery -------------
|
Posted By: AN E
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 7:08pm
|
Mel - I recommend the Medella ones. They are soft silicone, and have an 'open' area where the baby's nose goes so that he can still smell you (not silicone). It's then easier for later when you are getting him back directly onto the nipple. I think Avent have some too that are good (not sure though).
I think the Tommee Tippee ones are a bit firmer? Again not sure. You can buy the Medela ones from Baby Factory. Glad to hear today was a bit better ------------- http://lilypie.com">
|
Posted By: busymum
Date Posted: 11 September 2007 at 7:32pm
When I had Kryssi, she managed to get me a little split between the nipple and areola and it hurt like crazy!! My mw suggested feeding her only lying down on that side because it put her mouth in a different position and then allowed the split to heal. Overuse of nipple shields can lead to reduced milk supply or mastitis... I was also tempted but my mw convinced me to not go there. Just be careful  ------------- |
.Mel wrote:Posted By: .Mel
Date Posted: 20 September 2007 at 6:05pm
Ok - firstly thanks so much for all of your words of wisdom and handy tips - they worked! We've got the feeding thing sussed now!  I'm so proud of us, because I really was close to chucking it in and turning to formula. He's 15 days old now, and is still feeding 3 hrly (is this normal?).
However, I have another problem, and I've been trying very hard to sort this out on my own, but I've hit the wall and need your advice again. Cooper is basically refusing to sleep in his cot, he'll only sleep on me or DH. I have tried to put him into his cot and leave him to grizzle and then if needed stick the dummy in his mouth... sometimes it works but 80% of the time it doesn't. So my question is how do I "re-teach" him that his cot is for sleeping, not mummy or daddy? He is wrapped and his feeding routine is basically one side then nappy change then the next side, this takes approx. 1 hour. I then try to burp him and then put him down.... within 10mins he's awake screaming.. wind him again... put him down... and then it's the battle of the fittest.. who's going to give in first!! So any help or suggestions would be greatly received. Would ask my mw but haven't seen her this week... ------------- Mr Mellow (16) Miss Attitude (8) Destructa Kid (3)
|
Posted By: cuppatea
Date Posted: 20 September 2007 at 8:22pm
|
Hi, firstly feeding 3 hourly is perfectly normal, mine still feeds 3 hourly during the day but goes a bit longer at night 4-6 hours. Until about a month a go he was feeding 2 hourly during the day and 3 hourly at night.
We have had a bit of a battle with our sleeping as well, one thing I would suggest trying is to stay with him until he falls asleep and try patting or rubbing him to calm him down so that he feels secure in his cot then eventually he should learn to settle himself in there without your presence. There sleep pattern is 45 mins and it is after the first 10 mins they go into REM sleep so it may be that he is waking up before getting into that really deep sleep. Our sleeping problem was with daytime sleeps, he wouldn't sleep for more than 45mins, we went to a plunket family centre they were really lovely and we haven't fixed it totally but it is getting a lot better. It was only a week ago that we went. Anyway hope that helps a bit -------------
|