XP from bfing... Rough Night
DD just started solely BFing on Friday and we
still use a nipple latch. All weekend she maintained her normal sleep
schedule (8pm, 12am, 4am) while just eating from the breast directly.
Last night we had a really rough night, she ate every hour or so... 7pm,
8:30pm, 9:30pm, 11pm, 1am, 2:30am, 4am, 5:30am... I honestly can't see
straight right now! By the middle of the night she was so tired that
she couldn't suck for very long so she didn't eat as much... and a bad
cycle was set. I gave her formula at the 4am to try and hold her over
in addition to what she got from the breast, but it didn't work.
Is this normal? Is she having a huge growth spurt as she gets closer to full term this week?
I feed her on demand during the day and she didn't over sleep yesterday so I don't think she has her days/nights crossed all of a sudden
I thought I had finally banished the pump but here I sit pumping, bumping and trying to soothe a hungry baby. I even cancelled on my friend for coffee today because I have yet to master public bfing and today is not the day to try that too!
Any advice or similar stories would be super helpful!
Re: XP from bfing... Rough Night
Oh wow, you must be super tired - well, you found the right board to post on. Welcome
Yes, that's normal. You will probably find yourself just laying around all day BF'ing while baby snoozes pre/mid/post sessions and that's normal for premature babies. Unless weight gain is showing otherwise you don't need to "hold her over" with formula or expressed milk - she'll just keep eating. My LC said that "filling up" thing can set you back - or if you're trying to EBF then adding pump cycles is going to trick your body and put you in a different bind. Are you trying to EBF?
Another thing to prepare yourself for (mentally) is that NB-age lasts a lot longer with preemies. It will be hard because if you're meeting moms of FT babies who BF fine in public they're not going to understand or be able to advise a lot of what you're going through right at this moment. Things will eventually even out, but it's just a different scene for us moms.
Please don't worry about "cycles" either - you're still counting in gestational weeks - meaning babe should still be in you. Then you start counting like you just had her.
Thanks for all the encouraging words Urban! We've done lots of lounging today, no laundry or dishes have gotten done and they will just have to wait.
I never really got the chance to ebf because I was discharged before her and wasn't making enough milk to get ahead and have some at the hospital. We did the best we could and went to the hospital for 6 of the 8 or so feedings a day... driving the half hour to the hospital every 2 hours killed us but thankfully that was only for a short time. Those extra feedings were with formula. She was also under phototherapy so I only had 1/2 an hour for a feeding which was rough, then she went back into the nursery.
I thought my milk had come in but there have been hiccups, around 2 weeks and then starting Friday my milk came in hardcore and now I just don't know.
I do keep reminding myself that she is still in the negatives for adjusted age, but its hard because others don't see her that way and she is so on track in other ways.
Thanks again for the supportive words!
You're welcome! I understand - I think we all do here which is why premature moms are often found in herds
Nobody else will understand - and that's OK! While it's good that they don't it leaves us in limbo. Who do we relate to? Each other 
It's good that you let the dishes go - I had to do that, too, and today they are done and there is no evidence left over from those days of lounging and practicing. My carpet is vacuumed (I think) and DS is playing in a box with his dinosaurs.
Those are a lot of feedings at the hospital - good for you! We couldn't even try for weeks, then once a day (maybe if he was rested enough), and then a few rounds of billi lights in the beginning, but we weren't even at bottle feeds then. It's a long road! Lots of hurdles.