I don't know what to do...

[Pogo0685]

I hope im posting this in the right area, my son is 4 weeks old, I wanted to breastfeed for at least a year, but I am starting to wonder if my milk is good enough for him, or if there is enough for him. I was at my midwifes yesterday and she said his latch is great and everything looks good, but I have to nurse him every hour almost on the hour and he nurses for up to 45 min each time so basically I nurse for 45 min, get a 15 min break and then he acts hungry again, and when I give him the boob he will nurse again. Should I supplement him with formula? I honestly did not think breastfeeding was going to be like this, and I am just at a loss I feel like I nurse all day and night. He has slept maybe 2 hours today and the rest of the time hes been nursing. Every time I put him down he starts crying, I can't even go to the bathroom without him crying and this just started a few days ago, up until then he slept great day and night and now I just don't know what to do. I am block feeding him to make sure he gets enough hind milk. He was 7 pounds 9 ounces at birth and 20 inches long, now hes 24 inches and 9 pounds 7 ounces. Thank you in advance for any help.

[blessedwithboys]

hi there new mama! your LO sounds perfectly normal to me. i would definitely NOT add formula. i'm sure more will come along to offer encouragement, but for now just know that all sounds well and it only gets easier as time goes on.

[possum]

It sounds like you are doing a great job, and your little one is doing really well on your milk!
He sounds a lot like my son who nursed A LOT and wouldn't be put down AT ALL when he was very small. I thought I was going to go insane sitting on the couch nursing 18 hours a day and not peeing except when my husband was home.
Eventually he will not need to nurse so long or so frequently, and you will find yourself sooner than you think wishing he'd linger just a little longer in your lap as he runs off to play.
One thing that helped us was a sling. It was very freeing to be able to move around while nursing and to be able to pee without having to listen to blood-curdling screams for 45 seconds. There was certainly a learning curve, and he wasn't ready to putter around the house for hours the first time I got him in a sling, but it was easily doable.
Hang in there, mama!
Melinda

[thepeach80]

Olivia is 3 wks today and has done the crying thing, it wasn't as bad today as yesterday. This is prime growth spurt time, they'll want to eat a lot. I remember my other kids sleeping more, but I guess Olivia wants to be awake more at growth spurt time, lol. It's hard, thankfully she doesn't nurse long, but has been eating about every hour today, sleeping more this evening, but only if I'm holding her and then she wakes up and nurses again. How can you even doubt your milk w/ that weight gain?! At 3 wks, Olivia is 7ozs over her birthweight, for us and my kids, that's fabulous. I'd love some of your weight gain though.

[Pogo0685]

Thank you everyone, I have tried to put him in a sling but I just can't figure it out The worst part is, my brother is here most the time so I have to go to my bedroom to nurse, I feel like im stuck in a cave. I am just going to try to go with the flow for a while and see what happens. My midwife told me he is gaining at a awesome rate so that made me feel good, but it sucks nursing so much, my husband asked me how my nipples don't hurt, I told him I really don't know. Well thank you again!

[gsd1amommy]

Why is your brother around all the time? Are you a guest in his home?
If you aren't then I certainly would not be trying to accomodate him (brother) at his time. You need to nurse where you are comfortable. Also, youtube has tons of videos about how to get your baby in a sling or wrap. Maybe that would help.

[xbabymamax]

sounds exactly like my son when he was a baby.
No one told me that this is normal. I had to figure it out on my own and we adjusted.
I think you kinda have to get over a hump and it will settle down a bit.
Its overwhelming at first especially when the books say that they should nurse every 2-4 hours... I thought something was wrong. but there wasn't anything wrong.
Get a nursing cover or cover up with a blanket if you are uncomfortable nursing in front of your brother. you shouldn't feel like you have to hide.

Best of luck~!

[Pogo0685]

My brother is here alot because I had a c-section and my husband works 2 jobs 7 days a week so hes never here, so my brother get us water (we have to haul our own water) and he cleans for me and cooks and takes care of my animals, without him I would be lost so its not a bad thing hes here, and honestly I like laying down to nurse it just sucks sometimes. I have tried watching some you tube videos, I even had my midwife help me with the sling and he just screams or almost falls out.

And yeah, I read so many books and not one really prepared me for having a baby and what to do with them, and not one said they might nurse once or twice an hour, maybe I should write a book and include that in there so other moms will be prepared for this because before I posted here I was ready to go crazy.

[possum]

Originally Posted by Pogo0685

My brother is here alot because I had a c-section and my husband works 2 jobs 7 days a week so hes never here, so my brother get us water (we have to haul our own water) and he cleans for me and cooks and takes care of my animals, without him I would be lost so its not a bad thing hes here, and honestly I like laying down to nurse it just sucks sometimes. I have tried watching some you tube videos, I even had my midwife help me with the sling and he just screams or almost falls out.

And yeah, I read so many books and not one really prepared me for having a baby and what to do with them, and not one said they might nurse once or twice an hour, maybe I should write a book and include that in there so other moms will be prepared for this because before I posted here I was ready to go crazy.

