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  1. #1
    TraciG is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Default 2 week baby breastfeeding sometimes for 2 hours straight

    is this normal ? My God I cant get up, it's about 2 hours sometimes, she does take breaks for maybe 2 minutes then acts like she's a starving lunatic, is my milk not satisfying her ? My mother-in-law thinks maybe my milk isn't nutritious enough for her ? We do give formula once at night, last night after breastfeeding wasn't ending we switched to formula, at first she didn't want it, finally we put her down to sleep then 5 minutes later O no, we hear her again, more formula then finally off to sleep.

    Breastfeeding is so hard, I hope it gets better !!!!!!!!!!11

  2. #2
    deborah_r is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Default RE: 2 week baby breastfeeding sometimes for 2 hours straight

    If you are taking your prenatal vitamins and eating and drinking properly, I can't imagine that your milk is not nutritous enough! Mothers and MIL's tend to speak our worst possible irrational fears, I think.

    How often are you putting her down for a nap or swaddling her and rocking/soothing to get her to sleep? Maybe when she is screaming after you have fed her plenty, she is actually tired. I know in the beginning I did not understand how long my baby could be awake without needing a nap, so that thought occurred to me.

    Have you tried a pacifier?
    Deb
    Mama to my guys, K (May '03) and Q (June '07)

  3. #3
    Momof3Labs is offline Pink Diamond level (15,000+ posts)
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    Default RE: 2 week baby breastfeeding sometimes for 2 hours straight

    Babies breastfeed because they are hungry, but also for comfort. You can substitute a pacifier for the comfort part, if you want.

    Or she might be going through her first growth spurt, which means that you really should nurse her to help build up your supply - which she'll needs as she gets bigger.

    And your MIL is wrong - your milk is perfectly nutritious for her. Does she really think that something in a can is more perfect that what mother nature intended babies to eat??

    Also, try getting Dr. Harvey Karp's book The Happiest Baby on the Block. It has great tips for soothing a newborn - boy, I wish that I had read it before Colin was born!
    Single mom to

    DS ("twice exceptional") - September 2002
    DS - February 2006
    DD - July 2009
    DD - July 2009

  4. #4
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    sntm is offline Diamond level (5000+ posts)
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    Default RE: 2 week baby breastfeeding sometimes for 2 hours straight

    first, ignore your MIL -- she means well but don't listen to her on this point.

    second, is she gaining weight? making wet diapers? then she should be getting enough BM.

    third, have you tried a pacifier? if you two have a good breastfeeding regimen (she latches on well, you can hear her suck and swallow) then you probably don't have to worry about nipple confusion. she may be one of those babies who likes to suck all the time (my Jack is!)

    unless you are having problems with weight gain, i would not give her formula if you want to keep your breastfeeding abilities strong. she will get full of formula and will breastfeed less and your supply will drop accordingly, and then you will have to give her formula. before giving her any more formula, i would check with an LC or your pediatrician to determine if she medically needs more to eat. there is nothing wrong with using formula to supplement if she needs it, but you can't determine if she needs it just based on her desire to suck -- only on weight gain and wet diapers.

    hope that helps!
    email me if you need to talk! breastfeeding was very tough for us in the beginning and i almost gave up several times and am sooooooo grateful i didn't!


    shannon
    not-even-pregnant-yet-overachiever
    trying-to-conceive :)
    PREGNANT! EDD 6/9/03
    mama to Jack 6/6/03

  5. #5
    jennifer13 Guest

    Default RE: 2 week baby breastfeeding sometimes for 2 hours straight

    Oh those early weeks are SO HARD! Your post just brought it all back. THere were definitely times my DD would nurse for 1.5 hours straight. It shouldn't have anything to do with your milk. And the example you give above sounds like she wants to nurse for comfort, which is what babies do. Babies have a huge need to suck. As previous posts said, you could try a pacifier, try that instead of a bottle with formula because it doesn't sound like she's hungry. And try putting her in her crib (or bassinet, or your bed, or wherever she sleeps) at more frequent intervals-- I often mistook my baby's cues for sleepiness as hunger. A good lactation consultant is an invaluable resource. And as other posts said, look for weight gain and wet diapers to know your baby is getting enough, but really it sounds like she is and that this is normal, and could also be a growth spurt as someone else said, which is designed to increase your milk supply.

    I wanted to reply to your post because I was THERE, I thought BF was the end of the world, it seemed like it was all I was doing, and I started to get depressed. It does get better! Four weeks sounds like a lifetime, but at four weeks it got easier, then progressively easier after that. Again, a supportive l.c. would really help. The other thing that was helpful for me was just to let go and give in to what it means in the early weeks- that it feels like you are bf 24 hours a day, and to just let go and know that before you know it you will long for nursing sessions that last longer than 5 minutes. I tried to make nursing better for me by watching movies or reading magazines. My DH bought me the first season of 6 Feet Under on DVD and I watched it while nursing. I learned to use the time as the time to just "be," because I couldn't do anything else but sit there. And then the bonding while nursing will come too, but for me it wasn't right away.

    Sorry to go on and on, but your post just resonated with me and the challenges of the early weeks. I thought bf would easy, and it's NOT. But I encourage you to hang in there and seek support wherever you can get it. And by 3 months, breastfeeding will be easier than bottle feeding. (We started doing both when I went back to work so I saw the difference.) But, if you do decide that it's not right for you, it is no reflection on you as a mother. We have to make the choices that are right for us and our families. But one thing I know for sure is it WILL get BETTER!! Good luck and take care of yourself.

    Jennifer
    Mom to Norah 5/23/03

  6. #6
    Melanie is offline Red Diamond level (10,000+ posts)
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    Default RE: 2 week baby breastfeeding sometimes for 2 hours straight

    Your MIL is wrong, don't listen to her. Your milk is nutritious enough and all that your baby needs (assuming you are drinking enough and taking your vitamins and eating). We ended up using a pacifier, despite my pre-baby desire not to, and Ds was just one of those babies with an intense need to suck. He routinely nursed for 30-45 minutes for months.

    I know, it's hard, but it does get easier mama!

  7. #7
    TraciG is offline Sapphire level (2000+ posts)
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    Default THANKS EVERYONE

    So nice to hear i'm not the only one who has or had difficulty !!

  8. #8
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    Default RE: 2 week baby breastfeeding sometimes for 2 hours straight

    Everyone has already given you fantastic advice but I just wanted to remind you that this is also new to her. She is still getting the hang of it and I'm sure she loves to be all snuggly next to mommy! Ryan used to nurse for 1.5 hours in the beginning too and yes it is certainly not fun for the nips. As long as you are not having latching problems the pacifier will be your saving grace so don't be scared to use it as everyone recommended.

    Your milk is the best thing in the world for her so don't listen to your MIL or anyone else that says the contrary. Be prepared for a growth spurt soon enough too. You may want to get a breastfeeding book to use as a reference so you can read what to expect or keep reading through these boards as they are a book in themselves. :)

    It is so worth it, so keep striving and the hard stuff will be behind you soon enough.
    Mom to R and R

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