am i doing the right thing?

[dawnellen1]

HIYA

AM I DOING THE RIGHT THING?  MY 11 DAY OLD BABY BREASTFEEDS (SEEMS TO BE SWALLOWING THE WHOLE TIME) FOR 45 MINUTES, THEN I WIND HER, CHANGE HER, GIVE HER 10 MINS ACTIVITY, THEN SHE WANTS FEEDING AGAIN.

SHE THEN FEEDS FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER 30 MINUTES ON THE OTHER BREAST.

IF I DON'T GIVE HER THIS EXTRA FEED, SHE WON'T SLEEP.

AM I OVER FEEDING HER AND IF SO, HOW DO I GET HER TO STOP?

ANY ADVICE WOULD BE APPRECIATED.

[Jayri]

i think there is a 12 week growth spurt, so that may be the problem.
How long does she go between feeds once she has had both sides, she may just need a break between sides.
To my knowledge if they are not spitting up then it is a good thing, if they are it either means reflux or they have eaten too much.
HTH, not too sure on the subject myself as ds as on the bottle and dd is doing well if she makes it to 10 mins per feed.
But overall it sounds like you are doing good.

[stasztk]

Wow she sounds like my lo. I have not broken her of the habit, :oops:  but she is going longer between feeds. (She is now as big as most crawling babes! :shock: )
Good for you for breastfeeding. Not everyone can.  
Tracy says to feed a hungry baby. But to make sure that is what the cry means. She may just need to suck more than feeding provides. Have you tried a paci? Is that something you are willing to try?
Best of luck to you. Let us know if you have any more questions.

[Schae]

I agree with 'feed a hungry baby'. You are still establishing your breastfeeding and milk supply as your lo is only 11 days old, it can take up to 6 weeks to establish your supply (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter). Many babies feed on both breasts, I think what you are doing is fine.

As long as you are not feeding her to sleep, then I think you are doing fine and following EASY to the best of your ability.

Well done!

[stasztk]

I agree with 'feed a hungry baby'. You are still establishing your breastfeeding and milk supply as your lo is only 11 days old, it can take up to 6 weeks to establish your supply (sometimes longer, sometimes shorter). Many babies feed on both breasts, I think what you are doing is fine.

As long as you are not feeding her to sleep, then I think you are doing fine and following EASY to the best of your ability.

Well done!

EXACTLY!

[annamum]

Hi,

As your baby is only 11 days old, I think it is very normal to feed that often and that long. As everyone else said, it takes time and patience to establish your milk supply. Also, this early, I wouldn't try to offer pacifier, as this definitely has an impact on your supply. If you want to continue breastfeeding you want to have an adequate milk supply. Right now is the time to get to know your baby, get hang of nursing for both of you. I remember how trying and difficult these first weeks are but they will pass and your baby will eat less often and will be more efficient. Most babies start to get very efficient at nursing at around 8 weeks, they can be done in up to 10 minutes  :lol:.

[dawnellen1]

Thanks so much for all your replies, they have really, really reassured me and made me feel better. 

I keep on forgetting she is so young and I panic about bad habits etc.  I really try to follow Tracey's routines, but I find myself getting stressed out if Cerys doesn't respond well to them.

I don't think I am "feeding to sleep" but she will only sleep after she has had these mammoth feeds.

I will keep on trucking.  Trouble is, I find I am spending about 2 1/2 hours with her, feeding, winding, changing, feeding, etc and during the night it is pretty tough going.

I wish they could talk, then we would know exactly what they need!

Thanks again.

 

[Schae]

Hi Dawn, glad we could help.

My best advice to you is that you should try and sleep when Cerys sleeps during the day. And as unbelievable as this sounds, you get used to the lack of sleep.

Hang in there, it sounds like you're doing fab.