Cluster Feeding & Cranky Evenings

[jkbmah]

Hi all,

I have 2 1/2 week old who loves to cluster feed in the evenings - usually from 7- 11pm ish. She is also very cranky during this time when not feeding with lots of griping.

Her days are usually quite chilled with her mainly sleeping and feeding every 3 hours.

Her nights are not too bad although she does "gripe" a lot in her sleep. I always think she is trying to poo! constantly!

We are usuing Infacol and she is being fed exclusively on expressed breastmilk

She was only tiny when she was born (5lb 1oz) at 39 weeks

I was wondering if you guys have any advice on how best to handle this? I would love to have a cluster free evening and decent night feeds? I know shes only very new and we cant expect a routine so soon.

Just some hope out there that she willl grow out of it - (if so how many more weeks can we expect of this???)

thanks

 

[jaybee]

Hiya, congrats on LO.
Tobi cluster fed at that age too. from 630 - 1030ish every night. He would unlatch for about 15 mins and doze then wake up and suckle for another 15 min-45 mins.
I don't know much about bottle feeding, I just know that tobi used to unlatch when the flow slowed down, so he had to wait for the boob to refill.

To be honest, he has only just finished cluster feeding! but it went from taking 4 hours to an hour over the last 7 months. Now he has one big feed at 630 and is in bed straight after.
She is still tiny and her tummy is even tinier, so she is trying to get enough to last into the night.

I can't really help with the griping either I'm afraid (Not much help here really!) but it is not unusual for LO's to get grumpy in the evening and night.

HTH. xx

 

[~Mummy~]

My baby does this as well. She starts from 10pm sometimes till 2am, just constantly feeding and fussing. It's the most frustrating thing because she will pull off every 30seconds and then just act as if she's being starved! lol

From what I've read it's something they grow out of. It might also be one of her growth spurts, my baby had it last week and the week before, she was feeding nearly every hour for about 3 days.

This explains it a bit better
https://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussy-evening.html

Also, google frequency days and growth spurts.

 

[anna matronic]

Same here!! From around 9-12 usually, although he did it this morning from 8 till 11 and sometimes during the night. But mostly between 9-12pm. Have also read they grow out of it and calm down by 6 weeks?

I'm just going with the flow. I gave him EBM in a bottle at night to see if it made a difference, which it didn't so gave up that idea

 

[jkbmah]

Same here!! From around 9-12 usually, although he did it this morning from 8 till 11 and sometimes during the night. But mostly between 9-12pm. Have also read they grow out of it and calm down by 6 weeks?

I'm just going with the flow. I gave him EBM in a bottle at night to see if it made a difference, which it didn't so gave up that idea

hey our LO's are exactly the same age!!!

fingers crossed bby 6 weeks it settles!

 

[anna matronic]

Congratualtions I love your Team Sleep deprivation, think I need to join I hope it settles down too! At the moment I am ok with it as have nothing else to do and no other children to worry about x

 

[lepaskilf]

Congrats on your LO!!!

I hated the evening when lo was small, all he'd do was cluster feed then sleep then cry then feed till 11ish aaargh!! I'm so glad those days are over lol!!!.........All I can say is persevere, it's not forever - hard to hear i know!!!

As for the gripe thing, I found that lying LO on his back and cycling his legs then pushing them towards his stomach and rubbing his stomach helped x

 

[mumtobrandon]

Same for me, Blake (1 week old) is feeding lots in the evening, yesterday was from tea time until midnight, then he woke every two hours. Sometimes I go to put him back down and he screams like he hasn't been feeding for almost an hour already!!! It is stressful but he is eventually satisfied and I was told he would cluster feed in the early days and weeks so it has helped me worry less and know this is just what they do naturally, tiring as it is!

And he sleeps so well during the day and makes noises all night, although in some ways I don't mind because I know he is ok and haven't got to keep getting up to check he is breathing! x