Another breastfeeding question

[KristySmitten]

This follows on from Little Miss Me's question on feeling like she was "less full" in the boob area than when you first have your baby.

Well when i had Jake i had absolutely LOADS of milk (boobs like watermelons i kid you not) and he was a very good feeder. but then after a few weeks i felt like i had no milk hardly and after a feed i literally felt completely empty. but after feeds he would not seem content and would cry after half an hour clearly hungry so I would feed him again but felt like there just wasn't enough milk.

i made a terrible mistake by not continuing (and i know this now) but i felt like i was starving him. so for next time (if we are that lucky) it would be good to know what went wrong here and what i should have done?

from what I have read since, i should have kept feeding him but i got desperate due to him going from being very content after a feed to being restless as if he was not getting enough?

[Debbiemeep]

Sounds like it was a growth spurt, babies tend to have a growth spurt at about 6 weeks and can want to feed all the time for a few days (with Matthew it was in the evenings for about 5 days, he would feed and stop and I thought he had finished, and then he just cried until I fed him again, felt like he was on me constantly from dinnertime to midnight.)
It's because they are growing so fast and want more milk, so they feed more often to make your breasts produce more as it works on a "supply and demand" basis. After a few days of what seems like constant feeding, the amount your breasts are producing has caught up with the increased amount the baby wants and they settle back to feeding every few hours again.

You tend not to feel full after a few weeks anyway as your breasts have got used to the amount of milk the baby wants and just produce it on demand, the only times you'd feel full is if you leave longer than usual between feeds.

Hope that makes sense!
Debs

[isabellasmum]

That does sound like a growth spurt.

There was a period of about five weeks ish when I was feeding Isabella every 1-2 hours sometimes only half an hour between feeds. I kid you not it was crazy. It did tail off but I was a total feeding machine.

She was happy enough straight after the feeds but was hungry again so quickly.

[KristySmitten]

Thanks for the advice, this makes complete sense.

It was just like you both describe, feeling like all I did all day was feed, every half an hour.

I'll know for next time what to do. Thanks xx