# Baby nursing every single hour...



## *~Danielle~* (Mar 27, 2005)

anyone else or any encouragement to get through this? She eats for 30 minutes, then breaks for 30...then eats for 30..so from start to start it's every hour....I hardly get a break from her nursing. I'm starting to resent it a bit and need some encouragement!


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## woodchick (Jan 5, 2007)

I remember dd goign through a growth spurt around 3-4weeks. She seemed to eat non-stop for a while! And then as soon as it started she started spreading out her meals again.

It does get better!


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## oregongirlie (Mar 14, 2006)

I know how you feel. My DS did this but has gone to every 2 to 3 hours now at 10 weeks. She's still very, very tiny and will space her feedings out more in time.


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## mbhf (Jan 8, 2005)

my second baby was like this. it really seemed like he was nursing constantly, and he pretty much was.

he still loves nursing, and at 22 months nurses as much as my 2 month old (who is a get down to business type nurser) and sometimes more, but he did stop nursing all the time at some point, so it does get better. we have a really special relationship, and his milkies fix everything. now that i have another baby who is so drastically different, i find i actually miss the constant nursing.


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## prettypixels (Apr 13, 2006)

Yep, mine does that too when she is awake!!!!

ETA: By the end of the night when we are approaching bedtime (which, btw, is anywhere from 5-7am for us!), I am looking for excuses to put her down for a few minutes.. hand her to my husband, let her spend a few minutes in her swing, something... just to give my boobs a break! After we sleep for a few hours I feel fine again, but after the all-night marathon, I do get frustrated too! You are not alone.


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## quietserena (Apr 24, 2006)

It passes and then they run off and won't even give you a hug.

Or something, I have no idea, DD still gets offered every hour to hour and a half when she's awake. But she never nurses longer than 15 minutes at a time.

It's most likely a growth spurt, but you never know with a babe. They're unpredictable in both good and bad ways.


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## kiwiva (Apr 17, 2006)

It won't last forever! DD did that for a while and I was ready to scream-ouch. But she lengthened it out before long. Totally normal.


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## 2crazykids (Jun 19, 2005)

totally normal...hang in there, she's working hard to build up your supply, right?


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## jsmith2279 (Jan 12, 2007)

My DS did that and it drove me crazy - I thought it would never end. Use the time to nap (lay down & nurse), read, watch TV, etc. Or can you sling her while she nurses?

It does pass after the 3-4 week mark.


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## nina_yyc (Nov 5, 2006)

Get a good book and read with the other hand. Then maybe you won't resent it as much and babe will still get plenty to drink!

My DD is spacing her feedings a little more at 9w, but we were totally there for awhile.


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## cmg (Jan 16, 2007)

That was us for nearly 2 mos - she's finally "slowed down" and I sometimes get a whole 45 min awake and not eating







. Don't know if this applies, but one thing we finally figured out was that she has a *really* hard time going to sleep - takes a sling plus dark plus white noise plus movement, and she's happier if she just peed and pooped. We spent several twelve hour days where she would fall asleep for maybe ten minutes after nursing, then wake herself up, scream, and want to nurse again to make it better... So now we're a little more pro-active about getting her to sleep/nap and we're all a lot happier (and the food supply gets a break!).


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## saraann (Dec 1, 2006)

my daughter ate almost constantly when she was a newborn. Our couch has a permanant inmprint from where I'd sit and nurse her all day long.


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## *~Danielle~* (Mar 27, 2005)

Thanks for all the encouragement. I can remember my son doing this but not this early and my "baby blues" weren't the same with him as they are with her. She will be 4 weeks on Tuesday. I think I am just so down about everything that this one thing that I cannot control is driving me nuts. I just need to surrender that this is how it is for now and enjoy the rest.

Problem is I still have a toddler who wants me to interact and a husband who comes home and expects dinner and such. I guess life goes on even when you have a little one.

She doesn't totally love the sling yet, so that is something I will just have to dabble with over time and see if she warms to it.


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## Momtwice (Nov 21, 2001)

A suggestion: you might want to start a post for tips for being a parent of a toddler while frequent breastfeeding for ideas like the one about the sling. A lot of people have been through that! Maybe a heart to heart with your man would be helpful about his expectation of dinner when there's a nursing baby in the house, or, some moms put dinner in a crockpot at breakfast time and then it's dealt with.

About whether it's normal and why:

Yes it is most likely a growth spurt.

Breastfeeding is an amazing mechanism that allows a baby to regulate their heartbeat, breathing, temperature, antibodies they need to fight illness, and pain relief from endorphins! So there are "frequency days" (and weeks) like this that are completely normal.

Whatever the reason (probably a growth spurt) this is normal. It's also normal for you to feel burned out.

When they get older there are more reasons, hitting milestones (sometimes they pratice muscle movements in their sleep like crawling!) teething pain...

It's all normal.

It's good exercise for their jaw and mouth development too. BF babies are less likely to need braces or speech therapy.

Sources for this post include Katherine Dettwyler, Dr. William Sears, and http://www.kellymom.com


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## katiesmom (Dec 11, 2003)

My ds is 3 mos now and the first couple of months he did that, nursed constantly, and then sometimes he'd only eat maybe 3 times in a day! Now he has good days and bad ones, but believe me it gets a lot better and doesn't last very long!


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## timneh_mom (Jun 13, 2005)

It looks like your baby is brand new! This is SO totally normal and I promise you it will get better once she gets a little older! They have so many growth spurts in that first month or two and it sounds like you are following her cues and doing a splendid job! I remember how tiring those days can get, it is hard but they will get better, I promise!


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## nina_yyc (Nov 5, 2006)

I agree it's time to talk to your husband about the dinner expectation. Nursing a newborn and trying to cook every night is a lot of work.


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