Newborn constantly hungry? Big feeding problems....

[Butterfly89]

Ahh, thank you all so much!!! This has been really helpful/reassuring. I am still a little mad that they pushed formula so quickly and I personally would have waited, but OH was so stressed out by it all and kept making me feel bad (not intentionally, he has been so supportive) by telling everyone how sad it was that Harry "starved" for two days. I've tried to explain it all to him saying how colostrum/milk is richer than formula so even if he's getting like 0.5oz (or a little less maybe, my supply is still kinda unpredictable) every hour and a half or so, that is basically equal to what he's getting nutritionally (at least!) than having the 2oz of formula every 2-3... but if he's up with him, he just feeds him so now I think baby is used to having a full tummy so it's going to be hard to transition until my supply goes up.

But I'm heading to a breastfeeding clinic tomorrow which I'm pretty sure is associated with LLL. At the very least, I know they are registered consultants. And he has his doctor's appointment soon so I am going to make sure everything is ok there as tongue tie runs in my family and my mom had similar problems with my sister.

 

[Tigerlilyb]

Oh yes I was going to add, I'm not sure if this is the case with all women but I thought it was normal for the milk supply to take a few days to come in? Mine took almost 3 days.

 

[gaiagirl]

Mine took almost 4 days.

My LO also got some formula in the first 24hrs against my wishes but he had low blood sugar and it was 'forced' by the pediatrician. If he hasn't been my first I would have done it differently but live and learn! He did have a bit of an expanded tummy due to that but once the milk came in I spent a few days (and nights) constantly feeding and everything sorted right out!

Every newborn seems 'starved' in the first 3 days, but that's why they have extra fat stores when they're born!

 

[RachA]

Hope you can get some good support at the clinic tomorrow.

I was very much a routine feeder with both of mine but the first couple of weeks even routine feeders feed loads! Until my milk came in i pretty much constantly nursed. Then when the milk came in i nursed every hour or so. It was only as they got older that the gap between feeds grew. With my youngest i had to decrease the gap as if she went too long she would then sick up a lot of the feed that she'd had.

Hopefully you'll be able to get your lo back on the breast. You mentioned about being concerned that your milk wouldn't be as satisfying as the formula. You can help this by making sure you are resting a lot and eating really good nutritional food. I had a lot of milk with my second but my diet was really bad and she was loosing weight even though she was having a lot of milk. I eventually twigged that my diet wasn't good and once i changed it my milk was a whole lot better and she because immediately much more satisfied and content.

 

[NoodleSnack]

Everyone is right, it's normal for newborns to want to feed all the time, but just in case, if your baby is pulling off the breast while displaying hunger cues, and arching his back and kicking, it could be wind, try burping him and then put him to the breast again, he may feed better then. If he's too frantic, try holding him up and walk around to calm him some, newborns tend to like motion.

 

[Twister]

You mentioned about being concerned that your milk wouldn't be as satisfying as the formula. You can help this by making sure you are resting a lot and eating really good nutritional food. I had a lot of milk with my second but my diet was really bad and she was loosing weight even though she was having a lot of milk. I eventually twigged that my diet wasn't good and once i changed it my milk was a whole lot better and she because immediately much more satisfied and content.

Diet has nothing to do with the quality of breast milk:
https://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-diet/

That said it is still important that you eat well (but there's no need to worry too much about what you're eating) and rest when you can, for your well being more than anything!

 

[midori1999]

Ahh, thank you all so much!!! This has been really helpful/reassuring. I am still a little mad that they pushed formula so quickly and I personally would have waited, but OH was so stressed out by it all and kept making me feel bad (not intentionally, he has been so supportive) by telling everyone how sad it was that Harry "starved" for two days. I've tried to explain it all to him saying how colostrum/milk is richer than formula so even if he's getting like 0.5oz (or a little less maybe, my supply is still kinda unpredictable) every hour and a half or so, that is basically equal to what he's getting nutritionally (at least!) than having the 2oz of formula every 2-3... but if he's up with him, he just feeds him so now I think baby is used to having a full tummy so it's going to be hard to transition until my supply goes up.

But I'm heading to a breastfeeding clinic tomorrow which I'm pretty sure is associated with LLL. At the very least, I know they are registered consultants. And he has his doctor's appointment soon so I am going to make sure everything is ok there as tongue tie runs in my family and my mom had similar problems with my sister.

Babies need very little colostrum in the early days, their tummies are the size of a small marble, so you can imagine how much 2oz of formula would stretch that and that is why they can tend to sleep better and seem more settled after formula, it's like us having just eaten a huge Christmas dinner! Newborns literally take about 5ml of colostrum per feed. That is all they need at first.

You are right though, if you drop the formula it will seem like your baby is less satisfied at first and constantly feeding. This is just because breast milk is so perfect that is is easily digested, whereas formula takes a lot of work to digest.

