I have a 7 1/2 week old boy who has been a hungry and voracious eater since he was born. I have been only breastfeeding but I am beginning to wonder if he is getting enough to eat. I feel like I am constantly feeding him during the day and if I go out he can last no longer than an hour or so before I feed him again unless he falls asleep for longer. He was 9 pounds when he was born, then lost 1/2 pound by the time he was weighed 6 days later. A week later he was up to 9 lb 13 oz with his clothes on so my midwife said he was gaining well. I haven't taken him to a doctor since this but weighed him with me on our scale at home at 6 weeks and he was 11.5 pounds. I thought this was good but I just weighed him again and it seems to be the same. I know that these scales aren;t that accurate but it makes me wonder. I am also just becoming frustrated because I spend so much time nursing - he nurses anywhere from 5 minutes to an hour or sometimes longer at a time. I know he wants to nurse for comfort above being fed but it seems like this is the only thing that soothes him sometimes and makes me feel like he's not getting enough. Nights have been pretty good - will usually sleep for a 4-5 hour stretch with maybe a quick 5 min feeding in the middle. Then I do a longer feeding, change his diaper then he usually sleeps for 2-3 more hours. However a couple of nights this week he kept me up every 30 minute to an hour or so after his 4 hour stretch. I was at my wits end this morning because I hadn't gotten any decent sleep since 2 am. He finally went back to sleep around 10;30 and we slept until almost 1 in the afternoon - good thing I'm not working right now. Anyway, I feel like this is also an indication that he's still hungry when he keeps waking me up every hour. HELP! Also, I know I have already written alot but if any moms have some tips on how to be more comfortable while nursing that would be helpful. I have a glider rocking chair and a boppy and I spend most of my nursing on the rocker. But I am never that comfortable. I tried nursing in the moby wrap today and he was okay with it so maybe this is a solution but I am open to suggestions. thank you ahead of time for helping me out! I really want to continue nursing and don't want to do formula - and I would love to have two hours between feedings! I eventually want to go back to work but it will be almost impossible if he keeps eating so often.
I really appreciate everyone's suggestions and comments - it helped me to find some answers and feel like I wasn't alone in this! I did take him for his well-babycheckup last week and they said his weight gain is fine - that he's in the 50% for weight and 75% for height. Apparently he's been growing longer than sideways! I also talked to a couple of LLL leaders and one was very helpful and had some real concrete steps to take. This was such a breakthrough so I hope mothers with babies who eat very frequently and are fussy will read this. She told me about "finishing the first breast first", something I was aware of but apparently hadn't fully sunk into my brain. Please read this artical if you are interested - http://www.llli.org/llleaderweb/LV/LVSepOct95p69a.html It makes so much sense and what Jessica had me do was start nursing on just one side for three hours, no matter how much he ate. This would ensure that he was getting the "hindmilk" which is the fattier portion of the milk. From the artical I learned that I am most likely a mother whose milk greatly varies from beginning to end of feedings, whereas some mother's milk is more consistent. Anyway, I started doing this and immediately he was more satisfied and went longer between feedings. Yesterday I had to drive a distance and he was completely content for a whole two hours and played with a stuffed animal. He had never been this content for so longer during the day - I can only attribute it to feeding him in this way. Halelujah! I feel so much better and I think he is too. And I feel like I can actually enjoy him more and just spend time with him where I see his whole face instead of it planted on my breast!!! thanks moms! S.
I would call the following number ###-###-#### or 3802 they are the numbers for the lactation consultants at AAMC. I work in Labor and Delivery and I know that breastfeeding can be very fustrating. Another resource would be to call ###-###-#### which is Ask a Nurse. Let me know if they are able to help you.
Hi S., we went through a very similar situation with our daughter who is now 5. What we discovered was that she was not pulling enough milk from my breasts no matter how long she nursed. The solution was seeing a lactation specialist at GBMC. They are so helpful. It took us better than eight weeks to get the feedings down to a science. When we brought her in they weighed her first and then had me nurse her 15 minutes on each breast. Then they weighed her again and found that she had only pulled one ounce of milk in the thirty minutes. Not sufficient to make a baby feel full so cpnsequently she was nursing constantly. They showed us how to gain a proper latch and shortly after we were on our way. The place at GBMC was previously called The Parent Connection but has recently changed names. Also in response to comfort while nursing.. I personally hate gliders, they just don't support your back which is really doing a lot of work while nursing. I found it so much easier to lay on my bed with my daughter next to me and nurse. I was comfortable and she was happy. Good Luck, I hope you find this helpful. C.
