3 month old with no pattern to feeds still

[Katteh]

My little man has always been a very fussy feeder, and has only recently started being slightly less fussy, but he still won't take much in one feed.

He will feed for 5-10 minutes at a time, then refuse anymore, then before his next nap (generally about an hour later) he will take more as he feeds to sleep for naps. He then has more roughly 3 hours after the initial feed. I had him on bottles of expressed milk last week (lactation consultants advice) to see if it was my supply/letdown or something or just him, and he would take 2-2.5 ounces at most at once so it seems to just be the way he is.

Has anyone else had this, if so, when did it get better? Because I am always full in the morning, his feeds never entirely empty my breasts so I feed him twice on one side, and even then I rarely feel he has taken all of the side.

 

[Piper84]

Don't be surprised if he's not showing much consistency. DS would feed every 45 mins sometimes until he was 4 months, which was when I started noticing a pattern. That was also when my supply regulated for the first time. With DD now, she's 4 months and my breasts have just stopped leaking.

Give it another month!

 

[Katteh]

Thanks, that's good to know! Interesting about supply too as mine hasn't regulated either. I do sometimes worry he isn't getting enough of the fattier milk as he doesn't manage to finish a side a lot of the time.

Hopefully another month and he will have more of a pattern!

 

[Piper84]

Have you tried burping him in the middle of the feed? Some babies need it a lot more than others, we discovered with DS!

 

[Katteh]

Yeah I always burp him and he brings up huge amounts of wind. I think his problem is how distracted he always is, he is far too interested in looking around than eating, made worse by having a noisy 3 year old around!

 

[yazoo]

I could have written your post. I'll be following with interest to see other opinions.

 

[Jemsybabes]

I feel your pain! I have a four month old and there is absolutely no pattern whatsoever to his feeds! Sometimes he'll only feed for 5 minutes then be hungry again within a couple of hours. I also have a 2 yr old and any slight noise she makes he'll pop up to have a look and there goes the feed! I made the mistake of trying out the routine of 4months-4hours in the baby whisperer book where she basically tells you to hold them off 4 hours between feeds and be strict with it! It was a disaster because my LO would only feed for 5/10 minutes and to expect him to then go 4 hours till the next feed was ridiculous. No matter how hard I try to extend feeds I cant - he decides how long he feeds for and that's about it!! I will be interested to see any advice from others here!

 

[Katteh]

I feel your pain with distractions, if my 3 year old makes any noise then he is looking up and around and won't feed anymore. He is so stubborn about taking more than 5 mins unless he is tired in which case it takes forever as he is feeding whilst half asleep, joy!

 

[Amy_T]

No advice really but all of mine have been the same, particularly my youngest two... I say they're grazers, just have little and often. I breastfeed my almost 7 month old and only now she's on food as well as milk have I noticed a very slight pattern to her feeds. My 3 year old doesn't breastfeed but even now is a grazer really.

So no advice other than just to relax and go with it, my supply regulated around 3-4 months so I didn't get the full feeling any more and my little ladies have thrived feeding this way. Just makes it slightly harder to go out etc 9 times out of 10 I need to breastfeed at some point. X

 

[LegoHouse]

My 15 month old still has no pattern to feeding lol