Breastfeeding

Cluster feeding!

I am so overwhelmed with the cluster feeding! My son is 2 weeks old tomorrow and he likes to feed hours at a time. I've tried swaddling him, putting him down, rocking him, putting him in a vibrating cuddle cove, a swing, a pacifier, singing to him and dancing with him. I feel like he's using my breast as a comfort but he just cries unless he's on my boob when he is cluster feeding! It's very exhausting, I'm a first time mother and I'm trying my best but this is so overwhelming! Any advice??

Re: Cluster feeding!

  • Definitely just hang in there and know that it gets better. My DS is 8weeks and I remember feeling just like you the first few weeks. I remember thinking it felt like he was breaking my boobs! But my advice is to surrender
    to it and remember that a lot of the time he IS nursing for comfort. He's still getting used to his new world and you're the one person who can make him comfortable. Looking at it that way made it empowering and I knew I'd get through...and you will too. So get comfy on the sofa and enjoy your time with your LO. It goes by so quickly!
  • Thank you for your advice! It just gets to be so overwhelming when I'm on the 4th or 5th hour of feeding and he screams if I try to take him off!
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  • It will get better! I remember being glued to the couch all day. It was awful at the time. Now he eats quickly and moves on. Hang in there!
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  • Hang in there!! It gets SO much better!! I almost quit at week 4... I was certain I was going to collapse from exhaustion/boredom/shoulder pains .. and then all of a sudden, it got better.

    My suggestion -- find a guilty pleasure TV series on Netflix (or buy/rent one if you don't have Netflix) to watch. Mine is Desperate Housewives. I wouldn't have made it this long without it!!

    BabyFruit Ticker
  • imagerinne129:
    Hang in there!! It gets SO much better!! I almost quit at week 4... I was certain I was going to collapse from exhaustion/boredom/shoulder pains .. and then all of a sudden, it got better. My suggestion find a guilty pleasure TV series on Netflix or buy/rent one if you don't have Netflix to watch. Mine is Desperate Housewives. I wouldn't have made it this long without it!!


    I second this suggestion! Mine is The Voice and anything on Bravo.

    Plus, keep your eye on the prize. It gets so much better pretty quickly, and they start to watch you and smile while feeding. It's so worth the difficult first few weeks.
  • My best advice:

    1- stick with it. It will not last forever. Just hunker down and give in.  It's what she needs and it's temporary.  I wish I would have known this with my first baby. 

    2- try a carrier. My dd loves to cluster feed and I realized quickly she just wants to be close. So, I put her in our manduca or k'tan once she's had a good solid feed and she burrows in and nods off. Finally, a week later, her feeding is more organized and I'm now starting to experiment with her sleeping in a bouncy chair or rock n play or pack n play.  she's so light right now that wearing her is not a bother. And, I can cook/clean/interact with others with ease wearing her. 

    Good luck!  Hang in there! 

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  • I'm so happy that I'm not alone on this one! I'll find a new series on Netflix and I'll try the carrier that we have! I didn't know if it was safe to put him in it yet since he's only 2 weeks !! Thanks for the advice!
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