Do you ever feel like giving up??

babe2ooo

mum to Jack
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I've been bfing 18 weeks now. It's going good and she's putting on weight. But I just feel like she is feeding all the time and that I can't really get out because of it. I don't want to give up but it's starting to get to me.
 
Why can't you get out?

You might find at 6 months things improve for you drastically when you can offer alternative food and water if you like.

Xx
 
I would try to get out and do stuff anyway. :) Around that age I found I could prolong time between feeds by putting her in her stroller and taking the dogs for a walk or heading to the store.

Even if she insists on being fed while you're out, getting comfortable with nursing in public will make your life a lot easier!
 
Are you pumping at all? I'm new to this and only 3 weeks in, but I have just started pumping 2 feeds per day. DH and I were able to run errands this weekend for a couple of hours while my MIL watched the baby, and it was a lifesaver. I had been feeling like a walking pair of breasts until then.
 
My DS2 spaced out his feeds quite dramatically around 6 months. He was feeding every 2 hours until then. Now he feeds around 4-5 hourly which gives a much bigger window of time to get things done.

Do you nurse in public? I was nervous at first so took a cover but found that I could do it wearing my nursing top so discretely that i didn't really use the cover.
 
Yeah I do nurse in public but I don't really like to. Trying to find somewhere to sit it really hard. At the moment she's only going 1hour between feeds in the day. But she sleeps through the night. Midwife said this was normal because she's sleeping through. It feels like if I try to go anywhere she want feeding almost straight away.
 
I don't pump because she's always feeding so I don't get a chance to make enough to pump
 
Do you feed from both breasts each time? I only ask because my DS1 was a very frequent feeder but would only ever take one breast at a time which was frustrating. I sometimes used to pump from the other breast whilst he was feeding as I would get a lot more out that way, and use it in a bottle for the next feed if we were out etc etc

The other bonus I noticed from doing that is that he used to take a bit more from a bottle so eventually it increased the amount he'd have at each feed from me too, so the frequency dropped a bit.

I sympathise though. DS1 fed very frequently all through the day and night and it was really tough :flower:
 
I don't pump because she's always feeding so I don't get a chance to make enough to pump

If she's sleeping through could you maybe pump before you go to bed? I know it is a hassle pumping....

There is of course no guarantee she wouldn't bottle feed every hour too but I suppose if you are planning on leaving her with someone else then that their problem :haha:

Are there any breastfeeding groups near you? It feels a lot less public feeding in a group designed for breastfeeding Mums and babies.

Or learn to nurse in a sling?

I can't really offer too much advice cos I'm just so jealous of the sleep!
 
I feed from one boob at a time but maybe I should offer both. I don't know of any breastfeeding groups. A sling sounds good. Do u guys know any good ones?
 
Maybe try offering both. DS1 wouldn't take both but DS2 started to at around 5-6 months and it reduced the feed frequency by quite a lot. I just kept offering at every feed and one day he decided he'd take it.

I had a wrap sling when he was little but it wasn't so good when he got heavier so I moved to a mei tai which I still use a lot. If you google you might find a sling library or group near you where you can go and try some to see what you prefer before you buy one.

Does she nap in the day at all? Mine would always nap longer in the sling so I'd go out and about with it on.
 
I feed from one boob at a time but maybe I should offer both.

Always a good idea to offer both (after a burp if your LO is particularly windy) and if she doesn't want it she'll let you know!
 
I felt like giving up when my now five and a half month old went through a huge growth spurt at four months and was feeding every 1-2 hours day and night and also refusing a bottle. It's hard being the only one able to feed them, going out becomes such a schlep when you have to constantly plan your activities around being able to comfortably feed the baby, and leaving your house hardly seems worth the bother. I forced myself to just get on with it for the sake of my mental health and my bored two year old, breastfed in the car most of the time while the toddler was entertained with some form of bribe, and it wasn't that bad really.

Within the last two weeks the baby is now feeding every 3 hours and will also accept the occasional bottle, this has given me much more freedom from him than I had before. His sleep is still shit but that's another story. I always offer two boobs to try and fill him up as much as possible, especially before we go anywhere, sometimes I can persuade him to have a second go on the first boob although there's rarely anything left over.

It's easy for me to say now that I'm over it but try not to let it get you down. It's probably a phase / growth spurt / wonder week or something like that and will pass soon enough. Until then, try and roll with it, and if it gets too much then ask a family member to step in with a bottle so you can get some breathing space.
 
Thanks guys. Yeah she does nap in the day she will nap for 2 hours and maybe another 1. When she's asleep she's fine but when she's awake it's every hour
 

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