My baby sometimes wants to breastfeed continuously for several hours is this normal?

[Lillylloyd]

I have been told to expect cluster feeding where babies feed more often before a growth spurt. This seemed to be the case when my baby was a week old. However she only the had a few days of seemingly normal feeding (with 2 -3 hour breaks) and now in the evenings she is back to wanting to feed constantly from about 8 - 12. She has at least 7 pooey nappies a day (some with just a little in) so I know she is getting milk but I still worry I am not producing enough.

[dons88]

It sounds like she's using you as a dummy to me! My son would quite happily lie sucking on the breast for hours on end just for the comfort. I eventually learned when he was effectively feeding and when he was just having a token suck from time to time - it's not easy to tell the difference! He wouldn't take a dummy (have you offered one? Worth a try!), so we had to just find other ways to comfort him. Generally when daddy was holding him he was more settled as dad didn't smell of milk.

You should try to discourage the comfort-sucking if you can as you're more likely to end up with sore nipples in addition to everything else. If she's doing lots of pooing and your health visitor is happy with her weight gain then I'm sure you're producing plenty so try to have faith in your boobies (easier said than done I know!)

Well done you, breastfeeding isn't always as easy as it looks and it sounds like you're doing a great job. Should you need reassurance/advice, I can personally recommend the nct breastfeeding helpline - I called them twice and spoke to lovely ladies who didn't make me feel silly!

Good luck x

[bethanwey]

My little boy is doing the same at the same time. He is 13 days old and has put on 100g in 4 days. He will want to feed every 1/2 to an hour between 8pm and 12. He does settle with a dummy so I'm sure he's feeding. The HV seemed sure he was having a growth spurt due to his weight gain. He is awake continuously between the feeds too!!

The HV also said the cluster feeds prompt your body to produce more milk so there's more there for when the growth spurt passes x

[bethanwey]

My little boy is doing the same at the same time. He is 13 days old and has put on 100g in 4 days. He will want to feed every 1/2 to an hour between 8pm and 12. He does settle with a dummy so I'm sure he's feeding. The HV seemed sure he was having a growth spurt due to his weight gain. He is awake continuously between the feeds too!!

The HV also said the cluster feeds prompt your body to produce more milk so there's more there for when the growth spurt passes x

[bethanwey]

My little boy is doing the same at the same time. He is 13 days old and has put on 100g in 4 days. He will want to feed every 1/2 to an hour between 8pm and 12. He does settle with a dummy so I'm sure he's feeding. The HV seemed sure he was having a growth spurt due to his weight gain. He is awake continuously between the feeds too!!

The HV also said the cluster feeds prompt your body to produce more milk so there's more there for when the growth spurt passes x

[bethanwey]

My little boy is doing the same at the same time. He is 13 days old and has put on 100g in 4 days. He will want to feed every 1/2 to an hour between 8pm and 12. He does settle with a dummy so I'm sure he's feeding. The HV seemed sure he was having a growth spurt due to his weight gain. He is awake continuously between the feeds too!!

The HV also said the cluster feeds prompt your body to produce more milk so there's more there for when the growth spurt passes x

[bethanwey]

Sorry for the numerous posts, kindle is playing up!

[gemmw]

My sons 12days old and has constantly wanted feeding since day 5.. I can hear when he's actually feeding and I know he does take a lot he's already put on just over 1lb but he uses me as a dummy most of the time . Luckily I seem to make more than enuf milk x

[Fingfang]

It is normal for babies to cluster feed when they are going through a growth spurt. This can last several days. As long as she is having wet and dirty nappies, and gaining weight you are producing enough milk for her. Are you making sure you are eating and drinking well and resting as much as you can? You are burning an extra 500 calories a day by breastfeeding so you need to make sure you are taking on enough fuel to keep up your milk supply. If you don't eat well during the day your blood sugar levels will be low in the evening and this can have an impact on your milk. Sounds like she is doing exactly what she is programmed to do... by cluster feeding she is putting in her order for more milk the following day! You're doing a great job. This bit doesn't last long... Keep going!

[Megzey]

I dont know if this is any use to you, there was a breastfeeding councilor commenting on here a few days ago and she put this link facebook.com/nationalchildb... on a ladies question as she asked about breastfeeding and she put a helpline tel number on there. I felt alone when I was trying to breastfeed my first and it was a disaster with the lack of support I got.

[KazWales]

My son did the same thing. During the first 6 weeks he seemed to constantly want feeding, after he'd finished I had an unbelievable milk supply though. The breastfeeding support people suggested offering a finger to suck if it seemed as though he was just comfort sucking rather than feeding. If he took it, he just wanted comfort. If he didn't, he wanted milk. This sort of worked for a while, and later the feeds settled down. This bit is really hard, but keep it up and by 3 months baby will have settled into a pattern of about 6 or 7 feeds a day, with decent gaps in between, and will be really quick at getting it out too. Make sure you eat plenty whilst he's cluster feeding, so you don't get too tired.

[Lillylloyd]

Thank you everyone ! It's already settling down as I have found making sure she has both breasts makes her go longer between feeds. She still feeds more often than I expected but kazwales u have made me feel better about this. Thanks for the much needed support everyone xxx