Someone needs to write that book! I certainly needed to read it before my son came. It sounds like you have a wonderful brother to come and help you out so much. I agree with the PP who said that you need to nurse where you are comfortable. I would bet that such a wonderful, loving brother would be able to manage with you nursing on the couch. Although we all hear horror stories about people not being able to handle folks BFing, it is always amazing to me how people rise to the occasion (if you can call BFing an occasion) and are completely nonplussed about me BFing right there without being overly discrete.
Also, I forgot to mention that it was really great to have books and magazines and a computer handy when we sat down to nurse those first few months. I got a lot of reading done then. When we calculated the time I spent daily nursing my son when he was about 6 weeks old, I was doing more hours than a full-time job!
Melinda

[syd'smom]

What kind of sling do you have mama? You should be able to comfortably bf and do other stuff with babe safely in a sling. I can give you some pointers if I know what you're using!

I remember getting really overwhelmed at times with the whole bfing thing - growth spurts are normal and regular, but you and babe will get the hang of it. Just when I thought I couldn't keep doing it, it got better, and then it got awesome. And honestly, mixing formula and sterilizing bottles is way more work than bfing.

[Nimbus]

I know this doesn't help much right now but it does get better! It sounds like you are doing exactly the right thing and your baby is growing well because of it.

I was in the same situation w/ my dd for quite a while. She nursed constantly. If I wasn't nursing her, she was in the Moby wrap, and I either had to be moving around the house or bouncing on a yoga ball. Long days... but they pass. I'm sure they will for you, too.

Oh, any chance of reflux? Both my kids have had that and constant nursing was a way for them to soothe the acid.

[Jezzy]

You are doing a fantastic job!!! We were nursing all the time when she was born. All the time! I was wondering the same things as you. Well we are still nursing 13 months later.

Keep up the good work!

[Pogo0685]

I have a ring sling with an open tail, I don't know if it would be reflex, I don't know what the symptoms are, he never spits up or anything, is that what reflux is? Thank you everyone, so far today I feel much better. And I am so happy to know that this is just a phase and will pass. He is worth every second of it though. :

[xbabymamax]

I really recommend getting "The Baby Book" By dr sears. there is lots of good info in there. I felt the same as you... I read looooooots of pregnancy books but didn't really think to read about newborns.. hahahah

Im wondering if you could also try a wrap to nurse while you wear him...
check this out.
MamaToTo

There is lots of good information on this site, browse around!!

[Pogo0685]

Thank you so much for that link, its helped me a lot, on DH's payday were going to go get me some cloth so I can do some of the carries because I really just don't thin I will ever figure out my ring sling, I wish I would have known about that site before I bought it. And I have the baby book but I forgot about it so im going to try to get some reading done from it when I get a chance. Once again thank you so much for you help!

[buttercupmama]

While it does get better, how much depends on a lot of factors, I'm sure. My DD is 9 months old and still nurses around the clock. I can get as much as a 45 minute break out of her, but not more than two per day because the rest of the time I have to work overtime to make up for it. Her weight gain is fine at 4 oz./week, so it's not to say she isn't getting enough. She's just super clingy and really enjoys nursing. I can't even get out of her sight unless she's preoccupied by DH or she wails until I come back.

I also wish someone had told me nursing could be like this. Some people do manage to only nurse every few hours for half an hour. I have no idea why this is different for us. Perhaps my DD is just a slow sucker? Likes to savor her food more? After this long, it doesn't really matter much to me. I just absolutely hate the really exhausting days.

[thepeach80]

I don't like ring slings either. That was the first one I bought and then I got my pouch and I never went back. I like my pouch best of all, the Moby (I made mine) is nice, but hard on my back after a while (I've had lower back issues since before I had my oldest). I have a Mai Tai too which is nice when they're older, especially for the back carry. My pouch is my go too, we use it quite often.

[Pogo0685]

Well I hope it gets better, I have to start working from home again tomorrow I wish I could wait another month but we really need the money. I am going to experiment with a few carriers, I am still going to work at the ring sling, maybe one day I will figure it out, if not I will sell it on craigslist. I just love the idea of wearing him, it would make life so much easier when we went out because its so hard to carry him around in the car seat, and he doesn't really like it anyway.

[FernG]

Keep working on figuring out how to carry him. DD also nursed (nurses) like crazy. I know what you mean about feeling trapped. I was not prepared for DD to want to nurse most of the day and night. I agree that you should write about book about that - haha. I think more babies are like that than we know of but their moms just don't feed them. I see babies making hungry lip movements all the time and their moms just say, "but s/he can't be hungry b/c s/he ate an hour ago." The sing and mei tai were lifesavers for me. I hope you figure it out soon!

[tessie]

Is he definitely hungry or is he sucking for comfort? Does he still do the hungry mouth thing and root when someone else holds him? I ask because bubs will do the hungry face if I hold her as she can smell the milk but, not if dad holds her. If it isn't hunger, and as bf is obviously well established, you could try a dummy/pacifier if he's just a sucky baby.

It will get better - the first month is the hardest - and congrats on your little boy.