Breastfeeding ALL Day long..maybe Just a Rant

I would try the Baby Whisperer book for the sleep/routine issues. Have you tried a lactation consultant about his latch?

my baby is 8 weeks old now. If I eat dairy, he's fussier and wants to nurse all the time. My other 4 were the same way, which is why I recognized this. I'm not sure how common this is but I thought I'd mention it just in case it helps. Congratulations!

I have a 4 week old. I would suggest trying to get some type of routine down. My daughter roots when she is hungry, but also when she is tired. By feeding, wake time, sleep, I know which she needs when, and can try other comfort when she is tired. It also will allow some down time for you. You can then make sure that during the day he eats (by waking him up) at least every 2.5 to 3 hours. if there are latch issues, talk to a lactation consultant. It sounds like he is only eating when you are full because he is only hungry after naps, not when he is just suckling. Try your finger (it is a bit early for a paci - they say at least 4 weeks).

Hang in there, you are all going through a very difficult time trying to adjust. If you can afford help, post-partum doulas are wonderful. When my second son was born I too struggled with attending to both of them and felt I was always failing both.....we all survived just fine and the only one who remembers that time is ME:) Slowly you will get more time when the baby is not nursing, where you can spend more individual time with your older child. Your newborn is just being a newborn, establishing his own needs.....La Leche is great for support. I think you are doing the best that you can in a very difficult situation. I also think the constant nursing at that age is very normal. You may want to offer the same breast several times in a row, to make sure he is getting enough of the hind milk. Also, if he is falling asleep at the breast, you may want to 'hand pump' your breast while he is nursing to make the milk come out a bit faster for him to keep him awake. A great video (he has a book too, but who has time?) is put out by Dr. Jack Newman http://www.drjacknewman.com/video-clips.asp where he addresses some of your situation.

At 2 weeks old your little one is working to regulate your supply so at this point do introduce a pacifier.

With my second she would nurse quite a bit at one feed then almost nothing another. But I figured out it was just part of her getting my supply at the point she needed. If he is gaining weight, has wet and dirty diapers, and you aren't complaining about sore nipples he probably has a good latch.

Invest in a sling that you can nurse baby hands free like a mayawrap or a moby.

Also, at 2 weeks old your baby is so new to this world. He needs/wants/craves the comforts of the womb and closeness to mom. This is all he knows. Your smell, your arms, being able to nurse are the only ways he has to know he has security and comfort. Some babies have higher needs in this area than others.

Take the time to google 4th trimester. That is where your baby is. And will be for some time.

For your 15 month old. This is a big, big adjustment. It will take time for him as well. He is used to 100% of your attention. There are other things you can do while nursing with him-color, puzzles for his age, listen to songs, roll a ball on the floor, shapes sorter, etc. Or even just have him come sit and snuggle with you on the side you aren't holding baby while nursing.

probably you and baby are in process of increasing milk production. once that kicks it maybe it'll level out. what a tough situation. i was still nursing my daughter at 18 months, to imagine having another already!! hang it there though, it will work out great in the end they will be good friends.

A great suggestion - hire a "mother's helper" for your older son. That would be a student who is like Jr high who could come over and play with your son. You can usually get them much cheaper than A. actual babysitter because they are younger and you are home. So, if you hire someone who is 12-14 you could probably pay them $5 or $6 per hour and they would devote all of their attention to playing with your son - especially since it's summer you'll have better luck with kids who have daytime availability - even if it's just for a couple hours each day.
You can probably find someone by looking on sittercity.com or call your local jr High school.

As far as breast feeding - I think if your son is gaining weight and having the correct # of pees/poops then he's fine. This is controversial, but my daughter's ped actually TOLD me to give her a paci so she wouldn't want to use me!!!!!!!! You can try that and then try moving the feeding apart by 30 minutes so you are feeding every 2 1/2 hours and then move to 3 after a week or so- see if that helps.
I do know that it seems like all you do is breast feed at this age.

I was put on A. "aggressive feeding schedule" which is 2 hrs apart during the day(8, 10, 12, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) and then 12am 3am 6am during the night and then resume every 2 hours because my daugther wasn't gaining weight. It is SOOOOOO tough (and I didn't have a toddler!!!!!). But that schedule was because she wasn't gaining weight. I think they suggest it should be 2-3 hours apart even for 'on-demand' feeding, so any more than that and they are using you to soothe.

