3wk-old falls asleep by the time he should next be feeding!!

[amber2727]

Hi everyone, I'm at a loss. Today...and some others have been rough. LO and I were slow to breastfeed in the beginning due to a haemorrhage and retained placenta affecting my milk supply. He was small to begin with -2.89kilos or just over 6lbs and lost weight but never over 10%. At two weeks he was quite short of his birthweight so we started supplementing.
To make a long story short, we're finally on track at 3 weeks (I have milk and he's gaining weight) but I can no longer bear his comfort feeding (sucking on my nipples to get to sleep) so we're trying other things. But, by the time we manage to get him to sleep, it's already technically time for another feed! What do I do?! Press on with swaddling, shushing, sometimes giving a pacifier/dummy when we're really desperate and he'll eventually get quicker at sleeping? Or feed him and put off sleep?
Thanks!

 

[amber2727]

I should also add that the reason comfort sucking is so uncomfortable is bc my LO feeds for an hour.

 

[optimistic1]

My daughter is the same way and also for an hour she'll spend comfort sucking...of you have the patience to get her to soothe without your breast go for it. I didn't have the patience and now my daughter wont take the pacifier at all..

 

[CupcakeBaby]

I just let DD suck all she wanted. Sometimes it was for hours and hours.

Now though most feeds are only 10 minutes max and then she sucks her thumb.

 

[NurseSooz]

I totally agree with cupcakebaby. The comfort sucking can only help your supply at the early stages. My LO now has 10min feeds and tends to self soothe with her fingers.

 

[cartwheelroll]

I you're demand feeding then it doesn't matter when it's "technically" time for another feed. I would just wait for him to wake up and he might feed for a bit longer but he knows best how much and how often he needs to feed. I totally understand your point about comfort sucking, I've struggled with this too as he is 11 weeks now but will stay on there for hours (I've actually watched entire films while he sucks away) I attempted a pacifier which he wouldn't take but then I changed my view on it. Boobs were invented before pacifiers and its only a short period of time that we will have such a bond with our LOs so I'm just trying to go with the flow now! That said, totally understand that wont work for everyone.