My daughter is 1 week old today and today as started to cluster feed! She feed for 2 hrs each time today instead of the normal 30-45 mins. It's not a steady 2 hrs but anytime I take her off.. She starts screaming.. Is this normal?
Yep. Totally normal. Her wanting to stay on the breast is about her working to regulate your milk supply. Let her at it! Wrap your mind around the fact that these 1st weeks will really be about little else. You will basically feed the baby and change diapers. And that's really what is supposed to happen right now. The baby is regulating milk, supply, the dyad is practicing and learning how to feed and someone else is doing the dishes, laundry and bringing home food. I mean you can cook if you want when someone gets home....but set up a nursing station somewhere in the house and expect to be there most of the day most days. For the 1st 4-6 weeks AT LEAST. Congratulations on your Noob! This time can be very overwhelming if you let it. But it doesn't have to be. If you can just accept that you shouldn't be running around trying to clean while the baby sleeps, and just focus on feeding the baby and feeling like THAT IS ENOUGH it can really be pretty great. Enjoy your babymoon!
I agree ^^! When I brought my son home from the hospital I was imagining that he was going to sleep all day and night, feedings every now and again and life would go back to the way it was. Boy was I mistaken! Haha. I sat in my bedroom, armed with Netflix and snacks because I couldn't leave! All he wanted to do was nurse nurse nurse! So I made the best out of it; caught up on some tv shows and enjoyed the bonding time with my son! It was a solid 2-3 months before I actually got into the swing of things and was able to do other things besides nurse! Also, at 6 weeks, your LO may be experiencing a growth spurt. If that's the case, be ready to nurse 24/7 for a few days :-). Get lots of water for yourself, you'll be a while!
Yup! Sounds normal to me. It can be tiring, but it doesn't last forever. Do you have any other kids? If not, I would just chill on the couch and watch TV or read magazines or whatever you want! If you do have other kids to care for, let us know their ages and we can help come up with ideas that work for everyone. Hang in there!