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July 2015 Moms
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HELP! 15 hours of constant feeding!!

bazzie88bazzie88 member
in July 2015 Moms
Hello all,

My baby is 3 days old and we were released from the hospital yesterday afternoon, so we are coming up on 24 hours of being at home.

In the hospital we were getting a really good rythym for breastfeeding and things were going really well. But since we have been home my baby has been demand feeding and she has been at the breast for about 16 of the last 24 hours. I'm exhausted, she's exhausted, I just don't know what to do!

After getting a total of 6 hours of sleep the last 5 days my husband stepped in for me and gave the baby some formula so that I could sleep a little bit.

My question is, is this normal? Has anyone else dealt with this? How did you handle it? I know that at some point we have to turn the corner, I just need some positive encouragement until we get there! It's just so hard to see my little perfect angle so upset and frustrated all the time. She must be EXHAUSTED too... she has not slept much at all other than when she dozes off while feeding.

Please, positive demand feeding advice only. I know not everyone believes this is the way to feed a child, but honestly, I don't care. This is what I'm going for, and I really need to hear some positive encouragement from other like-minded people.
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Re: HELP! 15 hours of constant feeding!!

  • fridley6fridley6 member
    Has your milk came in yet? When we got home from the hospital the first 2-3 nights were like this and it was extremely exhausting. She would feed, then literally 5 min later need to feed again. Day 4 my milk came in and it was night and day difference, she was fuller and slept more. They just constantly cluster feed the first few nights.
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  • clairelangeclairelange member
    Awww god I literally feel your pain:(

    Make sure she's swallowing and not just using you as a human pacifier... If so use your pinkie to break the latch and take her off. My LO was doing this and it resulted in sore nipples! In the end we caved and gave him a pacifier... Best thing we did! Haha. He loves it and is very soothed by it (obvs do what you think is best)
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  • randa923randa923 member
    She probably going through a growth spurt and your milk may not be fully in. Tge cluster feedings are very hard to deal with. My guy is 1 month and eating pretty much every hour while he's awake. Luckily they don't last too long. Let your hubby step in now and then so you can rest and know it does get better. Good luck!
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  • jessieR358jessieR358 member
    Make sure baby is awake feeding and actively swallowing. Undress, skin to skin, pat, tickle feet. I would unlatch after 30 minutes each breast. My baby ate constantly the first several days. He still eats every 2 hours at 4 weeks.
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  • mers90mers90 member
    It's normal ... And it's normal to feel exhausted too. I had super sore bleeding nipples when we left the hospital and she wanted to be at the breast all day, even when I had no milk ... I will tell you that I think it helped my milk supply because it came in the second day we were home and since them I'm a cow ...
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  • WSatisfiedPWSatisfiedP member
    edited August 2015
    Baby is trying to establish supply. Giving formula is only going to make the problem worse. It will affect supply...unless you just want to formula feed. Any time you replace baby's feedings with formula you tell your body that baby did not eat, which causes your body to slow milk production
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  • qtjo5qtjo5 member
    My baby is one month old and is still on demand feeding. He doesn't really have a set schedule day to day other then when he is fussy I latch him and he eats. I won't give a pacifier because I don't want to mistake soothing for him actually being hungry and it messing up my supply for him.
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  • crysr08crysr08 member
    My baby did this for a day or two, then someone suggested to me that I should try gas drops. They said he could be eating to soothe his stomach. I tried them and every thing got better and back to normal. Wouldn't hurt to try.
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  • FarfalleBella09FarfalleBella09 member
    Go to kellymom and look up Baby's second night
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  • shaley29shaley29 member
    Definitely normal, especially when demand feeding. Your milk probably isn't in yet, but baby feeding will help it come in! I've also been supplementing with formula after baby sucks on both breasts for at least 20 min each, this way she is still telling my body she wants to eat, and gets the food she needs as well. I started giving her a pacifier a few days ago as well bc she sometimes used my breast as one, which is ok but sometimes you just need a break. Thankfully she hasn't had any nipple confusion and is growing like a champ (2 weeks old). Do what you feel is best for you and baby!
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  • dunn1678dunn1678 member
    Oh I feel your pain! This happened to me and my LO. Due to the mass amount of blood I lost during labor my milk didn't come in until 5 days after birth. So day 3 and 4 were just her on my boob constantly! It was so frustrating for everyone but I knew her being on my breast was the best thing for her.

