Feeding all the time & Expressing

[BrownEyeGirl]

My baby is 7 weeks today, and I've been exclusively breastfeeding since birth... but it still hasnt got any easier..When I'm at home I feel like I'm constantly feeding.. if shes awake (which is alot during the day unless we're in car and she falls asleep) she'll want feeding.. I keep reading that people get 2-3hours in between feeds... She manages this at night time because shes asleep but during the day I'm lucky if I get 30mins in between feeds, is this normal or am I doing something wrong? I am pretty sure shes sucking for comfort sometimes because she does it when shes tired but won't give in, but she wont take a dummy, I've tried and tried.. are there any tips on getting out of this habit?

Also expressing.. how can I express when shes constantly feeding? I'm desperate to start pumping to get some milk stored so I can introduce a bottle once a day or every other day so my partner can help me out, but when I'm at home I'm just constantly feeding.

Shes gaining weight well but I'm starting to get very frustrated in the day time! xx

 

[noon_child]

You are still in early days. Growth spurts are still happening, supply might not have regulated and they are still so very dependant. I had a sleep fighter too and I know the pain you feel, however to be honest, even if she wasn't feeding just to get some rest, she'd most likely still be "on" you to sleep at that age. I think when people say they get a big gap between feeds they don't always mention that they still have to hold LO 24 hrs a day, so the fact that they aren't actually on the boob makes little difference!

It is possible (but certainly not definate) that if she is awake a lot and feeding very frequently (and this is all the time, not just during growth spurts) that she can't quite extract all the milk she needs to feel truely full. How are your nipples? How is her weight gain? How are her nappies? Do you have any breastfeeding groups near you where you could meet other Mums and maybe talk to a breastfeeding counsellor?