# BF 1 month old, nursing almost constantly



## augustacherri (Aug 1, 2006)

Okay, so I'm asking for help from you wise ladies.

This is my third child, and I breastfed both of my other babies for 16 months and 1 year respectively. No major issues breastfeeding both of them.

I have a new daughter who is 4 weeks old and she is constantly nursing. I mean....pretty much CONSTANTLY. I will nurse her for a few minutes and she will fall asleep at the breast, then if I put her down anywhere (bed, swing, blanket on the floor, etc.), she will wake again within about 5-10 minutes and act hungry again. She was 10 pounds at birth and has already gained more than a pound since birth, her diapers are normal (lots of pee, plenty of yellow BF poop), she's not spitting up, she's burping well. I have no nipple pain or anything like that.

Her latch is good and she seems to be getting plenty, she just wants to suck all the time. I am at my wit's end--I have two other children that I pretty much never see anymore because I'm always nursing this one. She does sleep well at night; in two to three hour stretches, nursing, then immediately going back to sleep. But during the day, it's been at least every hour, usually more like every half hour or even more often. I wish I could say that I am happily feeding on demand....but the demand is getting so high that I feel like I'm about to lose it and go crazy. If I try other things for her (changing diaper, carrying, swaddling, swing, walking, holding, etc.), she just cries until I nurse her.

What do I do? I need serious help because I have a family and household to run and can't do anything but nurse!! I feel very frustrated!

Thanks in advance for any help.....


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## butterfly_mommy (Oct 22, 2007)

This was like my DS he wanted to nurse all the time if he wasn't sleeping except with me I had oversupply so when he wanted to comfort nurse but got drowned in milk he got mad so it was want to go on the boob, nurse, nurse, nurse, get overflowed with milk, choke, scream, want to go on the boob, repeat...anyway at about 3 weeks I caved and gave him a soother and he was happy to suck it if he wasn't truly hungry. So what I would do is if he acted hungry I would offer the boob and he would nurse and then when he would start to come off or get frustrated I gave him the soother. He still uses his soother occasionally but he is not overly attached to it. I never thought I would give my baby a soother but I had to for his and my sanity.


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## benjamins mommy (Aug 24, 2008)

I had and still continue to have a similar problem. My son did this at about 6 wks though. It felt like I could do nothing other than feed him. Moving down the road, I've come to realize that my son just has a huge oral fixation, he has a high need to suck. Have you tried giving a pacifier? or trying to fit in a little bit of time to pump and then get some help from children with feeding or husband? That's what worked for me, I even had a low milk supply for a while so I had to start giving my son formula. My son still does this to this day however he's not so much high demand to be on the breast, he'll settle for a toy now. He hates pacifiers though, it's really weird. But, I totally understand where you're coming from. I just don't have many answers other than the things that I've tried.


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## azariahsmom (Aug 12, 2008)

My son was like that for a long time but he's grown out of it. Just be patient. He's almost 4 months old now, and he still nurses quite a bit and likes to suck for comfort, but it isn't nearly as chaotic as it was.


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## aaronsmom (Jan 22, 2007)

This was my DD. If she wasn't sleeping she was nursing...sometimes even during her sleep. She basically slept on me with my nipple in her mouth the first 2 or 3 months of her life.








I think at this stage (before they hit the exploratory stage at like 4 or 5 months) they just feel the need to be close all the time. And of course, it probably varies with different children as they have different personalities. DS wasn't like that at all. He was always too busy looking at everything from birth pretty much.


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## jennyfah (Jul 20, 2006)

Do you have a chiropractor in your area that works with babies and young children? A craniosacral adjustment could maybe help your LO. Pediatric chiropractors are VERY gentle, and a good one will not only explain everything that she/he is doing, they'll do it to you first so you can feel how gentle the pressure is.

If there is a chiropractic college in your area, you could call them to get a staff referral or just ask some local friends if they have recommendations. I have found that sometimes even gentle births can cause babes to have neck or head pain that they can't tell us about, and sometimes it results in their wanting to nurse a lot to relieve the pressure.

I hope it helps! You're doing a great job, mama.

Best,
Jen
mom to 2 boys


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## augustacherri (Aug 1, 2006)

Thanks, ladies for all the great suggestions--it's good to know I'm not the only one.

My husband has tried to give the baby a pacifier and she is very resistant to it--she wants the real thing! Both my other kids were the same, but maybe now that she's a wee bit older than straight newborn she will try it. I will definitely try again.

I don't know about a chiro in our area....money is an issue, so I don't think I can explore that at this point in time.

Patience has never been one of my strongest virtues (that is putting it very diplomatically). But I guess with this one, I just may have to try some combo of a pacifier and patience......

If anybody else has any suggestions that worked for them, keep them coming! Thanks to everybody!


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## alegna (Jan 14, 2003)

Dd was like that.

Do you have a carrier that you can comfortably nurse in so that you can do things with the other kids while she's nursing?

good luck!










-Angela


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