Comfort Nursing (all the time)!

[CamoQueen]

Has anyone else dealt with this?

For the last 3.5-4 weeks, my son has been on my breast non-frickin'-stop. Honestly, from the time I get up to the time I go to bed, he's comfort nursing. At night time, he'll usually fall asleep at the breast and then I'll put him in bed with me and he'll sleep for 4 hours at a time, no nipple necessary. But at day time, he's a shrieking, crying mess if he doesn't have one of my nipples in his greedy little baby mouth.

Sometimes I can get him down for a nap for 1-2 hours a day, or sporadic periods of 10 or 15 minutes off of the breast where he'll be fine -- in his swing is a great place to distract him. But eventually he'll start crying again and nothing will pacify him but the boob. The only other time I can get him to quiet down is when I'm walking with him in his sling, in which case I can get an hour of him off of my nipples. He seems to hate every kind of pacifier we have tried on him... he grimaces and makes a face and spits them out, even if I express a little milk on the plastic nipple.

It's frustrating because I will ask DH to watch him while I get ready to go to bed, and David will inevitably start wailing and crying, and DH will be unable to soothe him because he does not have the one thing he needs -- my nipples.

I had hoped at first that it was just a growth spurt, but it has gone on sooooo long. We are due to go on vacation on the 15th for 3 weeks to see family, and I honestly do not know what I'm going to do. I know at this age (he's almost 7 weeks) you can't spoil them, and you should respond to their cries as promptly as possible but I feel like I'm losing my damn mind, here. We can hardly even go somewhere in the car because he will start crying in his car seat, and I can't take my breast out and soothe him while we're driving!

Soooo... any suggestions? Any idea of when he will grow out of this? Anyone else been in the same boat?! What I wouldn't give for him just to spend some time away from the boobie...

 

[ryder]

I dunno, only suggestion I have is to keep trying the pacifier ... Dip it in some gripe water as it is sweet, maybe he will take it then/?

 

[mommyof3co]

I would try more pacifiers too...have you tried Avent or Mam? Those were the 2 my breastfed babies seemed to like best. I hope you figure something out, I'm sure it' really tiring

 

[Alexas Mommy]

I went through the constant feeding too when Alexa was probably 11 days until 2.5 months, and then it started up again at 4.5 months... It was difficult for sure, I just kept with it, as she would not take any dummy... All I can say if she won't take to a dummy, maybe try sticking your clean finger into her mouth to suck... Sorry I am not much help, I was the one who just constantly fed and fed... hope you figure something out.

 

[Chel]

Jasper lived on the breast for the first week. Any time he was awake he was feeding and iun his sleep. He could continue to hold and suck for up to 2 hours at a time, (until my milk came in, then he'd try to suck for that long but he'd end up throwing up all the milk!)

It took a week before Jasper would even suck on a dummy, and only now after 5 weeks with a dummy he still protests when I first put it in his mouth, as he just wants the breast. The only way to get it on is to hold him in a breast feeding position and then put the dummy between my breast and his mouth.

Its hard with these sucky boys!

Also, if your hubby is feeling a bit left out because your bub is so breast obsessed, see if he'll take a bottle feed of expressed milk from time to time, for mutual bonding... and it'll give you a break!

 

[claralouise]

callums like this on a night, during the day hes fine as soon as i get in bed hes constantly on till about 3-4am then he sleeps when im finally too tired to get to sleep, altho i was naughty last night and let him sleep next to me and he woke every 2 hours i was soo exhausted tho back in the crib tonight tho. with clara i ended up bottle feeding her as she would be on constant day and night but dont think my milk was satisfying her the only dummy she liked was the tommie tippee orthodontic ones then the avent ones

 

[XKatX]

Definitely try a dummy. Oliver has gone from feeding for30-60 minutes at a time, to 10-20 minutes maximum. And the amount of times he feeds has massively reduced too. It took a while for him to take the soother, but now it his (and my) new best friend!!! He is a much happier baby for it. And don't worry, if he really does want food, he soon lets me know!!!
He doesn't have the dummy in bed though - I refuse to be getting up in the night, just to put a dumy back in. Because he's never had it then, he doesn't need it to sleep properly at night.
Good luck and let us know how it goes!

 

[vicwick]

Hi i'm in exactlt the same situation. Alfie will not sleep thru the day unless he's attached to my boob and feeds constantly, he has the odd 15 mins when i chat to him and hs fine but then he screams for more food. Hes started sleeping 4 hour stretches on a night but just can't gedt him to settle during the day unless we take him out in his pram or in the car its so frustrting. My DH has gone back to work today so god knows how i'm gonna get a shower

 

[milkmachine]

my daughters the same, wont take a dummy either!