 

[RachA]

You mentioned about being concerned that your milk wouldn't be as satisfying as the formula. You can help this by making sure you are resting a lot and eating really good nutritional food. I had a lot of milk with my second but my diet was really bad and she was loosing weight even though she was having a lot of milk. I eventually twigged that my diet wasn't good and once i changed it my milk was a whole lot better and she because immediately much more satisfied and content.

Diet has nothing to do with the quality of breast milk:
https://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-diet/

That said it is still important that you eat well (but there's no need to worry too much about what you're eating) and rest when you can, for your well being more than anything!

I don't actually agree with this article. I pumped my milk for a while and on days when I ate a poor diet my milk the next day would be almost clear. However if I ate a nice healthy diet my milk would be seriously creamy. Also caffeine/wine/windy foods did affect both of mine. If I had half a glass of wine then my baby would have a poorly tummy after the in which the wine came through in my milk. I'm a very experimental person and so researched using my own milk and baby to see just what affected them. Curry, garlic, baked beans, wine, coffee, chocolate all affected my baby.

 

[LuluSS]

Yes, like others have said, nurse him! Dominik is 10 weeks old and always eats every two hours. And he usually takes anywhere from 30-75 minutes to nurse! So I nurse for about an hour, get an hour break, and nurse again! I actually like it because I can relax, play video games, watch tv, etc. while nursing him lol.

I know the first few weeks of BF is HARD. I almost gave up it hurt so bad and was so tiring with baby attached to the boob all the time. But it is awesome now. So hang in there!

 

[Beankeeper]

Sounds like you have a lovely healthy hungry boy there! My DS was just the same & I was completely unprepared for it! He would cluster feed for hours on end & really the best thing to do is to let them. Is your OH off work? I'd have him take him in between feeds & try & get some rest. We spent a few nights playing pass the parcel as he'd need to eat so often.
Great news is that it totally pays off, it's amazing to see them grow into big healthy babies! Persevere if you can with bfing.
I found this article very useful & reassuring https://www.nursingmothers.org/html/faq.html
you're doing great things for your boy xx

 

[midori1999]

You mentioned about being concerned that your milk wouldn't be as satisfying as the formula. You can help this by making sure you are resting a lot and eating really good nutritional food. I had a lot of milk with my second but my diet was really bad and she was loosing weight even though she was having a lot of milk. I eventually twigged that my diet wasn't good and once i changed it my milk was a whole lot better and she because immediately much more satisfied and content.

Diet has nothing to do with the quality of breast milk:
https://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-diet/

That said it is still important that you eat well (but there's no need to worry too much about what you're eating) and rest when you can, for your well being more than anything!

I don't actually agree with this article. I pumped my milk for a while and on days when I ate a poor diet my milk the next day would be almost clear. However if I ate a nice healthy diet my milk would be seriously creamy. Also caffeine/wine/windy foods did affect both of mine. If I had half a glass of wine then my baby would have a poorly tummy after the in which the wine came through in my milk. I'm a very experimental person and so researched using my own milk and baby to see just what affected them. Curry, garlic, baked beans, wine, coffee, chocolate all affected my baby.

It doesn't really matter if you agree with it or not, the article is written by an IBCLC, the most highly qualified Bf professional there is, most of whom are also medical professionals and the article is based on scientific studies and evidence.

We know, from scientific evidence, that the maternal diet does not affect the quality or fat content of breast milk much at all. That's the good things about scientific evidence, it doesn't matter if someone personally agrees with it or not, it's still true...

Anecdotal evidence based on a 'study' of one sample, does not override a whole shed load of scientific evidence based on properly carried out studies on thousands, if not millions of samples.

 

[Embo78]

My son is six months old and rarely goes three hours between feeds. Apart from at night when he sleeps through.

My mum has always been obsessed with me making him go four hours between feeds and has done since he was just a few days old!!!!!! I just nod sweetly and carry on feeding my child when he's hungry!!

The first six weeks are the hardest but after that its so much easier. This morning it was freezing cold and I just picked him up and fed him snuggled up in bed. I was sooooo glad I didn't have to get up to get a bottle!

 

[RachA]

You mentioned about being concerned that your milk wouldn't be as satisfying as the formula. You can help this by making sure you are resting a lot and eating really good nutritional food. I had a lot of milk with my second but my diet was really bad and she was loosing weight even though she was having a lot of milk. I eventually twigged that my diet wasn't good and once i changed it my milk was a whole lot better and she because immediately much more satisfied and content.

Diet has nothing to do with the quality of breast milk:
https://kellymom.com/nutrition/mothers-diet/mom-diet/

That said it is still important that you eat well (but there's no need to worry too much about what you're eating) and rest when you can, for your well being more than anything!

I don't actually agree with this article. I pumped my milk for a while and on days when I ate a poor diet my milk the next day would be almost clear. However if I ate a nice healthy diet my milk would be seriously creamy. Also caffeine/wine/windy foods did affect both of mine. If I had half a glass of wine then my baby would have a poorly tummy after the in which the wine came through in my milk. I'm a very experimental person and so researched using my own milk and baby to see just what affected them. Curry, garlic, baked beans, wine, coffee, chocolate all affected my baby.

