Need input from BF moms

marleysmom · May 2011

I pump during the day at work, and BF my 11-weeker a couple of times in the evenings after work and a couple of times overnight. My supply is great. My son usually takes 3-4 4-5oz bottles at daycare during the week. When I was home with him this weekend, he BF at least every hour from 2pm-8pm both days, sometimes every 30 min. He typically takes one side, and maybe a tiny bit from the other side. If I try to get him to take more he sucks a couple of times then spits out the nipple. If I am persistent it usually backfires and he spits up a ton. If he can take 5oz at a time at daycare then last 3+ hours until the next bottle, why is he eating so frequently on the weekend? When we did a weighed feeding just prior to when I returned to work, he quickly ate 4oz from the breast so I know he can get that much from me. Any ideas on how to get him to consolidate his feedings or is this just a growth spurt? It's impossible to get anything done when I'm feeding him so frequently!

KerryHS · May 2011

I stopped BF at about 12 weeks so I am not the most experienced person, but it sounds like he is snacking on you or using you to soothe. I always knew that I wasn't going to nurse long term (I was hoping for 6 months, but it didn't work out that way) so I was always really manic about not using nursing as a soothing tool. I would feed on demand, but within reason. IMO your son can't be hungry within 30 minutes. Try soothing him another way - pacifier, swaddle, swing, bounce, go outside - anything but feeding him. Sorry if this isn't helpful - hopefully someone with more nursing experience will respond. Good luck.

mrstarawalsh · May 2011

He may just be comfort feeding. Try distracting him and not offering him the breast right away unless you know for sure he's hungry. DD did this as well. I work overnights and when I stopped taking her to work with me the days I was home at night she would be attached to the boob allllllll night long, but then her dad says she sleeps all night when she's with him waking maybe once for a bottle.

jenny1980 · May 2011

Sorry, I really disagree with pp advice (the first who responded).

nursing on demand is the best way to keep your supply up and there's nothing wrong with comfort nursing, especially at this age. he's still a tiny baby--letting him nurse away is great for both of you. :-)

3 months is definitely a growth spurt time, so he's likely increasing your supply right now because he needs more calories.

dd is 16 months and still has days on the weekends or when i'm home where she'll nurse a ton--and that's totally okay.

bunny731 · May 2011

He certainly can be comfort feeding and/or going through a growth spurt.

You get more hindmilk from pumping-that milk requires less volume to keep him fuller longer. You may want to try pumping after he eats and offering that too (or offering it next feed) and it might keep him a little more satisfied.

sensoregurl · May 2011

jenny1980:

Sorry, I really disagree with pp advice (the first who responded).

nursing on demand is the best way to keep your supply up and there's nothing wrong with comfort nursing, especially at this age. he's still a tiny baby--letting him nurse away is great for both of you. :-)

3 months is definitely a growth spurt time, so he's likely increasing your supply right now because he needs more calories.

dd is 16 months and still has days on the weekends or when i'm home where she'll nurse a ton--and that's totally okay.

This. If you want to keep your supply up and respond to his growth spurts let him nurse.

DallasHorn · May 2011

sensoregurl:
jenny1980:

Sorry, I really disagree with pp advice (the first who responded).

nursing on demand is the best way to keep your supply up and there's nothing wrong with comfort nursing, especially at this age. he's still a tiny baby--letting him nurse away is great for both of you. :-)

3 months is definitely a growth spurt time, so he's likely increasing your supply right now because he needs more calories.

dd is 16 months and still has days on the weekends or when i'm home where she'll nurse a ton--and that's totally okay.

This. If you want to keep your supply up and respond to his growth spurts let him nurse.

Agree. I would also add, 5 oz for an 11 week old is a lot. BF babies do NOT continually increase their bottle intake like FF babies do. BM changes consistency to meet baby's need; formula can not and simply must be offered in ever increasing amounts.

mooretiggr · May 2011

jenny1980:
Sorry, I really disagree with pp advice (the first who responded).
nursing on demand is the best way to keep your supply up and there's nothing wrong with comfort nursing, especially at this age. he's still a tiny baby--letting him nurse away is great for both of you. :-)
3 months is definitely a growth spurt time, so he's likely increasing your supply right now because he needs more calories.
dd is 16 months and still has days on the weekends or when i'm home where she'll nurse a ton--and that's totally okay.

this / if you have the time, enjoy the bonding. if you have something that takes priority to that then have someone else distract baby. I've learned its a lot easier to get the boob off of DDs mind when I'm not the one trying to distract her... Out of sight, out of mind kind of thing.

shihtzu51 · May 2011

I agree with pp about on demand nursing to keep supply up. My son would only take 4 oz bottles every 3-4 hours at daycare - he never increased beyond this even when I would add more breastmilk to the bottle for him. But he would nurse every 1-2 hours from 5 pm til 11 pm then all day on the weekends. I never had a problem with my supply and was able to nurse for 19 months. He stayed at the 5th percentile for weight his entire 1st year, so he definitely wasn't overfeeding. It does get a little exhausting to nurse that often, but it was good bonding time for us.

Angela814 · May 2011

jenny1980:
Sorry, I really disagree with pp advice (the first who responded).
nursing on demand is the best way to keep your supply up and there's nothing wrong with comfort nursing, especially at this age. he's still a tiny baby--letting him nurse away is great for both of you. :-)
3 months is definitely a growth spurt time, so he's likely increasing your supply right now because he needs more calories.
dd is 16 months and still has days on the weekends or when i'm home where she'll nurse a ton--and that's totally okay.

I agree with all of this.

Tikat · May 2011

Sounds like you're a human paci to me

He is comfort feeding - so the only thing you can do is see if you can distract him otherwise...when you're trying to get things done...otherwise enjoy the bonding...

h2babe · May 2011

jenny1980:
Sorry, I really disagree with pp advice (the first who responded).
nursing on demand is the best way to keep your supply up and there's nothing wrong with comfort nursing, especially at this age. he's still a tiny baby--letting him nurse away is great for both of you. :-)
3 months is definitely a growth spurt time, so he's likely increasing your supply right now because he needs more calories.
dd is 16 months and still has days on the weekends or when i'm home where she'll nurse a ton--and that's totally okay.

This. I am still going strong (10-month) tomorrow because I let DD eat whenever she wants when she's with me.

ak1234 · May 2011

He's 11 weeks old...just let him nurse. It could be a growth spurt, or he could be reverse cycling. This phase doesn't last forever. FYI - my son never took both sides at a feeding.

celiabwatson · May 2011

It could be a growth spurt, it could be comfort, it could be that he's finally figured out that you're gone sometimes and he wants to take advantage of the times when you're around. My son can go all day without a bottle (ok, he does cow's milk in a sippy now, but before it was a bottle) if he wants to, but if I'm around he's going to nurse. Babies are smart and they want what they want. Let him eat. If it's really every 30 minutes make sure you rest and drink lots of fluids in between. This too shall pass.

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