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Babies: 0 - 3 Months
xp: bf-ing mom's, i need advice!
My DS is 10 days old. Breastfeeding has been going great from the start, he latches great and eats great. When we saw a LC when he was 5 days old, we were told that he ate 2.5 ounce on one side and then 1.5 ounces on the other side at one feeding, so I know he's getting my milk and growing.
I just need some advice. It seems that at night/early morning he eats for HOURS on end. I know that he is most likely cluster feeding, but I'm not completely sure. Is it because my supply is lower at night? If so, how do I get a better supply at night time? Will pumping help??
I'm just worried that he is going to start associating me holding him with the need to feed, and I'm not sure that he is necessarily always hungry. Is this something I should be worried about or not at this point? I also don't want all of his 'awake' time throughout the days to be spent just feeding if he's not even hungry. I really don't want to give him a paci...but I'm also not sure how to tell if he is just sucking for comfort or if he is eating.
Sorry if this all sounds naive. I just want to make sure that I'm doing what's best for my little guy...and being a first time mom and having no friends/family who have EBF'd, I have no one else to pose these questions to...any help or advice would be WONDERFUL 
TIA!
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Re: xp: bf-ing mom's, i need advice!
Hmm- I would not pump to increase your supply. You might find that in a couple days your LO is not nursing so much for hours on end - when they do that (if he is actively sucking), he is most likely working on increasing your supply, which takes 3-4 days for your body to respond to his demands.
I would say try to figure out if he is really hungry by his cry. Most babies have the same "neh" sound at the beginning of their cries for food. My LO definitely has this cry when she's hungry so I can tell whether she's ready to nurse, just fussing and will take the pacifier, or tired. Checkout the below site - it really helped me:
https://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=4052428020269668962#
Definitely a cluster feeding. Dont worry though. I would keep him on the breast as much as possible but I have no advice how to help him feed more during those times. My son is 18 days old and cluster feeds alost everytime I put him on the breast so I have been pumping and giving him breastmilk via bottle about 3 times a day
I hope you have persistance and perhaps keep him abreast until he learns to eat more. Good Luck with everything!
Day 10 was the worse. It is a growth spurt day. Get thru the weekend and it should get better.
And yes, your supply goes down in the evening. The only thing to do is stay hydrated and fed and resign yourself to the couch, at least for the next day or so.
If you do decide to pump, what I do is pump in the morning on 1 side while she ate off the other. I did this most days, just the 1 time a day. I think I started at about 7 days pp, and with no other pumping session was able to build up a freezer stash for going back to work at 8 weeks. Then on the nights were I felt too empty or exhausted and she seemed famished, I would have dh feed her from the stash and I would go to bed until the next feeding. I was scared of doing it too often and having my supply dip. But I only did it occasionally. I also believe when I am more rested my supply is better anyway.
He's still very, very little and cluster feeding is normal. It will feel like they're on the breast constantly and that's normal too. It DOES get better and in a few weeks he'll have more awake time where he doesn't have to eat every time he is held. My baby girl is to that point now at 5 weeks old.
So don't pump, let him breastfeed and know that in the near future it will get easier and easier.
Oh, I just re-read your question. About the paci - My dd was nursing for 20-30 minutes each side every 2 hours in the beginning. So I was spending like 50% of my time nursing. At my 2 week pedi appointment her weight was good and the pedi said that she is just comfort nursing and to pull her off after maximum of 15 minutes a side. And just give her a paci. If she was still hungry she would not be ok with the paci. Now, I can tell the difference between active swallowing and comfort sucking and she only nurses like 15 minutes max between the two sides combined. But in the beginning it is hard to tell.
I wouldn't worry about it, he's still very very young and your supply is still establishing. You are not establishing any habits at all at this point. You will hear him swallowing if he is eating...and it's rhythmic (i.e. suck, suck, suck, pause, suck, suck, suck, pause). If he's continuously sucking then that's comfort sucking.
At this age they don't really stay awake for much of anything more than eating.
He will get much more efficient at eating at about 1 month old, and won't fall asleep at the breast before he's eaten enough to hold him over longer. Right now, if he's hungry, just feed him, even if it seems like he just ate a little while ago.
Good luck and enjoy snuggling your newborn, they get so big so quick!
BFP 12/19/08- DS born 8/25/09 9lbs2oz via Zavanelli Maneuver
BFP 8/26/11- Missed miscarriage discovered 10/19/11 at 11w2d, measured at 9 weeks gestation w/ no HB. D&C 10/21/11
BFP 3/17/12 at 12dpo CP 3/21/12
BFP 4/23/12 at 10dpo Stick my little one! Beta #1: 83.3 @ 13dpo Beta #2: 197.7 @ 15dpo
Our little man is getting bigger every day!
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