in March 2025 Babies 🇬🇧

Feeding help!

baby boy is 2 weeks old and took to breastfeeding so so well! the last 24hrs have been a different story! he latches on really well (midwife has checked) and does 20 or so deep sucks and i can hear the swallow and then he stops. i swap breast and he does the same and that’s it (occasionally does it twice or three times). he latches on/off again but then keeps just doing little sucks (like you would on a dummy) with no swallowing. this will be like 5-10mins and then he’ll only sleep for 30mins. my breasts do feel very soft but midwife said it’s normal! any suggestions??

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Are the second set of sucks like flutters? That could be him getting the hind milk so sucks change, and could be cluster feeding as there’s a growth spurt around the 2 week mark. Also feeds could be shorter if baby is growing and becoming a more efficient eater You could give the breastfeeding network helpline a call for some advice and explain to them! Xx

@Amy-May yes they are like flutters but no swallowing so not sure he’s getting anything! i called the helpline abs she wasn’t sure what the issue was, suggested breast massage but not sure it’s helping tbh

Are wet and dirty nappies OK? If they are baby must be getting enough from you. It’s difficult to know with breastfeeding, it’s so stressful in these early days wanting to make sure they’re getting what they need xx

I’m also having this issue. I call the little sucks ‘fake sucks’. Are we supposed to let them carry on? Or take them off or try the other breast? These little sucks seem almost pointless but I am unsure as to their purpose?

@Amy-May yea the nappies are all ok! i know! i keep thinking am i doing something wrong, will i need to top up, etc and can’t help the anxiety creeping in

My baby does the same, everyday is different but I just think as long as they have dirty nappies it’s okay! I also started to do a nappy change in between breasts to wake baby up more or strip them completely before the feed and gradually put their clothes back on. Also the little sucks apparently signal how much milk they’ll need the following day or something like that? So I was told to let them carry on until they unlatch themselves 😬

@Fee thank you! i worry that he’s not getting good enough sleep though. is 15-30 mins at a time in my arms or his basket sufficient or not? will he go back to feeding his he did before?

It’s really difficult to know when to just let them sleep or wake them to feed more! My baby has 15/30 min naps between feeds for hours in the night, but might sleep for 2 or 3 hours straight in the daytime! I just can’t predict it. I spoke to the breastfeeding team in my area about it and they said it was all totally normal, it is really easy to get anxious and doubt your supply though. Might be best to speak to the midwife about it or get a second opinion?

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