tips from RN as well as Lactation Counselor, Robin Forslund.
When I had my very first child I was so excited about everything. I was specific that I wished to breastfeed. With breastfeeding, I would get to bond with my wonderful babe as well as provide her whatever she needed to grow as well as thrive. quite magical, right?!
Then truth hit. I had a low milk supply, my infant was actually nursing ALL the time as well as I was exhausted. At the time, I didn’t understand what was going on. I researched cluster feeding, I looked up exactly how frequently a newborn should eat as well as I pumped after every nursing session to try as well as boost my milk supply.
As much as I wished to believe this was normal, it wasn’t. If you are like I was as well as your infant is nursing ALL the time, right here are some reasons this may be happening.
KOMFORT
Babies like nursing as well as sucking. It is ingrained in them for survival. A infant that doesn’t eat won’t get the nutrition needed to grow as well as survive. however not all sucking as well as nursing is for nutrition. watch your infant feed. Nutritive sucking should have huge sucks as well as obvious swallows. watch that their jaw is moving as well as that there is a pause as well as swallow. A swallow will noise like a soft “k” sound. This is an efficient feed.
Flutter Sucking
If your infant is “flutter sucking”, which you may notice at the end of a feed, this is no longer nutritive sucking. This is comfort sucking. try doing some breast compression to boost milk flow, if they pull off or continue to flutter suck they are done the feed.
This is usually what’s happening when moms tell me that their babe is nursing for hours at a time. Babe is usually flutter sucking as well as taking a bit nap at the breast, fantastic for babe- however exhausting for mom. It is okay to end the feed when they begin to flutter suck.
CLUSTER FEEDING
Cluster feeding is when infants nurse often for a block of time however then will go a few hours without a feed. This is different than a infant who is nursing often around the clock. cluster feeding is most typical in the evenings as well as is usually complied with by a longer stretch of sleep. It is sometimes believed of as infants “filling their tank”. This is not an problem that needs any type of intervention as well as is a typical habits in newborns.
If your infant is happy most of the day as well as then has a period of fussiness as well as regular nursing in the evening it is most likely cluster feeding. cluster feeding can be tough for mom. I suggest setting up on the couch with water, snacks as well as a preferred show to binge watch. The additional evening sessions will soothe your infant as well as set them up for a longer stretch of nighttime sleep.
POOR LATCH
When a infant has a bad latch, they are not as efficient at nursing, since they have to work harder for smaller results. This is exhausting, as well as these infants tend to nurse every hour or two.
Common triggers of a bad latch are a tongue or lip tie, shallow latch, or incorrect positioning.
If your latch hurts, your infant is noisy when feeding (gulping, clicking or smacking noises), or your infant doesn’t seem satisfied at the end of their feed, you may have a bad latch. If you suspect that you may have a bad latch I suggest seeking help. consult a lactation consultant or lactation counsellor (feel free to reach out to me). They can watch a feed, screen baby’s weight gain, inspect your latch, as well as inspect for the existence of a tongue or lip tie.
LOW MILK SUPPLY
If your infant is nursing all the time as well as has bad weight gain, seems sleepy as well as fussy during as well as after nursing as well as has decreased wet as well as filthy diapers you may have a low supply. Nay of this indications can suggest that your infant is not getting sufficient milk as well as needs to be seen by your health and wellness care service provider right away.
Low milk supply can be a result of an underlying medical issue, bad latch, infrequent feeds, dehydration or bad diet plan in mom, medications, birth manage or supplementation. If your problem is low milk supply, inspect out my next blog publish which discusses each of these problems as well as exactly how to boost your milk supply when you have been safely checked out by your health and wellness care provider.
I hope this publish has assisted you pinpoint why your infant may be nursing all the time. If you believe your wonderful babe is not getting sufficient milk and/or you are having problems with a latch please seek out help. You are always welcome to get in touch with me with any type of concerns you may have!
Take care Mamas!
Originally published on The mom Coach.