It doesn't really matter if you agree with it or not, the article is written by an IBCLC, the most highly qualified Bf professional there is, most of whom are also medical professionals and the article is based on scientific studies and evidence.

We know, from scientific evidence, that the maternal diet does not affect the quality or fat content of breast milk much at all. That's the good things about scientific evidence, it doesn't matter if someone personally agrees with it or not, it's still true...

Anecdotal evidence based on a 'study' of one sample, does not override a whole shed load of scientific evidence based on properly carried out studies on thousands, if not millions of samples.

I'm not going to get into an arguement about it. I know it's not just me that's found it to bed true-every nursing mother I know irl has found it to be true. Scientific evidence can be used to prove what the person wants/stats can be used in the same way. Unless we personally know all the women used to gain the evidence - and I mean all, not just the ones who experience helped the research positively - then we don't actually know the whole truth.
Most people assume that babies get colic and it can't be helped and is just a natural stage but diet can help reduce it. Because someone has letters after their name doesn't mean that the research they are doing is for the good of all people. I think we are sometimes too ready to cast aside the experiences of out parents/grandparents etc for people who are trying to make a name for themselves in the medical world.

 

[Twister]

A lot of the things the older generation did were probably based on what professionals of the time researched and said was best as well though so what makes what they did any more valid than what the professionals of today say?

 

[jd83]

I've not read all the replies, read some of them and agree, keep putting baby to the breast as often as possible! Breastfed newborns feed CONSTANTLY! It is definitely not every 2-3 hours like they tell you. It's exhausting, but this time will pass. For the first few weeks, I feel like I did hardly anything besides nurse my baby. That's how a god supply is established. You have to remember, you started with no milk, just colostrum. Milk comes a little at a time. It doesn't automatically coem in at the amount your baby will want, which is why they want to nurse often. They nurse often to tell your body to make even more.

Another thing to mention: if you are getting stressed out during nursing because your baby is fussing, acting unsatisfied, that can affect your letdown. As hard as it can be when you are so tired, furstrated, etc. you have to keep calm to help your milk letdown for the baby. I would try feeding every 1-2 hours for now until your supply builds a little better and your baby is seeming more satisfied. Then you can do more on demand feeding once you know your supply is doing better.

 

[xdxxtx]

I've not read all the replies, read some of them and agree, keep putting baby to the breast as often as possible! Breastfed newborns feed CONSTANTLY! It is definitely not every 2-3 hours like they tell you. It's exhausting, but this time will pass. For the first few weeks, I feel like I did hardly anything besides nurse my baby. That's how a god supply is established. You have to remember, you started with no milk, just colostrum. Milk comes a little at a time. It doesn't automatically coem in at the amount your baby will want, which is why they want to nurse often. They nurse often to tell your body to make even more.

Another thing to mention: if you are getting stressed out during nursing because your baby is fussing, acting unsatisfied, that can affect your letdown. As hard as it can be when you are so tired, furstrated, etc. you have to keep calm to help your milk letdown for the baby. I would try feeding every 1-2 hours for now until your supply builds a little better and your baby is seeming more satisfied. Then you can do more on demand feeding once you know your supply is doing better.

I agree with this post 100%. My milk supply was not coming in quickly enough, so I started pumping after each time my son nursed on me. That way, my body was being told to MAKE MORE MILK! And it certainly did.

 

[jd83]

I've not read all the replies, read some of them and agree, keep putting baby to the breast as often as possible! Breastfed newborns feed CONSTANTLY! It is definitely not every 2-3 hours like they tell you. It's exhausting, but this time will pass. For the first few weeks, I feel like I did hardly anything besides nurse my baby. That's how a god supply is established. You have to remember, you started with no milk, just colostrum. Milk comes a little at a time. It doesn't automatically coem in at the amount your baby will want, which is why they want to nurse often. They nurse often to tell your body to make even more.

Another thing to mention: if you are getting stressed out during nursing because your baby is fussing, acting unsatisfied, that can affect your letdown. As hard as it can be when you are so tired, furstrated, etc. you have to keep calm to help your milk letdown for the baby. I would try feeding every 1-2 hours for now until your supply builds a little better and your baby is seeming more satisfied. Then you can do more on demand feeding once you know your supply is doing better.

I agree with this post 100%. My milk supply was not coming in quickly enough, so I started pumping after each time my son nursed on me. That way, my body was being told to MAKE MORE MILK! And it certainly did.

I did the same thing too I started pumping in the hospital, and pumped the whole first week after feedings to encourage more milk. Felt like all I did was nurse and pump, but it did work!

I also agree with the pp who mentioned that your baby may need to burp in the middle of the feed. Its another myth that breastfed babies don't need burped. Both my boys needed burped midway through a feeding or they got so fussy they just wouldn't continue to eat.