Good luck!

Maybe you should try getting in touch with La Leche League. They can probably help you figure out if there is a way to improve how he latches on, etc. Good luck!

This won't last forever...I'm amazed that your LO isn't sleeping more...but when I had my LO, she had jaundice and i had to feed her every 2 hours round the clock - it was exhausting! During her growth spurts (yours could be having A. early one...but then again all kids are constantly in a growth spurt!) she would want to eat every hour....but like another person said, she could be waiting for your supply to increase. Also - try to give her a pacifier and see if she will take that instead of the breast; I tried the Nuk and mine hated it, so I gave her the straight kind and she loves them....try a few different ones (I wasn't going to start my baby on a pacifier, but babies have a natural sucking reflex and she will be frantic if not sucking...she calms down as soon as she has one)...then swaddle her and put her in a swing or something and she will be 'pacified' more than likely so you can have some one on one time with your other LO...Also - all babies cry and it doesn't necessarily mean they are hungry - which I'm sure you know since you have been there done that with baby #1...but there are some great books out there about setting up routines, etc. I always feed my LO once she wakes up so she will not be falling asleep on me while eating, then she gets awake time, then it's time for another nap. Using the sleep, eat, wake pattern tends to help me. (I read BabyWise as well...it's a little stringent, but the basic premise works...just ailor to your own schedule - and a side note - one person said it recommends 6 pm bedtime, which I didn't realize after having read it, but my DD always wants to go to sleep around then any way, so I guess it works).

I don't know if this fits in with how you want to do things, but... my older daughter was EXACTLY like your baby. Nursed constantly, all day every day, even at night I could only get 45 minute naps at night because she wanted to nurse all the time. So, after a year of that nonsense, with my second child I did Babywise. It's a little long to get into here, but basically it is about leading your baby in a (flexible) schedule for eat/play/sleep. The basic premise is that when babies "snack" constantly, they never get full, so they are constantly hungry. Also they don't gain as much weight because they never get the richer hind-milk, only the watery fore-milk. So if you can get him onto a 3-4 hour schedule, he will be happier, gain weight faster, and you can have your sanity back. The idea is that you feed him a BIG full meal upon his waking in the morning - I mean, cram that baby full of as much milk as he'll take! Then he has awake time for ~2 hours, and then you put him down (awake but relaxed) for his nap. He sleeps ~1 hour, wakes up, and feed him a big, full meal again. Repeat this cycle until you put him down at night (recommended bedtime is 6pm - I know that sounds absolutely crazy, but I swear you will be amazed at how much better he will sleep if you put him down then). Don't nurse to sleep, ever, since then he will never have any idea how to put himself back to sleep if/when he wakes at night. Instead try to find other ways to help him soothe himself - put your hand on him and rub his tummy, or give him a pacifier, or let him suck on his fist, or whatever.

My second child really, really loved comfort sucking, and for that purpose I gave her a pacifier. It worked really well, as it allowed me to have my shirt on most of the day and spend some time with my older child. =)

Anyhow, coming from the exact situation you describe, I would really, really recommend On Becoming Babywise. It is a super quick read (you could read it while you're breastfeeding! LOL) and it was so helpful to me. Good luck! Hang in there!

Sounds to me like some of the constant nursing is comfort nursing. Have you considered introducing a paci?

All three of my children were like that and it usually meant a growth spurt even though at times it seemed like we went right from one spurt into another. :))
Remember the more you nurse the more you will produce. As for your older son, have you tried some quiet games that he can sit next to you and baby and play? I would let mine watch a video (winnie the pooh) or something from time to time and that seemed to help too.

My son was feeding/comforting himself that way too. It seemed to get better about the 2nd month. Just hold on a little longer and than you will be able to spend time with your son. Or try a paci, my son would never take a paci. I only have one child who I am still nursing and will be 1 next week, so I know it will get better.

Just like most of the other mom's said he's most likely just comfort nursing. Try getting him on a scedule during the day. Feed every 2 hours, wake him up to feed during the day if he's going to sleep through a feeding, and make sure he's getting a full feeding. In the early evening push the feeding a little closer together and this should hopefully give you a little longer stretch at night to get some sleep for yourself. Aim for around 8 feedings a day. The constant feeding and stress you're under doesn't allow your body enough time or energy to produce good quality milk. The first few weeks are hard especially when you have another little one to care for, but if you get to some sort of schedule it will get easier a lot quicker.

I would not suggest the pacifier as other moms have done here. Too many issues down the road. I'd definitely call the La Leche League in your area. Go to a meeting, or see if the leader can come to your house. If you can't locate one on line, then seek out a good lactation consultant. If you are not sure if your son has a good latch, that might be the issue. I'd also talk to your ped. about the head banging. Encourage your son to find his fist or hand to self soothe. The last suggestion that I have is to seek out chiropractic care for both of you; but especially your son. Many times, misalignment can cause all types of issues from, nursing to behavior. No, I'm not a chiropractor, but am in the wholistic health field; and have seen amazing results from adjustments of babies. Please feel free to contact me if you want more info. on this or a referral to someone in your area.
L. M

I can clearly remember the two week growth spurt my daughter had. I was in tears and exhausted from nursing non-stop and SO worried I wasn't producing enough milk.
I called my sister (who had had baby number 4 5 weeks earlier) and was assured that these 24 hour non-stop nursing sessions are PERFECTLY NORMAL for newborn. He is ramping up for growth and the frequent nursing stimulates your body to amp up milk production.
Just hang in there... it will get better. They usually last for a short while, then it lets up a bit and 2-4 week later you have the next spurt until it tapers off as they near 5-6 months.
Good luck!

Hang in there...it WILL get better. In the mean time, try buying your son some new movies....Baby Einstein always held my older son's attention while I was nursing. I am usually not one to plop my kids down in front of the tv, but at this difficult time with a newborn and a toddler, I probably couldn't have gotten through it without one. Once I got my infant on a schedule and the nursing was more managable, I cut back the tv time for my oldest. Also, try buying him some new toys that only come out when you are breast-feeding. That way he gets something special during that time too. Just be sure to spend time playing with him whenever you get a chance to make sure he is getting enough attention. You will all get through this tough time...promise!

Good luck!

That's rough - I feel for you. I don't have any answers for you, just that you're not alone. I have a 2 month old and and 20 month old. My older son still doesn't like it when I'm nursing the baby. Do you have anyone around to help entertain and distract your older son? It's been hard for me to let go, but we've been lucky that my husband and other family were able to take over with the older one, especially at the beginning. Of course, he still wants mama, and I give him some one-on-one time each day, but he also gets a lot of attention from others.
I think it's totally normal for a two week old to be on the breast all day. It sounds like it's comfort as much as feeding - that would explain why he doesn't get a good latch. Maybe he's not trying to actually get milk - just comfort. Will he suck on your finger instead? That's how my first was. Hang in there. Supposedly they get more efficient in their nursing in a little while, and once the baby is big enough to play with your older one will be thrilled. In the mean time get as much help as you can!

Hi C.!
My children are now 8 and 5, but my son wanted to breastfeed all day too. He's a bit of a hyper guy and even as a baby moved all the time. I came to the conclusion that he just wasn't eating enough to feel comfortable, so I started supplementing with formula. Okay, everyone will tell you NOT to supplement because usually then kids just go for the formula. In fact, I had a doctor go nuts when I said I was going to supplement with my daughter. But, they are healthy happy kids. This is what I did with both kids and it worked. I put them on a schedule for feeding and then I would allow them to breastfeed for about 20-30 mins. FIRST -- always. After that, if they fussed, I would give them a bottle. Usually, they would then take 2 or 3 ounces of formula and fall asleep. This way, I made sure they got the benefits of breastfeeding -- both the antibodies and the bonding time AND the full tummy feeling that allowed them to nap well and allowed me some sanity. With my daughter, it ensured that I had time with my son -- although he used to find ways to get my attention when I was feeding her. His favorite was to unroll about half a roll of toilet paper into the toilet and then if I didn't get there in time, flush and clog the toilet...But, we worked it out. I am not a very time-organized person. I would say that is one of my weaknesses, but for me -- having schedules and routines, as much as it seems to be against my nature is a saving grace with kids. It makes them feel secure too -- they know what's coming. So, if you can schedule the feedings then you can tell your 15 year old -- it's time to feed your brother then he will go to sleep and its our time. Will be reassuring to him.