Breastfeeding late premature baby

[kittygirl33]

My dd was born at 35 weeks 6 days and after a very difficult start when she failed to latch on for a week, we are mainly breastfeeding with one formula top up a day. She is now 9 weeks old (5 weeks corrected) but most afternoons/evenings she is still feeding almost constantly. Is this normal and likely due to her being born premature? I love feeding her but I was looking forward to a few evenings without a baby on my lap! Her weight gain has been good and she has put on around half a pound every week for the past five weeks. I was hoping that her feeding might become more regular soon?

[minipie]

Could be totally normal evening cluster feeding - prems have more catching up to do so may need more frequent feeds for longer.

However, it could also be something else like tongue tie. My late prem (34 weeks) kept needing frequent feeds for ages - like you after a difficult start to BFing - and we eventually realised she was tongue tied. (Despite NICU nurse saying she wasn't!)

Have you had her checked for tongue tie by someone trained to spot it? Does she have any other symptoms like windiness, falling off the nipple and having to be relatched, clicking?

[kittygirl33]

She hasn't been checked for tongue tie, might be worth getting it looked at. She generally stays on pretty well though she can be a bit windy. can my hv check for tt?

[CMOTDibbler]

Totally normal ime - my ds was born at 35+0, and loved those evening cluster feeds. I would go and lay down on the bed and read while he fed, just rolling onto the side every so often. It was rather nice tbh.

It does settle down, and by working through it, you are letting your dd regulate her intake and your supply

[kittygirl33]

When did you find things settling down, Dibbler? She had a few nights off the constant feeding last week and i thought were getting past it but we've been feeding on and off again pretty much all day today. I think I will get her checked for tt as well though, just in case.

[minipie]

Sadly HVs (and GPs) are notoriously rubbish at checking for TT. You could try asking GP to refer you to hospital tt clinic but I suspect they won't refer if you have good weight gain and baby can latch ok. It's worth seeing if there is a local BF cafe or group which is attended by BF counsellors - they tend to be the best at spotting TT - or if you have the funds you can pay for a BF counsellor to visit you.

Having said all that, if she stays on well and doesn't click etc, it doesn't sound very likely to be tongue tie. Could just be you are seeing frequent growth spurts!

[CMOTDibbler]

I'd say that it had really reduced by 12 weeks, and I know it had stopped by 16 weeks.

[kittygirl33]

Thanks for all the advice, I think it is probably just normal cluster feeding as it is not every night (just most!). I'll run it past hv anyhow. My Mil is also a hv and breastfed all six of her children so I will get her to check as well. She also has loads of extra wet and dirty nappies during these times so she does seem to be getting the extra milk. Guess I should get a few more box sets in and settle down for the next few weeks!

[SoftSheen]

My DD was born at 40+13 and she cluster fed in the evenings until past 4 months... so what you describe is probably normal. No harm in getting checked for tongue tie though.

[katemeister]

My DD was born at 35+2 and did something very similar, especially round the 8-10 week mark, I spent Christmas Day pretty much pinned to the sofa. I would get some respite as after a few days of feeding like crazy she'd have a few sleepy days and then repeat - put this down to lots of little growth spurts to catch up, which she has beautifully. The nutty cluster feeding eased off gradually from 12 weeks and by 5 months I had my evenings totally back! Good luck, my experience was these late preterms confuse a lot of healthcare professionals!

[kittygirl33]

Thanks everyone, I feel a bit happier now as this seems to be normal for early babies. She did just sleep for the first 3/4 weeks so I guess this is payback time...

[Showy]

I had one fullterm and one late prem. Both did it. Do get TT ruled out in case but cluster feeding here happened on and off for aaaaages.

[Showy]

DS was asleep in the foetal position for the first 3/4 weeks too!