does it get easier?

[lemontree]

My son is 11 weeks old today - and nurses A LOT. And there is no rhyme or reason to it. Rarely, he will go two hours before he needs to nurse - often ten minutes. I know they say you can't overfeed a breastfed baby but sometimes I do feel like he is eating way beyond his fill--also he sometimes spends a long time at the breast and then I wonder if I have a flow issue? He also gets gassy a lot. I am not trying to schedule the little guy, but wondering when (if ever) I can expect to have an idea of when he will want to eat? I am not getting anything at all done (even cooking dinner, as he tends to want to nurse almost constantly from 4-630 or so many nights.) I know if I had another child I would need to be able to do more right now - but I can't imagine how.

He never falls asleep unless he is nursing, or in the moby (preferably bouncing on yoga ball), stroller, or sometimes in the car--so we are on the move all the time. We co-sleep.

People I know with similar aged babies seem to be getting stuff done - I mean - Christmas cards!? I can't imagine. I know 11 weeks is super young, but I have to wonder -- am I doing something wrong?

[lifeguard]

You're doing nothing wrong. Ds was much the way you describe for quite awhile. I think around 3 months he started occassionally going 2 hours between feedings. I felt the way you describe, like I must be doing something wrong. Dh would try to give me a little time to myself to take a bath or a nap & would invariably end up bringing the baby to me to bf.

It's frustrating. I got nothing done. I was fortunate that my dh does most of the cooking & well, the house is a mess.

It does get better. Some babes just need to bf more frequently than others.

[BaaBaa]

yes! it does get better!

but for now- enjoy it. being at the boob 24/7 was my life until suddenly, she was more interested in other stuff! When did that happen, slowly over time, but dont expect relief any time real soon. Its perfectly normal for them to nurse non-stop on and off through at least year 1. if they are sick, bored, teething, tired, stressed, you are the safe place mama! s/he needs you to be that support right now, later it will be other types of attention like "look at me mama!" and "hold my hand mama".

i suggest trying to let go a little, as hard as it is. i gave up on baking bread, cleaning house, and being out in the cold real long when she was a bitty baby. if it happened i was thrilled, but if it didnt, well, thats ok too.

remember- the long term health of your baby is more important than your dishes getting done today!


My tips on how to make the time go fastter?

if you get into wearing your baby, that will help allot. figure out how to nurse in a sling for now, and as soon as you can i suggest something like the "ergo", in which you can nurse and do anything you want! My dd was very very fussy and this took a little coaxing, but now we nurse anyplace!

also entertain yourself while nursing. surf the internet, read, knit, plop yourself infront of the mirror and puck you eyebrows, write to friends, polish you fine china, anything you can do sitting you can do nursing if you can prop your baby even better!

good luck! it gets better!

[MrsH]

It gets SO much better! You're right, 11 weeks is still very young, and while some advocate scheduling at this age, he'll likely reduce the nursing on his own in the coming months.

One thing that we did with our youngest dd, which may or may not have helped but made me feel better, was to try alternate ways of soothing her. My husband would take her for an hour right after I nursed her and together they learned other ways. When she's with me she now still prefers to nurse when she's upset, but with other people she'll accept hugs, cuddles, distraction, etc.

Somewhere between 3-5 months she also got much faster at nursing which felt like a great relief.

And FWIW, try not to stress about how on earth you would manage if you had another baby. When/if you have a second, you will be like a different person having learned and grown so much from your first. Using a sling/ergo/wrap helps us tremendously in managing our two eldest and the baby so you're on the right track!

[kawa kamuri]

my daughter is 10w with behaviours very similar to your little boy. i consider her and her nursing absolutely normal. for me it takes a shift in perspective, being thankful for this time, slowing down. it gets "better" so far as babies grow up and into other things and need their mamas less. you're doing great for right now and your now sounds beautifully connected

[Super~Single~Mama]

As long as he's gaining weight, I wouldn't worry about any flow issues.

My son was like this too, and he was a chunk at that age - but then very suddenly at 12 weeks he became so much more aware of his surroundings that he got interested in other things. Then at 4months he became even more aware, and was less interested in nursing! He nursed all night instead of all day, and that was even worse!

Things are probably completely normal - if you can nurse in a sling maybe you can get a few more things done. Although, I say that cautiously b/c I REALLY miss the days when my son would just look up at me while he was nursing, b/c now he's WAY too busy to stop and be sweet (thats not entirely true - he's still very sweet, but our long sweet nursing sessions are getting fewer and farther betwee). So, like everything else, love it while it lasts b/c it goes so fast!

[babygirlsmama]

Thanks for the post. I have a 9 week old and am feeling sometimes the same way. I never know when she's going to have a stretch of wanting to nurse non-stop. Sometimes I get a break, often not.

In the meantime, let's hear it for paper plates, unmade beds, frozen meals and hubbies who are super supportive. And online shopping!