    We also had a lactation consultation on day 5 which helped me realize what was going on and how to help baby. We ended up needing to supplement but we did it on the breast with a syringe and tube to help increase my supply. If you have access to a lactation consultant I highly recommend it. I am a FTM and need all the help I could get!

    Good luck, I know it will get better for you!
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  • eclohoecloho member
    @fridley6 the exact same thing happened to me when we returned from the hospital before my milk really came in
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  • eclohoecloho member
    @clairelange I also caved and gave my LO a pacifier the first night home & am glad I did after all
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  • Smiget81Smiget81 member
    Day 3 was a rough one! Since my DD entrance into the world on July 26th she has been a milk monster - total cluster feeder! On the third day - also our first day home - she just wanted to eat and eat! Come the evening, she was having some problems latching because she was so exhausted as was I. I was a total zombie (she fed non-stop in the hospital, and since her birth I only had a total of 3 hours sleep). Thank goodness my milk came in, I pumped so my DH could feed the little bunny. We are using the playtex aerovent bottles with the breastlike nipple to prevent confusion if that is what you are worried about.

    Taking that break was a lifesaver! I needed it for my sanity! Now I pump and nurse.My DH and I tag team the nighttime cluster feeds with expressed milk bottles.

    Props to the full time nursing moms, it takes dedication!
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  • greatgrandbaby7greatgrandbaby7 member
    Oh dear the same thing happened to me. It was so difficult - I feel your pain! The nurses told me it was cluster feeding and, although not all babies do it, it's totally normal. My LO fed constantly for a couple of days starting the second night after he was born. I hardly slept a wink. I found breastfeeding very painful at the beginning so it was an unbearable situation. My milk came in on the fourth night and LO finally got full and slept for a few 2 hour chunks. The cluster feeding didn't fully end right away though and I had several days where feedings continued up to 7 hours straight. The baby blues also hit big time and I was a mess.

    My midwife gave me a nipple shield which I have only had to use sporadically and was an absolute saviour to deal with the pain when it got too much. I rarely need it now but it's so comforting to have just in case. She also convinced me to pump so that DH could give the baby a bottle and me a break from the cluster feeding. I made sure the nursery was stocked with extra water, snacks and reading materials since I was spending so much time in there nursing.

    The good news is that the cluster feeding tapered off and my LO started sleeping. In fact he slept 5 hours after one cluster feeding session! Since he regained any weight he had lost within one week, I will never wake up this baby to feed. He is now two weeks old and still has days where he feeds more than not but it is nothing like it was and is completely manageable.

    I really wish someone had explained cluster feeding to me ahead of time. The first week after my LO was born was the hardest time of all for me (including my entire pregnancy and delivery). It sounds like you are in the middle of the toughest part and I'm hoping things get better for you quickly as they did with me. Regardless of how you handle it, the most important things are that your little one gets fed and you keep your sanity. Hang in there!!!
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  • tejalptejalp member
    I am going through the same thing with my baby...she's 20 days today and has been cluster feeding. Things were fine in the hospital and 48 hours after, usually common she started perking up and wanted to feed all the time.

    We did the same thing I.e give her formula, so I could rest and feel refreshed to start all over again! I was having breastfeeding issue ( sore and cracked nipples) mainly latching problems. We saw lactation consultants which helped but be careful as some may make you feel like crap and push you to keep feeding, even if that means every half hour!!!

    Realistically, do what feels right and works for your family! If exclusive breastfeeding is what you want to do then don't give up hope, but remember baby will grow regardless as they are very resilient!

    Good luck!
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