not sure what to do :(

Elana - posted on 01/30/2010

Sounds like a growth spurt to me. You are doing a great job, continue to feed him on demand as your milk will increase to accomodate him.

Lise - posted on 01/30/2010

For the growth spurt/pumping question... As long as you nurse on demand when with your baby, you will be fine. You may just need to add an at-home pumping time for a week or two.

Anne - posted on 01/30/2010

Sounds like a growth spurt. You can supplement with formula, or take herbs to help increase your milk supply. Supplement stores carry fenugreek or a lactation blend that contains it, or that Mother's Milk tea by Traditional Medicinals. It works wonders.

Jill - posted on 01/30/2010

My baby does that too. So I change his diapers between breasts to wake him back up.

Claire - posted on 01/30/2010

Firstly its your baby so if you choose to suppliment with formula thats fine dont let people pressure you to feel guilty about it. Your the mummy you do what you think is right, but if you are worried about how much he is drinking at a time try expressing the milk just before ready for his feed and bottle feed him as a one of just to settle your mind to see

a) how many oz he has at once

b) if how much your producing is enough for him



also I dont think one occasion of having a bottle whilst doing this little assesment will harm if you decide to go back to just breast feeding.



Good Luck.

Kelly - posted on 01/29/2010

i agree with michelle jones! I was given the wrong impression by many people when my son started doing the same thing so i took their advice and supplemented formula. Biggest mistake i made, it made my milk supply drop even more. Because of this by 4 months he had been weaned from breastmilk and since has been struggling with sicknes after sickness. Whether or not it's a coincidence i don't know. I believe breastfeeding is the best thing in the world between a mom and baby. I truly miss it and wish i had stuck with it. If you stick with it your supply should come back, like posted earlier it's a supply and demand thing. Good luck!

Amanda - posted on 01/29/2010

It sounds like a growth spurt to me! You need to do everything you can to get him to eat fully off both breasts in one feeding. Wake him up! Change his diaper in between sides and put him on the other breast. This is the only way you will ensure you produce enough milk. You will need to continually build your supply and draining both breasts at every feeding is the only way to do that. If you can't get him to eat fully off both breasts at every meal then I'd suggest pumping the rest. That way he will get used to taking bottles, too...and your nipples will get a bit of a break!

Michelle - posted on 01/28/2010

I have a question on a very similar note. My daughter is 11 weeks old, so she will soon be entering this growth spurt. I'm going back to work and will be pumping. How am I supposed to deal with a growth spurt while I'm at work? I can't pump all day long.

Emma - posted on 01/26/2010

Sounds like a growth spurt and your son is trying to get your body to increase its supply for what he will need. Everytime my son had a growth spurt I was constantly worried I was not providing enough milk. I felt horrible, not to mention exhausted, hungry and moody.

Try block feedings, especially when there is a growth spurt. By using the block feeding method your baby will be getting more hindmilk and less foremilk, which will provide him with the calories he needs. Also, will also help you naturally increase your supply. What block feedings are; offer one breast for every feed during a 3 hour block. Once that 3 hours is up, offer the other breast. This will allow for your breast to start filling back up with milk. Keep going, with the alternating of breasts. With your son getting more hindmilk during the feedings the time between each feed will gradually increase until it returns to a more stable schedule. I have successfully used this method with every growth spurt, satsifying my son and increasing my supply. You can also use this method if/when your son "comfort" nurses, which my son does when he is teething.

Angie - posted on 01/26/2010

If you have been feeding him for this long with no problems, chances are your providing him with what he needs. He may be going through or is getting ready to go through a growth spurt and is trying to increase your supply to meet his demands. I agree with trying to keep him awake to eat more but not with substituting formula. Sometimes babies will start to associate nursing for comfort rather than nourishment. I have an 11 week old who loved to nurse for two hours every night before bed. I gave her a pacifier to help comfort her without compromising her nursing. It works great and she sleeps really well. She will wake up usually once during the night to nurse and then go right back to sleep. All babies are different, this is what works for her. Regular wet diapers and weight gain are sure signs he is getting enough to eat and when in doubt, call your doctor and ask her/his opinion.

