How long does constant newborn feeding last for?

[emyandpotato]

I know it's different for everyone but I'd like to hear others' experiences because I'm a bit nervous about how it's all going to work out. My little boy is a week old and feeds almost constantly, day and night. I get about half an hour here and there when he's asleep but then he's hungry again. We co-sleep and have carriers so it's not a lack of closeness; he genuinely seems hungry. I know this is to be expected with newborns but I'm getting worried as my OH goes back to work Monday and I have a three year old and no family/close friends to help out, and I'm worried about being stuck on the sofa feeding and unable to look after my eldest, as well as coping with two after literally no sleep, and getting out of the house. I've tried my best to feed him in the sling and carrier but he won't. He also won't nurse when I'm lying down so I have to be upright and awake. Can I expect this to last weeks/months?

 

[Kazy]

Hopefully here soon you should be able to go a few hours between feedings. One thing I found that helps is if you continually wake baby until he eats a full feeding (10-15 min each breast). As he gets used to eating longer he will be able to go longer between feedings.
This time around my lo eats more often than my others did. In the first two weeks it was like how you describe. Then At 2-3 weeks she started to do better and then by 6 weeks was down to 7 feedings and now at 10 weeks only 6 feedings per day. So hopefully as you encourage full fedings she will stretch out a bit.

 

[Breezy]

Not much longer. My LO did it for about a week and then spaced it out. Make sure your baby is getting your hind milk too! So like PP said keep waking your sleepy head.

 

[kajastarlight]

My baby was a smiggin early (three weeks) so he was used to nutrition just happening and was not ready to actually bother with eating lol. If I had let him he would have slept all day and all night. It was a FIGHT to keep him up to eat! Then he hit his actual due date and decided that eating was the thing to do! Haha. So from 3 weeks to about 6 weeks he just ate and ate and ate and ate like you discussed. When he was about 8 weeks old he decided that he could give eating laying down a try and now he prefers it! I think mostly breastfeeding is an ever changing journey lol - hopefully you just need to hang in there a tinsy bit longer and things will all work out

 

[tulip1975]

Keep trying sidelying if you have the patience. It's a life saver.

I remember the constant feeding at that age. It does get better soon!

 

[mrsclt]

Do you have a recliner lounge by any chance? Sometimes the only way I would get any sleep was by propping bub on my breastfeeding pillow so he could feed but not roll off and his nose well and truly clear of my breast. Then I'd recline the chair and support my head with a travel pillow. I'd wake to pop him on the breast then drift back to sleep and let him feed and sleep till he woke up again. Also worked great when he had a cold with a stuffy nose.

 

[Jinnah]

My babies took awhile to learn how to feed while side-lying. Our youngest is just about to turn two months and has just gotten the hang of it within the past week.

The feedings should start to space out, shortly, for you. Then, just put baby in your carrier after feedings to make it easier to do stuff around the house.