In addition to the other good advice already posted, another thought to keep in mind about his weight gain is that sometimes the growth spurts they have burn a lot of energy but don't make the same amount of mass - so he may be getting longer or whatever, but not weighing enough for your home scale to pick up. (They aren't very sensitive after all.)
As long as he is wetting 3-4 diapers a day and not going down on the scale, I wouldn't worry too much. He sounds like he's at a very healthy weight - just to give you a reference point, my dd is 5 months old now and was 15lbs 2oz at her 4 month checkup (she was 8lb 2oz at birth.) My friend's little boy just turned 6 months and he is almost 20lbs already (and wearing 12mo clothes since he was 4 months!) Every baby is so different, don't worry about every little ounce unless he starts going backwards.
You should be going in for a well-baby checkup soon - make a list of questions for your doctor and take it with you.
With the nursing issues, if you try pumping so you can see how much he's getting (in case that is the problem), you may still need to supplement with formula (as my friend did!), or you may want to see if he'll take a pacifier for the comfort sucking. My dd wants her pacifier right after she finishes eating - she's had a full bottle, but she just likes that sucking motion - helps her fall asleep.
good luck!
Hi S., I'm a 37 yr old stay-at-home mom with a 2 year old. I successfully and exclusively nursed for 20 months.
Right about now, your body has figured out how much supply is needed, so you probably don't have that super-full-breast feeling. Most likely you are producing enough milk though it may not feel like it in your breast or because it seems like your son wants to nurse all the time.
Breastfed babies eat more frequently than formula-fed babies because breastmilk is more easily digested. If I recall correctly, my son started a nursing session about every 90 minutes to 2 hours at that age. Babies at this age should nurse about 15 minutes on each breast. So if you do the math, 15 min on one breast, plus 15 min on the other, factor in some burping time, and you've already spent 30+ minutes. By the time you change a diaper and get something to eat for yourself, go to the bathroom or whatever, and it's just about time to start all over again. Tiring, I know!
I fed on demand for the first 5 or six months, maybe longer. (It's hard to remember that far back!) I do remember it being very tough, like I couldn't get anything else accomplished. Some of my friends with kids immediately put their babies on feeding schedules and it worked for them. But I just couldn't feed him on a schedule because I felt like I would be depriving him of food and he was below the 50th %ile in weight. (Turns out he's just a slim-built kid. He's always been 50th or below.) Everyone is different, and what works for some does not always work for others.
Oh, and you are correct. Your scale at home is not accurate enough to reflect your infant son's weight. He should be due for a wellness checkup soon, so be sure to make a list of all the questions and concerns you have, including the breastfeeding and questionable weight gain (if it does seem he hasn't gained since his last checkup), and bring it all up with the pediatrician.
If you are really concerned about your breastfeeding sessions with your son, contact the La Leche League or the lactaction consultant at the hospital where you delivered. Pediatricians aren't always quite as helpful, unless your pediatrician's kids were nursed (IMHO).
My mom told me this shortly after my son was born and I find myself telling a lot of new mothers the same advice: Doctors are experts in their respective fields, but you are the expert on your baby.
Good luck and pleaes feel free to email if you have more questions!
He sounds normal, just going through a growth spurt. As long as he's not losing weight now and has at least five wet diapers, keep doing what you're doing.
I honestly would look into La Lache League. They will have a meeting place somewhere near you at least once a month. I went with my son. And I appreciated the fact that while somemom's were definatly whole foods nurse til my child is 4 and others just needed some help, they never seemed to push thier ideas on me at all. It was helpful to hear other peoples needs/questions/answers.
S.,
I had the same problem with my new baby, she would be nursing every 20-30 mins during the day. It's exhausting and what I found in order to not have to use formula and keep producing milk, I began to pump and then feed at least 2 or 3 times a day. Do you have an electric Pump? Mine is a life saver. I pump and then feed that way I know how much she is getting. I still breast feed for that contact, but I prefer to pump now because it gives me at least a few hours in between feedings to just have love time with her. I have a 2 yr old and I only wished I had listened when people suggested this method to me. I would have saved a lot of stress and I could have breast fed her for the year I wanted to instead of 6 months. Once I learned and used this method on my 2nd child I found it actually works for her at least. Hope this helps