Niki - posted on 01/26/2010

make sure he is draining you, the most nutrious part of your bm is provided at the end of the feed. so try waking him up, and on your next feeding start with the breast he finished on the last feed =)

Cassie - posted on 01/26/2010

As most of the other moms have said, this is just a growth spurt. Your son is wanting to eat more often because it is his way of naturally increasing your supply so that you will have enough milk to continue meeting his needs.



If you WANT TO CONTINUE breastfeeding exclusively (which is best for him, you, and your wallet lol), DO NOT add formula to any of his feedings. By adding formula, you will in fact fill him up. The problem with this is that if he is full, he will not want the breast. If he is not stimulating your body to make more milk, it will slowly start decreasing the amount of milk it makes. Adding formula is usually the biggest culprit of a baby weaning from breastfeeding and taking formula only.



Your best options would be to NURSE, NURSE, NURSE, drink lots of water, rest, and NURSE some more. :) Follow your son's cues. If he seems hungry, latch him on and allow him to eat. If he falls asleep, change his diaper in between sides (this worked like a charm with my daughter at that age). You are doing a wonderful job supplying your son with all that he needs from your own body. Keep it up. It gets so much easier the older he gets. My daughter is 15 months old and still nursing. You will be so glad you continued and gave him the best start possible.

Tracy - posted on 01/26/2010

Read the baby whisperer!! by Tracy Hogg you might be misreading his cues. At that age my daughter was doing the same, I started using the E.A.S.Y method and now I know she was actually bored or tired not hungry. easy stands for eat, activity, sleep, then you time. good luck!!!

Cecile - posted on 01/26/2010

The consensus is that he is going through a growth spurt. Differing opinions on the rest though, which makes things hard to sort out. I agree with the moms who say to rest, drink lots of water and keep him on the breast as much as he wants. Giving him formula defeats the purpose of increased feeds, because then your body will produce less and less milk. This is most often the reason a lot of moms quit breast-feeding, wrongly assuming their milk has gone dry.

Keep up the good work. You are doing the best thing for your baby by continuing breast-feeding!

Donna - posted on 01/26/2010

Dont worry my little girl was the same sometimes i would be feeding her 3 times an hour. The more your son drinks the more your body produces.

Crystal - posted on 01/26/2010

Don't worry about running out of milk. If you've been providing enough before now, chances are you're fine now too. It's a supply and demand kind of situation, your son is demanding more, and your body will make the adjustment. When my son was a week old, he was having a hard time putting in enough demand, so in addition to feeding him on cue, I was also pumping every hour and 1/2...it was a miserable week of that, but it really worked! I made more than enough milk after that, which made me extremely happy since I was committed to breastfeeding.
Definitely sounds like a growth spurt though. My son goes thru the same thing. When he was younger (he's now 1 year old) there were times where I felt like he was doing nothing but nursing for days on end. Now that he's eating food too, it's the same thing. I feel like he'll go for days where all he wants to do is eat or nurse. Each time I notice a few days later that he looks SO BIG. Amazing how you can actually see them grow sometimes! Good luck!

Sarah - posted on 01/26/2010

3 months is usually a big growth spurt, so he's right on track. mine had another one at 4 months too.

Hillary - posted on 01/26/2010

Don't you feel like Mom Donalds...Thats what my husband used to call me. You need to try to keep him awake so that he will fill his little tummy before he falls asleep, try by rubbing the bottoms of his feet or changing his diaper to wake him up. You should then get two hours between feedings, it will feel so much better. I think adding in a couple bottles of formula is a great idea if he's still really hungry, but use a breast pump anyway at the times he is eating, otherwise you will stop producing enough.

Camilla - posted on 01/26/2010

my son just turned 3 months old- he had a well-baby visit last week and had jumped from the 50th percentile in height to the 80th, and had a similar jump in weight. i don't breast-feed, but i had noticed before the doctor's visit that he was eating constantly, and the doctor attributed it to a normal growth spurt, even though his gain was pretty drastic. one thing to keep in mind- our pediatrician told us that it HURTS to grow that fast, and i'd never thought of that. so, if your baby is fussy, he may be experiencing growing pains.

