Will it get easier? Please say yes!

[creamcracker]

G is 9 weeks old and is feeding so much I don't know where one feed finishes and another starts. I feel like she's always cranky and wanting food and poor DD1 has a mummy who doesn't play anymore . We are getting a good stretch at night which I'm grateful for but I'm dreaming of the day she feeds more efficiently!
My sister feeds her 21 week old in 10 mins flat and says she never had the amount of feeding that I seem to be doing.
Ive had her latch checked and ok'd but her mouth is still small so she isn't getting a proper mouthful but is obviously getting something as we have lots of wet and dirty nappies etc
Her weight gain is on the slower side of normal and she is still on the 0.4th centile weighing only 7lb 7 this week. Last night she slept 7.5 hours but HV wants me to wake her after 6 hours to get more feed in.

Tell me it'll get easier soon please! I'm this close to giving her a bottle.
Thank you!

[Sam]

There are so many growth spurts at that age, it's totally normal and will get easier She's cluster feeding to maintain supply, have you thought about a dream feed in the evening/night to top her up a bit more? I know you probably don't want to give up the stretch she sleeps but it might give you a break at some other point in the morning/day?

[Faith]

Totally normal. And yes, it does get easier!

She sounds exactly like dd1, she wavered under the 0.4 centiles for ever. What I did observe with her though, is her gain went in big fits and starts. So for 2months shed be putting on an oz a week, then one week it would be a pound- her chart looks like a series of steps.

Fortunately I had an ace hv who never advised me to change anything, just monitored ( not weighed more than once a month), looked at her overall health, development, wet nappies etc.

It sounds like your instinct is telling you she's fine. With the waking up for a feed thing, with us it made everything worse. If she had a big sleep she'd wake up starving, have a massive feed, and we'd have longer til the next feed. If I woke her before she was ready, she'd be not hungry enough/too tired to feed properly, and we'd be back to small amounts every few minutes until her next sleep.

Its worth considering your hv advice, and seeing if it works for you. But every baby is different, so don't think you have to do what anyone tells you.

Lastly, she's 9 weeks, you could try a dummy? You need to be careful it doesn't cut down her feeding time, but I found it invaluable for sleeps etc rather than having her use me.

Its only for a little longer, so hang in there! It'll get much much easier at 3 months, when you can distract them a little (although mine still fed every 2 hours up to weaning). Then it's only a couple of months til weaning and you can give a rice cake rather than yet another feed!

[creamcracker]

Thanks both. Feeling much better this morning as DH is off so can run after DD1 and I don't feel so stressed!
Sam, we have been giving a dream feed. She feeds all evening and then DH gives her a bottle at 11pm whilst I try to sleep then she goes back to the breast before finally dropping off around 1am ish.

Faith, I think your right. I know this is just her and that her weight gain is fine for her etc. I set my alarm for 7 hours last night and she woke after 6.5. HV is lovely and knows me and my anxiety well! She's coming Monday for a weigh in so we'll see what that brings!

I think I'm better off taking each week as it comes and hopefully we'll be at weaning before I know it!

[parkejm]

Oscar was a marathon feeder, often for 4 hrs for a time until he fell asleep and then started up again when he woke. He also was slow to put on weight but had plenty of wet & dirty nappies so I wasn't worried, he's always been a very slender boy, no rolls of fat here. He also never wanted to feed off both sides like the HV recommended so we stuck to one.

I was always amazed by people who could feed in 10 mins but there's no point comparing yourself to your sister. Everyone is different and eat in different ways, and babies are no different.

Oscar did the marathon feeding thing until he was about 4-5 months old and then slowly it started getting easier although he didn't go through the night properly for another year So stick with it, it definitely gets easier

[violet wallop]

Might breast compression help get more into her? Have a look at the jack Newman website.

Also, has she been checked for tongue tie?

[claireh]

The hard thing about constant feeding is that it does make you very tired. It's really really tough but yes it will get easier.

How about aiming for 3 hour stretches to start with? Inbetween offer a dummy if she fusses. I think I remember you saying you were offering both sides in a previous post. I would do 20 minutes on one side. Wind and then the same on the other side. If she is still wanting to suck after that I would offer a dummy. If she is truly still hungry a dummy won't pacify her! If the dummy doesn't satisfy I would be tempted to offer a top up of formula.

The above approach will allow you both to recover/rest between feeds and I think it is good to encourage them to expect food at regular intervals throughout the day and not a constant stream of milk.

I would stick with the marathon feeds in the evening. It's great tanking them up in the evening and I'm sure getting the chunk of sleep will be doing you the world of good.

[Bert2e]

The hard thing about constant feeding is that it does make you very tired. It's really really tough but yes it will get easier.

How about aiming for 3 hour stretches to start with? Inbetween offer a dummy if she fusses. I think I remember you saying you were offering both sides in a previous post. I would do 20 minutes on one side. Wind and then the same on the other side. If she is still wanting to suck after that I would offer a dummy. If she is truly still hungry a dummy won't pacify her! If the dummy doesn't satisfy I would be tempted to offer a top up of formula.

The above approach will allow you both to recover/rest between feeds and I think it is good to encourage them to expect food at regular intervals throughout the day and not a constant stream of milk.

I would stick with the marathon feeds in the evening. It's great tanking them up in the evening and I'm sure getting the chunk of sleep will be doing you the world of good.

Claireh I'm really sorry but I'm with Faith, this is actually really harmful advice to give to someone who has a baby who isn't feeding efficiently.

Feeding 3 hourly will actually decrease the amount of milk she takes and adversely affect both her weight gain and CC's milk supply. As will restricting the length of feeds and giving a dummy. Giving top ups of formula again will quite possibly decrease CC's milk supply and given in a bottle may well cause even less efficient milk transfer (latch) as the latch changes to accommodate the teat of the bottle.

Small babies are designed to feed frequently as the fat and protein content of our milk does not support long gaps between feeds - mammals such as deer who leave their small babies on their own for long periods of time have much more fat and protein in their milk than we do.

CC I'd really strongly suggest that you go and see a BFC who can talk to you about what's going on here, check for a TT, check for thrush and assess your latch.

[creamcracker]

Thank you All!

It helps to know I'm not the only one with a marathon feeder!

VW, we have tried breast compression after reading about it on another damsel thread and I think it has helped.

Claire, I like your idea about trying 20/20 then dummy. I'm sure sometimes she's not hungry as if we're out and about she goes a lot longer. I think I will give this a bash and see what happens. Maybe I'm too quick to shove a boob in her mouth when she cries. It's just that for such a little baby she can't half scream!
I shall report back!

Thanks again!

[Faith]

Just playing devils advocate

How about aiming for 3 hour stretches to start with?

This is probably too long for a 9 weeker, especially one that is a snacker. Plus if you feed as much as possible during the day, you're more likely to get a good night. When I stretched mine out too much, they had an extra night feed. Every two hours is probably more realistic at this age, then you're getting more feeds in in the day.

Inbetween offer a dummy if she fusses. I think I remember you saying you were offering both sides in a previous post. I would do 20 minutes on one side. Wind and then the same on the other side. If she is still wanting to suck after that I would offer a dummy. If she is truly still hungry a dummy won't pacify her!

What worked for me in the early days was switching boobs every 3 hours to make sure she got hind milk. I fed as often as she wanted, then switched boob. Again, 20 mins is not long for such a young baby, and switching boobs might mean she takes in a lot of fore milk, which will worsen the feeding pattern as she'll still not be satisfied.

If the dummy doesn't satisfy I would be tempted to offer a top up of formula.

My advice would be the exact opposite if you are determined to bf. IME topping up formula is the quickest way to buggering your supply and switching full time to formula. Yes, it works for some, but if you try it and it doesn't work, it is very hard to go back to fully bf. My advice is always offer the boob if you possibly can, unless you've got to that point where you don't care if she switches to formula.

I think it is good to encourage them to expect food at regular intervals throughout the day and not a constant stream of milk.

I disagree. Studies show that frequent feeding, little and often through the day is a much better feeding pattern than fewer big meals, which is an indicator for obesity risk. Their stomachs are teeny at this point, and constant feeding is sometimes the only way they can get adequate calories. If you have a slow weight gain, stretching them out artificially between feeds can actually result in a calorie drop, as they physically can't take in enough in fewer feeds.

I would stick with the marathon feeds in the evening. It's great tanking them up in the evening and I'm sure getting the chunk of sleep will be doing you the world of good.

As you can see, there are lots of things that work for some people and not for others. You don't have to take any advice, read and decide what suits you, and how determined you are to bf. Kellymom is a great resource if you haven't come across it yet.

I still think it sounds like you are doing fine, you just need to find a way of coping with it and your DD1. I used to go to soft play/library anywhere DD1 could play and I could sit and feed.