nightly troubles

[nmcope39]

i have a 4wk old and been trying to figure out why at night from 5pm-10pm she wants to feed on every hour. when i am feeding her, i allow her to feed until she pulls off or falls asleep. now during the rest of the day/night, she goes about 3hrs in between feedings. its a srtuggle for me during the evening hours especially when i try to go to bed. is there anything like trying to extend her feeding time. i has heard trying to introduce baby cereal or water to give her more of a "full belly".

[Heba]

*Hugs* it can be hard dealing with a new baby.  "Cluster feeding," or frequent feeding in the evening hours, is completely normal.  We are not quite sure why this is, but one theory is that babies need extra reassurance and comfort after a stimulating day; another theory is that they are tanking up before a slightly longer period between feeds at night. 

Water will not fill her up, and will reduce her milk intake (thereby reducing her nutritition, and also reducing the stimulation she provides to your breasts signalling your body to make more milk - which can result in a drop in supply).  Baby cereal is also not recommended as young babies' digestive systems are not developed enough to deal with it - it increases the risk of developing food allergies, and can also upset babies' stomachs.  In addition, it is not as nutritious or calorific as breastmilk.

Some mums find that it helps to plan their day knowing that the evening hours are going to be spent on the sofa with baby.  Anything that really needs to be done could perhaps be done earlier in the day, and pre-frozen meals or delivered pizza are very helpful in the evenings.  I found it a great time to catch up on televison watching :D - more dextrous friends of mine would read as they nursed.  I soon developed the skill of nursing at the keyboard, and got quite a lot done on the computer while breastfeeding.

Are you, or would you consider, co-sleeping?  Bedsharing is something that works for many breastfeeding mums (you do need to avoid the risk factors, but if none are present then this is just as safe for baby as separate sleeping arrangements), and allows them to get more sleep.  So in the evening you could just take your baby to bed with you.

Hang in there!  Remember, this too shall pass.  (And then you'll miss these evening snuggles, I kid you not!)

xx

[Twinklefae]

I also have a 4 week old, and she also nurses all evening.  Combined with the evening fussies (also called the 'witching hour' or 'Grandma's hour') it doesn't make for pleasant evenings.  But it's normal and they should outgrow it soon - 6 weeks is the 'peak' of newborn fussiness.

Here's hoping they settle soon!