Michelle - posted on 01/26/2010

why does everyone want her to supplement with formula??? Mandi, kellymom.com will have some great info for you.

Michelle - posted on 01/26/2010

if you let him sleep with you he will feed as and when he needs to. my gosh I dont understand some points of view on here...if you sleep with him, he can smell you and he will feed all night, and you can sleep while hes feeding.

try feeding him on the same breast for two feeds in row...such as feed him for ten minutes aftewr nappy changes and baths, then get comfortable an hour later and let him nurse on the same side. This way hel be getting the foremilk as a drink inbetween feedings of hind milk. The hind milk will satisfy him more, especially at night. And also try eating a carb high meal 3 hrs before bedtime...the more calories you ingest the more you will give him. :) Keep going, sounds to me like its all okay!

Michelle - posted on 01/26/2010

to rechelle and renae, be supportive of her breastfeeding. dont encourage her to feed formula.

Its fine Mandi, your son is just increasing your milk supply, he is probably going throught a growth spurt. They seem to feed all the time at this point, but its the natural way of increasing your milk. dont worry, try not to stress about it and keep feeding him on demand, he will settle into his own pattern once the milk he needs is there.

Renae - posted on 01/26/2010

It is common for breast fed babies to feed every hour during a growth spurt and they do have a major growth spurt at 12 weeks. The growth spurt usually lasts 4-7 days. During a growth spurt babies need more milk but also the frequent feeding is natures way of making your body produce more milk because the baby will to take bigger feeds after the growth spurt.

The best things you can do for your milk is drink plenty of water, try to eat well and try to rest as much as possible when you aren't feeding (all chores and everything else just have to wait during a growth spurt).

If you dont mind giving your baby formula that will allow you and baby to get a little more rest as formula takes longer to digest than breast milk so will keep him fuller for a bit longer.

Wait it out and see if he goes back to normal within a few days.

Jill - posted on 01/26/2010

There is a massive growth spurt at three months, so that is likely what it is. Also, my son has always been a near constant eater (he just turned 3 months) - and at first I was afraid I wasn't making enough. the visiting nurse actually told me that babies who aren't getting enough tend to feed less, not more, because they get frustrated and stop eating. If he has at least six wet diapers a day, and is gaining weight, then he is fine. Also, are you a part of the breastfeeding community here? I have found it useful and reassuring on several occasions. Good luck, and I hope he finishes this spurt soon!

Lady - posted on 01/26/2010

if he falls asleep after 15 mins feeding try to walk him up by changing his nappy or sorting his clothes and get him to feed for longer if you can top him up more maybe he will sleep for longer. or even just try putting him down and if he wakes put him to the other breast . try not to let him sleep on you as he will be all warm and cosy just as if he is feeding but not getting the food and that's what you want him to get so he'll sleep. hopefully it's just temporary as your body ajusts to his greater demand for food. but your milk will ajust if you don't want to suppliment with formula. as a baby grows and needs more nutrition your body produces thicker milk to satisfy him it does take a little bit of time though and if you do start using formula then it doesn't ajust the same and you have to end up using more and more formula. as long as you eat well and drink plenty thicker milk will come through. but if you want to use formula then by all means do so it's your body and your baby you need to do what is right for you both. hope this has helped good luck.

Rechelle - posted on 01/26/2010

Don't worry to much about it just try to add in some formula here and there... It will help you not be completely drained and it will help him be full. try doing it at night he will sleep better and not get up as much... it will give you much needed rest and his dad can help out with that as well

Corena - posted on 01/26/2010

It sounds an awful lot like a growth spurt. There were some times I felt like my son was just eating all day...he is a big boy. ;)

If you really feel there might be something wrong, talk to your doctor. If you aren't producing enough milk you can supplement with formula if you have to. There is no shame in that. Whatever works to keep him healthy and happy, right?