6 weeks in it and still not easier

[danielle1984]

My son is almost 7 weeks and I've been breastfeeding him since the start. He has always been constantly feeding. Around 4 week he would feed from 20-40 minutes every hour instand of constantly. I was happy to see some improvement but he's almost 7 weeks and no improvement since then. Will he ever feed every 2-3 hours?! I can't even tell if my son is going thru s growth spurt cuz I'm feeding him almost all the time.
Sorry, I'm just so tired : (

 

[optimistic1]

Idk why people say it gets better at 6 weeks cause its really supposed to but then there's a HUGE growth spurt around 6 weeks..it does get better!!!!! No more engorgement...no more leaking (for most) breastfeeding doesn't take as long. I'm at 9 weeks and everything got better around 8 weeks (breast feeding wise) my daughter has gone through some sleeping issues but all in all breast feeding is much better.

 

[monte3375]

From 8-10 weeks everything so much easier and fun!

 

[fashionlover]

Looking forward to better days ahead, this is hard work

 

[CupcakeBaby]

I posted similar at 6 weeks wondering why it wasn't any better. X

It took maybe 8-10 weeks for me.

It feels like forever while its happening but it does pass sweetie. Xxx

 

[New Mrs W]

Mickey was 10 weeks before he got better. I felt so cheated at 6 weeks when he was still feeding constantly! It really will get better x

 

[NoodleSnack]

It took 12weeks for me, but it will space out, and they will feed more quickly. Just keep going a day at a time, before you know it, you will start worrying about them not eating enough. If it's not one thing, it will be another, I'm realising that's what parenthood is about.

 

[Angelica]

Wen they were constantly feeding how did u cook, eat, look after other kids erc??
Im struggling & close to giving up

 

[danielle1984]

Yea I can't wait! I'm always afraid of leaving the house with or without my son. He feeds for so long that I don't see myself breastfeeding at a store for 30 minutes lol. I started going for really short walks. It keeps me sane I guess.

 

[firsttime83]

6-7 weeks was not good for us. LO was fussy and cluster feeding... definitely a growth spurt.

Things got better last week for sure (8 weeks) but now that she is sleeping longer (especially at night) I now have a blocked milk duct in one of my breasts and it hurts like a son of a. If it's not one thing it's another lol... Hoping this will clear up and then I can enjoy my 4 consecutive hours of sleep! Up until now she was a 2 hour feeder at night as well.

As for leaving the house, do you pump at all? I would bring an emergency bottle and if I needed to use it I would just pump what I used when I got home, so it didn't affect my supply.

 

[seaweed eater]

Yes, he will space out to every 2-3 hours as the others have said, there is a big growth spurt, plus 6 weeks is peak time for fussiness...hang in there!

If you're wondering how to get stuff done, could you learn how to feed in a sling or carrier? They often sleep well in those at this age too.

 

[CatherineK]

My baby is seven weeks and nurses very often during the day. I know from my other two, it won't last much longer! I manage my toddler and 4 year old too, just nurse on the go! If you can get your baby to nurse in a sling or wrap great, otherwise just carry with one arm while nursing (builds muscle!) Right now I'm nursing in a lawn chair in the back yard while the older two splash around in their baby pool. My husband works evenings, so dinner/bedtimes/bath can be crazy, but at the end of the day, if I've managed to keep them all alive, fed, and mostly clean, that's all that matters! I've learned to save big involved shopping trips for when someone can help, otherwise, just keep trips quick or to somewhere like a mall with a playground where the older kids can play while you nurse, etc. Soon our babies will be past this phase, so just get into survival mode and go day by day for a bit!

 

[danielle1984]

All good advice!
I don't want to use bottles. I do have a little bit of BM pump but its so hard to find time to pump cuz he feeds so much and rarely naps.

 

[New Mrs W]

Wen they were constantly feeding how did u cook, eat, look after other kids erc??
Im struggling & close to giving up

I nearly gave up everyday. I was fairly lucky though. My mum doesn't work mon or Tues so came round to help. Weds Frankie went to nursery. Thursdays and Fridays were tough but I could handle two tough days a week. I did very little housework for about two months. dh would come home from work and do washing etc. I felt sas that he had to do it but he is very supportive and really didn't mind. We did have rows at times though because he felt the feeding was taking too much time away from Frankie and looking back I do wonder if he was right. As a compromise I agreed to give Mickey one bottle a day so that I could spend that extra time with Frankie. Sometimes it was EBM, sometimes formula. I still do it every now and then if I need to. I found/find that it takes just a little pressure off me and gives me an hour or two where I know he's ok and doesn't need feeding.
It's so tough nursing when you've got a toddler at home too. TBH, amd I'm sure I will be very unpopular for saying so, but given my time over I'm not sure I'd do it again. X

 

[NoodleSnack]

Wen they were constantly feeding how did u cook, eat, look after other kids erc??
Im struggling & close to giving up

I don't have another kid to look after, but in terms of eating and chores, I tried to break it down into small chunks, and at home if he's hungry when I'm about to eat, I did it one handed and fed him at the same time. It's actually easier than now when he won't stay still.

 

[Fortune Cooki]

It'll get better when it gets better. LOL, every baby is sooo different. LO had growth spurts during weeks 4 and 5 and finally slept 5 hours at night starting at 6 weeks. I need 8 hours of sleep to function so I had DH feed her pumped milk so that I could nap.