Breastfeeding

[mrs_m_shizzle_dizzle]

Hi All

My LG is 7 days old and exclusively breastfeeding does anyone have any tips for nighttime? Atm as soon as we put her down for the night she starts crying and just wants to feed all night

[CLN1986]

Would be interested to see people’s opinions. Could you express to make sure she is getting enough?

[mrs_m_shizzle_dizzle in reply to CLN1986]

I’m going to start expressing today to see if that helps she is feeding regularly all day and for times they say they should but then at night doesn’t seem to want to stop feeding and will only settle if sleeping on me. I was worried one night she wasn’t getting enough so tried to top up with syringe of formula like you do in hospital she took one but didn’t want more

[Anya80]

It’s very common that breastfed babies will be mostly active at night as the milk is then more concentrated and will also give much stronger scent, that is why such small babies are more active at night. It’s early days for you but I’m sure soon it will gets better😉 I remember not to sleeping with my son for the first 5 days, then on he was awake so often and was sleeping better through the days. If you can sleep when your baby sleeps, that’s golden rule.

I know better said then done but good luck 😘

[mrs_m_shizzle_dizzle]

Thank you xxx

[kt_11]

A few thoughts...

1) It’s quite normal for very young babies to ‘cluster feed’ in the evening & at night to encourage mum’s milk supply so it could be this. Certainly for the first 6 weeks or so it can feel like they’re constantly feeding but does then settle down a bit.

2) If she’s actually needing to feed all the time, are you sure her latch is ok and that she hasn’t got a tongue tie which could be making it hard for her to get milk? If you think it could be that, your midwife might be able to point you in the direction of someone who can assess for this, or maybe even some local peer support breastfeeding groups if you think her latch might not be efficient. It’s rare to not not make enough but possible so do seek some support if you do really think this is the case.

3) Maybe she’s not actually hungry and just feeding for comfort. Again it’s normal for such young babies to need to be close to their mums to sleep. Stuff that can help = hot water bottle to warm the bed before baby gets in (obv remove it first!), sleeping with baby’s sheet in your bed so it smells of you, or putting some breastmilk on it (you can put an item of your clothing in there too but as per SIDS guidelines, the fewer things in the cot the better so maybe even a breast pad with some milk on it). xx

[mrs_m_shizzle_dizzle]

Thank you for the suggestions! I’ll give them a try she does have slight tongue tie but since I have started to use shields she seems to be getting more milk out. It seems to get to about 7 and I would agree with the cluster feed and then after that she won’t settle anywhere but on me yet during the day she has no problems at all x

[Kempton]

What does she baby sleep in? Crib/moses basket? I used a sleepyhead inside my crib and would put a hot water down on it. After a feed I'd put the baby down on the warm spot (removing hot water bottle first) and he'd go down fine. Before that he hated his crib and the cold.

Also I used to try and express so that I could make baby's last feed of the day a bit bigger. Breast topped up with expressed milk in a bottle. He'd sleep from. 11 until 3 sometimes. That really helped as i felt like I caught up on sleep a bit.

Best of luck and enjoy your newborn!

[Redmonkeys in reply to Kempton]

Hi can I ask what bottle worked for you if you are able to breastfeed and feed them expressed breastmilk from a bottle?

I am trying to decide what bottle to buy. Thank you so much

[mrs_m_shizzle_dizzle in reply to Redmonkeys]

I was able to use tippee tommee I used amd colic x

[Cheekymonkey85]

What you describe is normal. Baby is telling your body what she needs. Also babies don't just feed for hunger, it's also for comfort. Don't express, you will confuse your body & could cause an over supply. With regards to how much baby is getting, forget how often your feeding & keep an eye on nappies. If plenty of wet then all is fine.

I actually had similar issues with not being able to put baby down at night, so at 2 days old I tried my boy with a dummy & it's helped as he wanted the comfort rather than food.

[amyloolie]

This is very normal- for the first few weeks babies will often cluster feed. Night time feeds are full of goodness for baby, hence the relentless night feeds. Hang on in there, it doesn't last forever.

If you can, avoid expressing for now until baby is 6 weeks. For the first 6 weeks feeding works as 'supply and demand' until it gets to know what it's doing a little better. Therefore, if you pump, your body will think your baby needs more milk than he/she does, so you could end up with an oversupply.

My best advice would be to have lots of snacks/ drinks by the bed to help you going during these early nights. Find a good boxset/ book to work through as you're feeding. And be kind to yourself!

My lo is 7 months now and has been exclusively breastfed, I've been where you are and I know how you feel. Also have a look and see if there are any breastfeeding support groups/ cafés in your area. They are a godsend to me, full of lovely ladies who all know how you're feeling, and people who can give you advice.

Good luck mumma x

[amyloolie]

Also, read up on the "fourth trimester", I think you'll find it useful (regarding why baby doesn't like being put down etc) xx

[Eva79]

I would not worry. They're more active at night, sometimes they just want mom rather than food.

Also with expressing. I'm breastfeeding, but have never been able to express more, than 40ml from both. And that was with a medela double pump in hospital.

Your best guide on whether your lilone gets enough or not is their weight gain. If that's ok, just let her feed away. I know it's time consuming and you feel exhausted, but let her lead. More breast time is more milk 😉

[M1980]

My son is 2 weeks today and I have been struggling getting him to latch since day 1. We have had lots of help from the feeding team at the hospital and they have been a great support. I eventually tried nipple shields and he latches no problem with these but does want to sickle on and off for hours at night. I have been expressing since day 3 and top him up with ebm each feed. This really makes settle particularly with his last feed where he then sleeps for 4 hours after it. My hospital, midwife and hv have encouraged expressing as he not getting enough through breastfeeding alone. They have told me to do what works for us and not to stress about topping him up if that helps him settle. Good luck x

[Babypsmummy]

Hi, I just wondered how you got on on? Did your little girl ever settle in her cot /Moses basket? Hope you made some progress, we are currently at day 5 and it's hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel when she wont sleep unless on someone!

[mrs_m_shizzle_dizzle]

There is most definitely light! I stopped breastfeeding around 6/7 weeks and went to formula which was an amazing thing for both myself and my little girl. I did still co sleep sometimes because it was the only way I just used the Moses basket because she didn’t like the next to me crib because it was too big for her. It took time but waking up for feeds went from all the time to hourly to every 2 hours to every 3 then 4 and now it’s roughly every 4 and none through night x