When will it get easier?

[0_o]

With ds he was combination fed from day 3 as I couldn't hack the constant feeding. Young and naive I guess. He was sleeping though by 8weeks.

Dd is 5weeks old and still feeding all the time!! She wakes for hours in the night, and would happily eat every hour if she didn't have to sleep lol. its so tiring. mostly she wants feeding every 1.5hrs. Is that normal for her age as I only ever hear of them feeding 2-3hrs xx

 

[Cattia]

I posted something like this a week or so ago and several people replied saying it was normal. I don't remember my DD feeding quite so often but to be honest I think I might have blocked it out and just be remembering when she was a not older. George has started to do a stretch of about three hours at the statt of the night now but by the end of the night will be every hour or sometimes even less!

 

[0_o]

well. usually she does 3 or 4 after her first night feed. but other than that she just wants boob all the time. probably doesn't help that my oh works shifts and is out all night so I don't get a chance to rest really. xx

 

[Nervous_1]

It's totally normal I'm afraid! My LO is 5 months and still wants feeding every 2 hours even though at his age he "should" be going 3-4 hours according to all the books etc. Just let your baby lead you and you can't go wrong

Things might improve for you after the 6 week growth spurt as I found my supply regulated and everything just clicked into place then.

You're doing so well, keep it up!

 

[CeriB]

Is she combi too or EBF?

It is quite normal TBH and all the cluster feeding she is doing in the evenings/nights will be preparing her for long stretches when she does go to sleep. I found the 6week growth spurt hellish as she seemed to be growth spurting for weeks and it just got worse. It got better only to be followed by the 8week one This wasn't too bad though and it got soooooo much better when this finished.

I agree that 6 weeks is a turning point - your so close and it will get better! Keek going - your doing great!!

 

[jessshakespea]

I assume it's normal, not had much experience. LO has been cluster feeding in the evenings the last few days, but we'd been letting her sleep a bit during the day. Yesterday we tried waking her every 3 hours (from the start of the previous feed not the end) to feed her, and try to get her to feed more during the day to even it out. Also feeding her for a little longer and not being so impatient to get her off the boob as soon as she slows down. So she's been going up to 35 minutes, or until she literally just tickles my nipple (which I HATE). Then I offer the other boob if she wants it, which she tends not to. Also discovered when she pulls herself off, if I burp her (instead of putting her down to sleep as my advisor suggested) she has a huge burp and then wants more!
Anyway, we did one day of this yesterday and there was no cluster feed in the evening and instead of 2 hourly feeds, it was 3 hourly overnight. Whether this is related is yet to be seen. We were advised to do the 3 hourly thing to make sure her weight is increasing. It's not demand feeding tho so.....if you want to demand feed, this is not a plan for you. Having said that, if she woke up early I would still feed her, she just didn't do that yesterday.
I also pump when I can. I think the longer on the boob thing is helping, and it can't hurt the supply. However, it may be that tomorrow she carries on with her own schedule

 

[Pixxie]

Totally normal hun! try co-sleeping so you can snooze while she feeds at night xxx

 

[babyloulou]

Normal I'd say! Ben is 17 weeks and still feeds every 2 hours at least in the night- sometimes even more. He usually has a 3 hour block when he first goes to sleep and then feeds every hour and a half to every two hours after that. So i cant tell you it will get better any time soon- Co-sleeping makes it much easier though xx

 

[Babynumber1]

Normal my son was every hour and a half i was exhorsted and i had to give it up by 2 months put him on formula he did sleep a bit longer xx

 

[summer rain]

It is normal and well worth waiting it out; as after 2-3 months it should settle down a bit, your baby should go longer in the night and even if they do feed as often it will be for a considerably shorter time period. Studies show no real difference between BF and FF babies in when they sleep through, all mine have slept through completely by 5.5 months at the latest (and that is taking into account growth spurts in the meantime where they may temporarily wake up more). My LO didn't know what to do with himself up until 12 weeks; and he would always do mad cluster feeding at night; switching him to formula wasn't an option as he had intolerances to dairy and soya via my milk; and both are in all mainstream formulas (and trying to get a prescription formula on the NHS is a PITA in my area) so I just persevered, after 12 weeks he suddenly started sleeping through and spaced out his feeds to every 3 hours on most days by himself as well as learning to settle himself at around the same time. For my troubles I was blessed with a very contented baby who skipped the 3 and 4 month growth spurt altogether and hasn't gone through the 4 month sleep regression either, its only in the past week or so he has sometimes been refusing to sleep at night and waking up at night but I think its more he doesn't want to miss anything as he is mostly not hungry at these times xx

 

[kelly29]

i mostly co slept in those early weeks i think its the only reason i never backed down and gave a bottle instead so i could snooze too i have to say, my lo is a freq feeder and always has been but i have to say at around 12-14 wks everything seemed easier i know its a million moons away right now but its really not, and it may get easier much quicker for you it was the constant feeding that would do me in she wouldn't even go an hour but now i'm at 6 months and i don't even think twice about it now its like second nature and i wish i'd of hung in there with my other 3 as far as sttn goes its hit and miss sometimes she sleeps all night and sometimes she doesn't but thats not always down to wanting boobie milk i say hang in there babe it will soon all fall into place wev'e all been there and were all here for you now xx

 

[0_o]

thankyou everyone. it probably doesnt help that she has had a virus for the last week with a horrible itchy rash. I had the rash head to toe so can definitely say its incredibly itchy and must be adding to her fussiness. my partner is working nights too so it just seems worse than it is really.

she is breast fed, not combination. Im determined to stick this one out xx

 

[Pixxie]

If shes not well she will be nursing more, hopefully when she gets over the virus she will go a bit longer between feeds xxx