LGBT Parenting

Is/was your 4wo a milk monster?

B's been eating pretty consistently every 3-4 hours since his first week of life.  Tomorrow he will be 4 weeks.  Yesterday he started cluster-feeding in the evening, only waiting 1.5-2 hours between feedings.  I think we got one 3-hour stretch at night but now this morning he is back to every 2 hours and FUSSY.  I think he would eat nonstop if we let him!  My wife asked Dr. Google and found a lot of stuff from moms who said their kids started eating a ton around 4w, so maybe it is normal?  All I know is my nipples are killing me and if this is going to last for any length of time, I think they might actually fall off.  My wife thinks we should supplement with formula just to give me a break.  I've been pumping to try to intro a bottle of bm but the bottle I have in fridge only has 1.5oz in it and I can't fathom pumping today on top of every-2-hour feedings.

Did anyone else experience anything like this?  If this is going to last a day or two I can make it...if it's a week or two I'm jumping on Team Formula.
Married my wife 8/2007 ~ TTC #1 since 7/2011
9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
*Everyone welcome*

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Re: Is/was your 4wo a milk monster?

  • I'll be back!! :)
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  • KH826KH826 member
    So, by 4 weeks we were already team formula and my pitiful milk supply had dried up, but YES! Will could not get enough to eat. I remember this time frame vividly because we were in the hospital with him (he was admitted on his 1 month bday). The longest he ever went from 4-6 weeks was 3 hours, but often times after 2 hours he would be screaming to eat. It is pretty unmistakable when my son is hungry v. Just run of the mill fussy. He furiously rubs his face against our shirts and tries to suck on our necks when we are holding him over the shoulder. He clenches his fists together and tries to shove them in his mouth. Nothing other than a bottle will calm him when he gets like that. I was really nervous we were over feeding him and he was already a big boy, so I was really worried about that. But the pedi told us we were doing the right thing and he was having a growth spurt. They were right! He gained a pound and grew over an inch in length that week we were in the hospital. We started giving him 4 oz at a instead of 3 oz at about 5 weeks and that seemed to make a difference. He is 7 weeks now and still taking 4 oz at a time but eating much less frequently most days. He will go 7 hours overnight now and the sometimes 4 hours during the day. My experience is that they need a little extra around that time of life. I know this doesn't help in terms of your BF concerns and feeding that frequently, I'm sorry.... I just wanted you to know that I think what B is doing is totally typical for his age (based on my limited experience).

    Me - 30, My wife - 31 , Together for 10 yrs - Married August 2012

    5 medicated IUIs w/ RE (March - July 2013) = BFN

    Fresh IVF Cycle in September 2013 resulted in 18 mature eggs, 16 fertilized, 12 made it to day 5. Transfer of 2 Grade A blastocysts on 9/15/13, and 10 embryos in the freezer!      *****BFP on 9/25/13 - betas: @10dp5dt = 232; @12dp5dt = 465; @15dp5dt = 1,581   *********William George born June 4, 2014*********
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  • YES! And now he's 5 months old weighing 19 lbs so he still is a milk monster!!

    He's probably going thru a growth spurt which they do often in the newborn days. Have you looked at the wonder leaps app? It roughly shows the milestones time frame and when you can expect a spurt.

    I remember ours eating every hour fir days/weeks on end. We talked to our pedi who said that he shouldn't need to eat so often and try spacing it out to every 2-3 hours during the day. Well try telling a fussy baby he can't eat "cause it's not time". They don't take to well to that. We just decided to feed on demand which was hard even with 2 moms bf so I can't imagine you having to do it all.

    I think I remember you mentioned B being possibly colicky. With R nursing was the only thing to calm him down.

    Hang in there and I'm a big believer in you gotta do what you gotta do in order to survive. Giving a bottle of formula and replacing it with a pump session will give you a head start on your freezer stock and give those nips a nice needed break.
  • JGYJGY member

    Yes, totally normal.

    With G, he was such a lazy nurser that in the evening cluster-feeding timeframe I would often only get 30-45 minute breaks.  And nature has a wonderful way of having this particular period of time overlap with the time when your nipples are seriously at their worst.  Eff you, nature!

    @karlamo is wise, I was also going to caution you that if you supplement but don't pump at that time, your supply could take a hit.  So if you choose to supplement and can stand to pump, I'd do it.  I always made it more tolerable by watching some guilty pleasure TV, or part of a movie or something.

    Also, it wasn't all that helpful for me, but a lactaction consultant can prescribe some APNO ointment for your nipples if they are bothering you.  That might help buy you a little bit more time before you lose your mind.

    Sending hugs.  I vividly remember how frustrating this stage can be.

     

    Married to my amazing wife 6/12/10 
    TTC since 6/11
    Unmedicated IUI #1 - 6/28/11 - BFN
    Unmedicated IUI #2 - 7/25/11 - BFN
    Robotic Myomectomy (Fibroid Surgery) - 11/15/11
    Unmedicated IUI #3 - 4/24/12 - BFN 
    Progesterone Supported Leuteal Phase IUI #4 - 6/21/12 - BFP!!
    Baby Boy G Born 3/24/13

    On to #2, are we crazy?
    IUI #1 - 11/28/14 - BFP!  Beta #1 (11DPO) 34, Beta #2 (13DPO) 101, Beta #3 (20DPO) 3043
    Ultrasound at 6w4d shows a single, fluttering heartbeat.  Say hello to Sticky Ricki!

     

    image

  • Lifesavers, all of you. Will type more when I don't have a baby sleeping on me, but this is super helpful.
    Married my wife 8/2007 ~ TTC #1 since 7/2011
    9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
    IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
    ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
    FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
    Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
    FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
    EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
    *Everyone welcome*

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  • Totally normal. FWIW, here's my experience -

    I still had some degree of toe curling pain until 5-6 weeks. I haven't had any pain since then. Just takes time for the nipples to adjust.

