Let's Breastfeed

At wits end with round the clock feeds!

Dear Geraldine,

I hope you can help me! I am at my wits end and exhausted to say the least!

My baby is 5 weeks old and feeds all day!! Feeds usually last for an hour and a half (with lots of sleep time at the breast) but then he won’t let me put him down after feed, he starts crying (sometimes I feel like joining him!) and so I put him back onto the breast. SIGH!

I am feeding him from one breast so that he gets to the hind milk, but he goes to sleep after 15 minutes and I can’t keep him awake, even though I tickle is toes, blow on him and undress him completely! My health visitor has suggested that I give him formula after each feed as I may not have enough milk. I just don’t want to as I have worked so hard to get this far on breast milk alone. There has to be a better way of doing things!

Janet White London

Hi there Janet,

You have done well to get to 5 weeks and I agree that there has to be a better way! So let’s have a quick look at what we can do for you.

There are a few things to mention:

1. Your baby is 5 weeks old – he could be going through a growth spurt which does lead them to feed ‘all day’. This should only last for a few days though, but we will keep this in the back of our minds.
2. Your feeds are lasting for an hour and a half – WOW! Did you know that your baby’s tummy is practically empty an hour and a half from the beginning of the feed? This means that he will not go to sleep easily – on an empty tummy, so will need to feed again before you can put him down. This is quite likely why the feeds are running into each other! We need to get your feeds shorter and more efficient!
3. You are feeding him from one breast for roughly 15 minutes before he falls asleep.
4. You are thinking of introducing formula.

It seems to me that your little one IS hungry,  but not because you have a low milk supply issue.

Most 3 week old babies need to feed from both breasts at each feed. As your little boy is 5 weeks old – I definitely think he should be feeding from both at each feed.

We know that your baby is getting to the hind milk if his poos are yellow.If he was not getting enough hind milk, his poos would be spinach green.

Babies can drain the breast pretty quickly and effectively within minutes, so I would suggest that once your little boy has fed from the first breast, do a little breast massage or compression so see if you can encourage him to swallow a little more.

If he is asleep, take him off, wind him – nappy change him if needed and offer him the second breast.

When he goes to sleep on that side, take him off, wind him and offer the first side again. He will either take it or not depending on how hungry he is.

If he is nice and relaxed, put him DOWN QUICKLY, so that he can go to sleep with a full tummy. Offer him a feed every 3 hours – from the beginning of one feed to the beginning of the next, starting on the side you fed from last!

You want to see that your baby gains 20-30g each day. If he is gaining this and is still crying, we need to explore what else could be causing the crying spurts – as it won’t be hunger. I don’t think there is any need to introduce formula just yet.

• FEED 20minutes with compression throughout – or feed for longer if you can see him swallowing.
• Wind and nappy change to wake
• FEED from second breast for 20 minutes with compression. Small wind.
• BED

Follow this routine for a few days and then let me know how you are getting on.

Kind regards,

Geraldine

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