I'm feeding alll the time! Please help !

[lexbeljo]

My son is 1 month old and he's feeding every hour. My breast feel soft I don't know if I have any millk. after he eats I can't get him to sleep, he fusses till i give in and put him to the breast. I'm so tired I need a break. Any other thing he spits up after every feeding, what does that mean. Please help me !:(

[shehaights]

My son did the same thing. He would nurse every hour but it used to take much longer back then for him to nurse. When we were going through that he was about 6 weeks old, I'm a first time Mom, so we went to see his Peditrician :) They told me he was probably just going through a growth spurt and it was normal. He could just want the comfort and security of the breast. He could be like my son, allergic to milk? Are you supplementing? My milk didn't seem like it was enough initially, they told me to offer formula after nursing, but his face would get red and splotchy, and he'd spit it all up. I quit offering the formula after about a week and stuck to just switching from one side to the other every 15 mins, I think it helped. When my son was finally around 9months we did a blood test and found out he is allergic to milk, making sense. Are you stressed? That could deplete your milk supply as well. Can someone help with giving your son a pumped bottle of milk for one feeding so that you can take a break? Nursing is awesome, the beginning is hard. It's hard to get the right latch, to tell if he's drinking enough, to know it's going to get better. I've been nursing for almost 13mos, I've gotten Mastitis 2 times which was awful, but it's been a great experience, in a couple weeks you will see, it gets easier. Good Luck, and try to get some rest, a lot of it is probably stress and exhaustion.

[Brianna]

First off, spit up means baby is getting milk during his nursing sessions :). Perhaps baby is going through a growth spurt. Growth spurts are very tiring for mom, but they are great for your supply. I wouldn't worry about your breast feeling soft. Your body is probably getting better at gaging how much milk it needs to make. In addition, your breasts are never truly empty. Baby will always geet something.

Also, it is very common for tiny babies to nurse every hour. Try to remember that babies are only little once. This stage will eventually pass. Put your feet up, read a good book or surf the net while baby nurses.

By the way, congratulations on you little one.

[Nipple_nectar]

I agree that nursing non~stop and spitting up are both very normal newborn activities:) Here is what to expect in the early weeks: www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing.html

[lexbeljo]

Ok that makes me feel better. How much water should I drink? Some peolpe tell me not to over do it others say i should drink alot. Witch is it.

[Nipple_nectar]

Drink to thirst. Don't force yourself but yet don't restrict access to a tall drink at all times:)

[Meredith]

That sounds pretty normal to me. My youngest DS was the same exact way at that age. He ate almost non-stop for the first three months.

WRT the spit up: if he's gaining well and isn't constantly irritable, he's probably okay. I was worried about the same thing with my DS.

[efuda]

I am going through the exact same thing. My one month old is constantly on my breast and its not every hour sometimes its every half hour. Its crazy, I feel like my breasts are on fire. The only time he is not like this is right after his morning feed he is then calm for about 2 to 3 hours but after that time slot its breastfeeding time for the rest of the day. I started pumping and give the bottles to my husband just to give myself a little break. Also my breasts are never engorged, they are always soft and I never leak. My doc says that not all women have those issues and not to worry so I am not. I just can't wait until he slows down his eating so my breasts can get a break. :)
I am sticking with it though and so should you, we are doing a great job. Its a tough time but I am sure it will get easier.

[lexbeljo]

I don't see myself quiting, I love nursing him. I just want to know it's not going to last forever. I have to be able to shower. I guess this are our growing pains.

[GirlsMama]

Nursing very very often is actually a good thing, it ensures the process of supply and demand is working. The more he nurses the more you make.

I haven't felt engorged or even felt let down or leaked since the very first couple weeks while nursing my daughter (she's 15 months) I just have faith that she's getting enough and I let her nurse whenever she wants. I know it gets tiring, but I promise this time will end as he gets older.

As for the spitting up, I would probably interrupt him after a couple minutes and burp him to see if he has an air bubble in there, then let him nurse again and continue stopping to burp him. I would also hold him very still in the nursing position after he nurses for as long as possible to let his stomach settle.

If it seems he just wants to comfort suck and is fussy because he wants to suck but not nurse and if you are confident he is getting enough, having enough wet diapers, etc, then I would offer him a pacifier to suck on and see if that is what he wants, just to suck. But I would always always always give the breast first at any sign of fussiness and ONLY give the pacifier after he was full.