Are you finding that your baby wants to feed constantly or that there are really short
intervals between each of your baby's feeding sessions? If so, this is called cluster feeding and
it can be challenging to deal with. I experienced this with my daughter when she was a baby and I'd
sometimes spend about four to five hours sitting on my sofa feeding my daughter non-stop. In
this video I'm going to be sharing some top tips to help you to deal with cluster feeding
with calm, confidence and patience :) If you're new to my channel, "Welcome!" my name is Anja and I'm
a hypnobirthing practitioner. My channel's here to support you through pregnancy, birth and motherhood
so please consider subscribing and clicking the bell icon because I upload a new video
every single Tuesday and I don't want you to miss out on any important information.
Cluster feeding is most common on day 2 after you've given birth, weeks 2 to 3
and 4 to 6 of your baby's life and then again then they're about 3 months old
but sometimes older babies can cluster feed as well.
Researchers aren't 100% sure why babies cluster feed but the most probable reasons are that
they're experiencing a growth spurt, that they're seeking comfort and physical contact from you
as a parent, that they're over tired or over stimulated. If your baby is going through a
growth spurt, they're going to want more milk than usual to fuel their growth so this is perfectly
normal. If they're seeking comfort, this again is very natural. You're your baby's entire world and
they want to feel close to you and soothed by your milk and your presence. If your baby's over
tired or over stimulated this could be quite overwhelming for them. The world is a really
big and exhausting place for a baby and it takes a lot of getting used to, so your baby might cluster
feed to help them to switch off from external distractions, to unwind and possibly fall asleep.
You only really need to be concerned about cluster feeding
if your baby is losing weight and they don't have regular wet nappies throughout the day.
If you're concerned about your baby's well-being you should speak to your doctor
or a feeding specialist and they'll check your baby for lip tie, tongue tie and latching
issues which could be preventing your baby from getting enough milk. Now I'm going
to share my top tips to help you to stay calm and relaxed while your baby is cluster feeding :)
My first tip is to make sure that you've got access to a supportive chair,
sofa or bed with plenty of pillows so that you can feed your baby comfortably.
Also, make sure that you've got a decent feeding station
set up right next to you with drinks for you, snacks, your mobile phone, your tv remote control
and even a white noise machine. The last thing that you want while you're cluster feeding
is to be really thirsty or really hungry and not have access to drinks or food. Also, it can
be really boring cluster feeding your baby and the last thing that you want is to be unsettling your
baby by moving about a lot to get the tv remote control or whatever it might be. So just make sure
you've got easy access to everything so that you can just reach out your hand and get what you need!
If you find that your baby is quite fussy or frustrated whilst cluster feeding
it can be a really good idea to keep the lights low in the room that you're in.
Close the curtains, switch on a lamp in the corner of the room and make
sure that any noise is kept to a minimum - so keep any noises on a low volume if possible.
If you take off your top and your baby's top and you feed them skin-to-skin, you're increasing
the flow of oxytocin around both of your bodies. Oxytocin is the hormone responsible for helping
you and your baby to bond more deeply. Oxytocin also helps to induce feelings of
calm and relaxation in both of you. Just ensure that if you are feeding your baby's skin-to-skin
cover yourselves over with a blanket or something if the temperature of your room
is slightly on the cool side. You don't want your baby or you to get too cold!
Cluster feeding can be quite physically and emotionally draining whilst it's going on
so just make sure that you're taking care of yourself. Stay hydrated, make sure that
you're eating plenty of healthy fruits and vegetables, sleep, if you can, when your baby sleeps
and just forget about your to-do list and any household chores
that you think need completing. They can all wait! Just do your cluster feeding, rest, relax
and try to make sure that you're taking care of yourself and keeping your energy levels up :)
Cluster feeding can make your nipples quite sore
so it's a good idea to use nipple cream, to place warm compresses on your breasts
and to alternate between different feeding positions to reduce any discomfort.
Cluster feeding can feel stressful, tiring, boring and frustrating at times so make sure that you're
breathing in and out deeply and slowly to help you to stay calm and to help you to
surrender to the process of cluster feeding rather than getting all worked up about it.
Since cluster feeding can take an awful lot of time out of your day,
it can be difficult to get anything else done! Now I don't want you to worry about this
because you are playing the most important role by looking after (and feeding) your baby.
However, if you need additional support with anything, please seek help from your partner,
a friend or a family member. Perhaps they could help you with cooking, cleaning the house, doing
a little bit of shopping for you or perhaps looking after an older sibling if you've got
other children. It can be quite challenging to entertain an older child at the same time
as cluster feeding so if anybody can come over and look after an older sibling for you
that could be really helpful and allow you to just purely concentrate on the cluster feeding so you
don't have to think about anything else ;) Now, you're probably going to be happy to hear that cluster
feeding does end and it usually only goes on for a few days at a time. Whilst you are cluster
feeding your baby, make sure that you're embracing the situation rather than fighting against it.
If you embrace what's happening that's going to make it easier for you to deal with :)
Also, congratulate yourself on the amazing job that you're doing looking after and nourishing
your beautiful baby! I hope you found those tips helpful. If you've got any questions about cluster
feeding, please leave me a message in the comments section beneath this video and I'll get back to
you as soon as I can. If you'd like to listen to a calming meditation whilst feeding your baby
please click the video on the screen right now. See you again in my next video :)