    Ash started eating every 2 hours during the day around 4 weeks... and kept at it until about 3 or 4 months. It was TOUGH. Back then he took about 30-45 minutes to nurse and was nursing every 2 hours from the start of one session to the start of the next. Did not leave much time in between. And I recall 4 weeks being a very fussy period. At that point in time, I felt like you have described - I didn't enjoy BF-ing, I felt overwhelmed, and I'm not sure that you feel like this, but I also felt guilty that I didn't enjoy BF-ing and found myself mildly annoyed at my lil guy.

    Since I had questionable supply issues, I was adamant about not supplementing simply because I was seriously afraid that my would supply plummet if I did.

    And just an FYI about pumping - it's totally normal for your body to take time to get accustomed to the pump. The more you pump, the better your body will respond to it.

    Not sure if you are getting out if the house much yet (I've said before that 6 weeks was the turning point for me). For some reason, being out about in the real world made everything seem more manageable - even if I needed to stop and nurse him every couple hours.

    Oh, and one more thing, I saw an article once about "milk capacity," which is different for everyone. I think I was in the category of having less milk at any given time, meaning I had a baby who needed to eat smaller meals more frequently. Women who have larger capacities have babies who get bigger meals with less frequency. So, that may explain why Ash ate so frequently for so long.
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  • M is a milk monster (like 2 hours straight nursing with maybe 10 minute breaks) and has been since about 3 weeks.Thankfully it's not everyday though. I loved it at first since he got such a slow start, but now it's exhausting and frustrating at times. 

    My initial nipple pain lasted for 2 weeks, but just statred again. M seems to have developed a pretty shallow latch all of a sudden. I'd recommend trying a different nursing position to see if that helps, it's helping a little over here, and lots of coconuit oil. I keep telling myself its' temporary and it will get easier soon. 


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  • @KH826 -- we get more of a head bob -- how a baby who allegedly has no head/neck control can bop off our chests that vigorously is a mystery to me.  Anything for milk, right?

    @Karlamo -- agreed about telling a fussy baby "no" -- sometimes I wonder what kind of children pedis think they are treating??

    @Karlamo and @JGY, thanks for the reminder to pump when I supplement!

    @JGY, our pedi actually recommended asking my OB for APNO.  I called today and the nurse told me they don't prescribe it unless there's thrush bc the steroids in it can thin the skin which might make matters worse.  They recommended Medihoney instead; now I have to see if I can find it somewhere.

    @ATXMommas, I appreciate that you used the term "toe-curling" because I have literally curled my toes in pain while he's latching and worried that was a bad sign.  If it went away for you, that's a good thing.  I do think I just need them to toughen up but it's no fun waiting for that to happen.  And yes, I get annoyed with him.  It's a good thing he's cute.

    Of course after I wrote the post, he's actually slept for some good stretches today, but he also cluster-fed midday, so who knows.  I had some friends over today who have an 11-weeker who is mostly formula fed (supply issues) so we chatted formula recs and pumping advice today and I feel like I have lots of info.  Not going to jump into the formula thing right away but I'm definitely considering supplementing.  In the meantime it is comforting to know you have all been there and have some sense of when it will get better.  Many thanks!
    Married my wife 8/2007 ~ TTC #1 since 7/2011
    9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
    IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
    ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
    FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
    Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
    FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
    EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
    *Everyone welcome*

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  • @ball.and.chain.  I used Motherlove ointment for my nipples after most nursing sessions. Coconut oil can also be good. I also used the gel packs, I forgot what they were called, they're not refrigerated. They were "ok" but the gel would get sticky after an hour and pulling anything sticky off sore nipples was not a good idea. :(  I have to echo @ATXmommas that the pain does get better right around 4-6 weeks.  So you're almost there.  It was actually worse with Owen and it so frustrating when you just want to relax and then it hurts so much!  Our midwife who is also an LC explained there are most often two common complaints regarding the pain, latch oriented or let down oriented.  For me it was the latch, and trying different positions definitely helped. I tend to slouch and then I would get terrible neck and back pain on top of it all.

    Owen did the same thing and nursed more frequently around 4 weeks. And now at 12 weeks he is hardly sleeping (UGH!) and nursing, playing or gassy.  Its supposedly another wonder week.  @karlamo- knowing when the "wonder weeks" are is really helpful.

    Hope you get a break soon, be it from a bottle or B sleeping or maybe both!!
  • I had a big problem with plugged ducts - ouch! Lethicin did wonders for me. The other thing that really helped was a hot shower - I would direct the hot water towards the plugged area for a few minutes, then massage firmly and hand express at the same time. Nursing is great too, but I found that hand expression worked better for me.
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  • @ATXMommas, what is a shower? Just kidding...thanks for the tips!
    Married my wife 8/2007 ~ TTC #1 since 7/2011
    9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
    IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
    ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
    FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
    Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
    FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
    EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
    *Everyone welcome*

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  • KarlamoKarlamo member
    edited July 2014
    It's all about making the moms and baby happy! Glad you found yours. As for the clogged duct my suggestion may tie in with the QOTW parenting thread
    My wife suffered from clog ducts and when all else failed to get them out I stepped in and sucked it out myself :P ;)
  • Haha @karlamo I had a clogged duct as well and told my wife that I read that would get rid of it, she didn't want to help me out though :(


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  • @redrockmama, mine wouldn't either!
    Married my wife 8/2007 ~ TTC #1 since 7/2011
    9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
    IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
    ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
    FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
    Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
    FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
    EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
    *Everyone welcome*

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