Baby wants boob all the time - help

superdood

This is very common at around 6 weeks and the most common point that mothers tend to give up breastfeeding out of frustration, I did with my first!
At around 6 weeks baby has a bit of a growth spurt and needs a bit more milk than before, the milk needs to be more fatty than what you've been producing so far but your body hasn't yet caught up to that fact, so instaed baby feeds more often to get all it needs, this is a good thing because it stimulates your hormones to tell your boobs to start making better milk (this is how health visitor explained it to me) and will catch up in a few days time. These growth spurts occur at approx 6 weeks, 12 weeks and again at 6 months apparently. Don't give up.
Also, are you aware that baby needs atleast 20 minutes on each breast at every feed to be sufficiently full, otherwise they'll just need feeding again as soon as you get comfy on the sofa- I know 40 mins of feeding, but saves time in the long run. I never went with feeding on demand with my little man, 20 minutes each breast approx every 4 hours was our routine and worked for me....
If it's not this then baby might just want to suck for comfort, give baby a dummy or help them find their thumb
Or colic? if baby is just crying for no apparent reason, colic drops like infacol are good.
Strange that theres no breastfeeding support thread on here.

Tinyshoes

Just to say had the same problem with all of my 3 around 6 weeks and 3 months as last post describes. Stick with it, once you are producing more milk it will settle down.

cleopatra4485

No I have no intension of stopping, as hard as this is, I really couldn't be bothered with all the sterilising, making up formula etc. Especially at 5/6 in the morning. Easier just to pop her in bed with me at that time and whip her on the boob.

I will put her on both boobs then, everyone has said this, it was just that one HV that had the opinion of one boob.

If there isn't a breastfeeding support thread, I could change the title of this and if someone could advice of a suitable opening paragraph, before my question?

I really am pro breastfeeding and as a first time mum of 24, I really think more girls should go with it. Its horrible that this society makes it so 'humiliating' and 'wrong' I wont do it in public because of that

pukkamum

ah yes the joys of the growth spurt.
I remember with my eldest being sat on the couch feeding him when DH went to work and being in exactly the same place when he came back hours later.

To his question haven't you moved from there all morning (joking) i burst into tears and said the only time i had moved was to pee!!!!!

Chin up love it doesn't last forever, enjoy the enforced rest (after all you can't be expected to do anything when you are constantyly feeding) and get your dh to hire you some dvd's to watch (i watched the whole set of cold feet).

P.s as for the public feeding please don't say never there is going to come a point you will have to do it. I got myself so worked up about it with my first every trip had to be planned around feeds and it was awful.
With my second i didn't care and was almost relishing being challenged in public so i could get on my high horse (it never happened) i always found a poncho the best thing to sheild you from prying eyes xx

Marcheline

You're doing it on one boob only??!! God, you poor thing, no wonder it's been difficult.

What silly advice from the Health Visitor. Why does she think you have a pair, rather than just one in the middle?

EDITED: Don't feel ashamed about breastfeeding in public. I'm 24 too, but had my daughter at 21 and I used to breastfeed her in public all the time. You'll get good at being discreet with practise. If it really does make you uncomfortable - but you'd like to do it anyway - maybe just drape a muslin wipe over your shoulder, so that it covers the 'business end' of things while you little one is feeding.

tiamai_d

Yeah growth spurt.

If you google 'breast ... actually, go to the kellymom site and search for breast compression, I remember googling it once, got some 'interesting' results! Anyway, try kellymom, for compression and massage tips. These helped me a lot when BF DD and she was losing weight.

It is hard, but it is worth it and the sterilising and making up bottles according to 'guidelines' is rotten (I stopped BF at 13 weeks) oh and come growth spurt time, they feed just as often on formula anyway. BF was a lot easier on the whole.

cleopatra4485

What silly advice from the Health Visitor. Why does she think you have a pair, rather than just one in the middle?

I really did just LOL at this comment

and get your dh to hire you some dvd's to watch (i watched the whole set of cold feet).

Yes good excuse for him to get me the sex and the city boxset, so I can sit watching it before dd understands what is being said in it

Out and about in the car and her pushchair is the only time she has long sleeps during the day and have only been faced with the public breastfeeding once having lunch with the mother, we sat in a corner booth so no-one could see, but I convinced myself and my mum that the waiter kept coming over to perv :rotfl:

fsdss

hi cleopatra

i am a breastfeeding support worker for the nhs, though that only that forms a very small part of my role.
its true that baby is going through a growth spurt at around this time and will constantly feed.
a couple of suggestions, - continue doing as your doing for the time being - make sure you have plenty of fluids - and maybe up your eating habits to 5 small meals a day (i know this may sound bizarre but it can actually work). and plenty of rest!!!!
for those that dont mind a dummy this can help with the constant suckling stage however remove when not needed as to not build up dependency on it.
kangaroo care is another good one - try using a baby sling, it may help.
infant massage to relieve any colic wind / unsettledness.

when i get a spare day i will download loads of bumph from different experts (laleche / NCT / NHS) that i have picked up throughout the years in the hope this helps

cleopatra4485

tiamai_d wrote: »

Yeah growth spurt.

If you google 'breast ... actually, go to the kellymom site and search for breast compression, I remember googling it once, got some 'interesting' results! Anyway, try kellymom, for compression and massage tips. These helped me a lot when BF DD and she was losing weight.

It is hard, but it is worth it and the sterilising and making up bottles according to 'guidelines' is rotten (I stopped BF at 13 weeks) oh and come growth spurt time, they feed just as often on formula anyway. BF was a lot easier on the whole.

and the number one money saving option :T

aparantly there are some baby massage classes I might go to

tiamai_d

cleopatra4485 wrote: »

and the number one money saving option :T

aparantly there are some baby massage classes I might go to

Dunno... I developed a pump addiction! I had 3 at one point, and medela ones at that!

I meant breast massage, I thought of it as shaking a bottle of expressed stuff (you know how the fattier milk sits at the top?), it helps the hindmilk come through quicker and releases the fatty globules of the milk from the ducts quicker.

But baby massage is good too :rotfl: