BF Question...

Hi Moms-

I am BF my daughter, and am finding she gets really hungry every single hour once it gets later in the day (3ish). I will feed her at 3 for example, then by 4 she's after her hands, rooting, & crying for more!!! I try to hold her off a tiny bit & see if she'll take a pacifier or just calm down a bit, but she's ALWAYS hungry!!!
I am feeding her constantly!!! I also feel my milk supply is lower by that point in the day, and don't think my body is keeping up with her hunger. (I don't hear gulps like I do earlier in the day).
Is there anything I can do? Has anyone esle experienced a very hungry BF baby?
PS- She went to the Doc this week & is gaining weight, so I know she's getting something!

HELP!!!!
TIA.

Re: BF Question...

Oh yeah, in the beginning my kids ate every hr. They cluster fed at night so I felt tlike I was always nursing, she is mor relaxed at night so that is probably why she is not gulping as much, that is why babies at night don't need to be burped as often around bedtime than during the day. Don;t worry about your supplu, it is like demand and supply (rather than supply and demand) if she is sucking cinstantly, she will build up your milk supply to meet her needs) just count those diapers, I'm sure she's doing great. In fact you may find that she will be a better sleep than other babies at night since if she cluster feeds (moe often feeding at night) she will be fuller and will sleep better and for longer time. You're doing great, keep up the god work Mommy!!! to Alexandra!!

Re: BF Question...

Thanks!
It's driving me crazy...
I just finished feeding her at 9:15 and already she's looking for more!!!!

Re: BF Question...

Sounds like she's a healthy eater! It's better that she wants to eat rather than not want to! All this feeding will help your supply.

Re: BF Question...

Lucky you that your girl latched on!!

I was told that once the newborns come out of their sleepy phase that they can often go into cluster feeding....sometimes every hour.

I say keep feeding her as she is hungry and she'll work out a schedule on her own!

Re: BF Question...

Alex does this too... from early on. She cluster feeds at 5pm, now even more so because I'm at work all day and I think she likes the comfort of nursing when I come home. At first I got very nervous and thought that she wasn't getting enough or that my supply was diminishing. In the beginning my supply was lowest in the evening, but after a couple of weeks of cluster feeding after 5pm, now my biggest supply is during that timeframe. Your body will respond within a few days and it will all work out

Re: BF Question...

Sounds totally normally to me. I suggest renting some good movies and finding a comfy spot on the couch. Lots of great TV shows are on DVD -- I never saw the West Wing, so I watched the first three seasons of that while breastfeeding my newborn. LOL.

Re: BF Question...

Thanks for the responses!

Another question...How long (on average) is this BF style kept up? (Feeding every 1-2 hours/ 12x a day).
When can I get some relief??? I know every baby is different, but maybe 2 months or so? Hopefully sooner?
I feel like a cow.

Re: BF Question...

It takes some time. And even when you do break the 1-2 hour habit, all of a sudden out of nowhere she'll hit a growth spurt and want to spend 24/7 on the boob! I think Alex started stretching longer hours between feedings at around 4 weeks or so... I can't really remember, it's all a fog Now, she'll go about 3 hours between feedings, but when I come home from work, she wants to feed about every hour until she goes to sleep...

Re: BF Question...

In all reality you are a cow (LOL) for now...your body is still your baby's when you BF. This is VERY normal. Hang in there!!

Re: BF Question...

I was in the same situation with Katherine; so much so that it was making me absolutely miserable. My life was spent in the same spot on the couch, so it seemed. I would say it stopped around one month. Like you said, every baby is different, but I think you should be able to start seeing a loose schedule around that time period.

Good luck!