Some Questions...Breastfeeding 1 Month Old

[Devan's Mom]

Hi Everyone!  I have a few questions about breastfeeding my one month old.  He is my sweetheart and I love every minute of bonding with him while breastfeeding.  The issue is that he used to be on a 2 hour feeding schedule when he got home from the hospital...it was dictated by him.  Now, he wants to feed for 15 minutes every hour.  Since he is so young and so small (born 6 lbs but is getting bigger and filling out from what I see...he will be weighed on Monday), I give him everything he wants so that he can gain weight.  He has been gaining weight successfully and also is a good latcher.  I have forceful letdown in the morning and afternoon hours and he gets enough milk from what I can "See" and "Feel."  I feed him on one side for as long as he will let me sometimes 15 minutes sometimes 40 minutes.  But he really calls the shots now.  He does fall asleep during feedings within the first 5 minutes or so and I try everything I can to wake him up...most of the time it is burping him.  And then we go back to feeding for whatever amount of time he wants.  Also, recently, he has been spitting up out of his nose about 2 hours after feeding.  What does this all mean?

I first want to know if this is normal.  I second want to know when will it go back to longer intervals between feeds and how. I thirdly would like to know how to eventually get him onto a good habit to take in good "meals" instead of snacking away.

This is my first time and we are both learning, and I am giving myself time to get used to it.  We are both doing extra well with it and I am not going to quit...because I love it.  But I am just tired of my MIL telling me that I don't have enough to give...and that's why he's bobbing his head looking for a boob all the time...when I know that I do have enough to provide.

OOOH...

And also, one quick pumping question...how much is a normal amount to pump out in 10 minutes using an electric pump?  I can barely get an ounce in the night.  I have not tried in the morning when my breasts are engorged and literally streaming out milk...but I will take a yield and see.  But I want to know how many ounces is normal to pump for a mother had a baby just 4 weeks ago.

And will the leaking EVER STOP?  GOSH!!!

THANKS YOU ARE ALL THE BEST!!!

Love,
Rupal

[deenz]

Congratulations on your baby!

I can't comment on all your questions, but wanted to reply anyway.  It sounds like things are going well, and so nice to hear someone enjoying bf'ing so much!

Pumping - I don't think you can say what is 'normal' to pump, and certainly what you pump is no indication of your supply.  As you have noticed, the morning is usually the best time to pump if you need the milk for something.

Leaking - it might slow down quite a lot in the next few weeks/months, but some women leak a lot, some not at all!  I think I wore breast pads with dd1 until at least 6mo... But that huge leaking in the shower etc will probably slow down significantly in the next little while.

As you get to know your lo, you will start to be able to tell more when he is tired, hungry etc.  When they are really little they just look like they (and do usually!) want to eat all the time. 

Anyway, I am sure someone else will come along to answer more fully!

[Samuel's mum]

This is my first time and we are both learning, and I am giving myself time to get used to it.  We are both doing extra well with it and I am not going to quit...because I love it.  But I am just tired of my MIL telling me that I don't have enough to give...and that's why he's bobbing his head looking for a boob all the time...when I know that I do have enough to provide.

You sound very together and sensible. Good for you!!!

And I'm resisting the temptation to tell you to slap your MIL with a wet kipper (British expression).

He has been gaining weight successfully and also is a good latcher.

Sounds great!

Now, he wants to feed for 15 minutes every hour.

I guess the key question is - how long has the 'now' been? If it has been this way for a few days/ one week it could be a growth spurt and he is helping you to build up your supply.

If it's been longer then, yes, perhaps this has been a pattern he has settled in to. Every baby will eventually get longer intervals between feeds even if you just wait for their walnut-sized stomach to grow. However, every hour is tough and I can imagine you'd like to try and get a longer interval so he will perhaps take more at the next feed and then have a longer interval as a regular pattern. You may want to still keep frequent feeding in the evenings as evening 'cluster' feeding is a natural pattern that makes use of the fact our milk supply often dips towards the end of the day.

How to extend intervals is of course the million dollar question. With a sleepy baby, it is very tricky because you can try various ways to keep him awake longer for feeding but it's not always possible. There are a few tips here:
https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=63428.0
And if you can't get him to feed for longer then he won't take in more milk and last longer. I would certainly not recommend you try and 'stretch' him unhappily to the next feed (I'm not saying you would do this at all) as if he becomes overly distressed you may find he feeds even less efficiently. He is also more likely to take in air/ gas and you could potentially find you could run into supply problems if you stretch him artificially (and miss a growth spurt for example).
If he's happy about it, you could try some sort of distraction to lengthen the interval. Take him outside on the grass (assuming you don't live in Antarctica), dip his toes in a bowl of warm water to play etc.

You could also think about ways to improve the fat content of what he his eating - if he only feeds for 5 minutes, put him back on the same side again to continue the feed to make sure he gets the hindmilk (you're probably doing this anyway). You could also consider breast compressions, which improve the 'efficiency' of a short feed for a sleepy baby.
http://www.bfar.org/compression.shtml

Finally, there is a teeny weeny chance you could be misinterpreting his cries as hunger cries as this isn't impossible. Instead he could be asking for comfort or is seeking some other kind of help. Do you have the BW books? There's some great stuff about 'reading' your baby.
Some babies do have a high sucking need and look for sucking as comfort - sucking on clean finger might sooth him to take him to the next feed. If you are overfeeding him then this might explain milk popping out of the nose (but this could also just be as a result of a burp.) Sam spat up a lot (usually mouth but sometimes nose) but didn't seem to mind at all. Does it seem to be painful for him?

As for pumping, 'normal' is a massive spectrum. Some mothers who breastfeed very successfully struggle to get any 'let down' and end up with about an oz. I'd say 2-6oz is fairly standard!! I would certainly expect less later in the day.

Yes, leaking will stop. After usually 6-12 weeks (sometimes a bit longer) mothers find their breasts 'settle down' and leaking and engorgement usually become less of a problem. It's sometimes also a time when mothers think something is wrong (and worry that their breasts don't leak, or they stop feeling let down or whatever it is) but do expect change.

If your MIL is a reader let me know and I'll PM you some links you can print off for her about why what you're doing needs all her support (and how frequent feeding is not uncommon).

Good Luck.

[clh]

Ditto the previous posters.  I was thinking growth spurt, too, if it's only been going on a few days.  Diapers (& weight gain) are the best ways to make sure LO is getting enough. 

Pumping is no indicator of supply.  I remember when DS was about that age, I'd pump & pump & barely get enough to cover the bottom of the bottle!  That improved with time and practice.  Some women just don't respond well to a pump & some do, no matter what their supply.   

Sounds like you're doing great!  And good for you, pressing on despite your MIL.