I am the mother of a 9 week old boy. First time mom, first time breastfeeder. I went into my baby's 1 month well baby check with what I gathered was a normal breast feeding experience. He was eating a lot (10-14 hours a day at the breast) but I thought he was just a slow, leisurely eater. My pediatrician is also a lactation consultant and after a long Q and A session he put this together with a few other tidbits (baby is very gassy and we had just had a green poop, a little bit of irritation on his bottom as well). He concluded that I have a problem transitioning from foremilk to hindmilk and recommended that I block feed. He started me out at 4 hour blocks. I really tried but baby and I were miserable. I just couldn't satisfy him and my supply was taking a pretty big hit. I switched to 2 hour blocks. The situation seemed to improve to the point where 1 block equaled 1 feeding. He was still quite gassy though. At the 2 month check, I explained to doc that we abandoned the four hour blocks but things seemed slightly improved. Feedings were still long but a little less frequent. Baby was still gassy, but a little less so. No more green poops or irritation on his bottom. I explained that gassiness was still the number one issue as far as fussiness went. He insisted that I try block feeding again. 3 hour blocks this time. Well here I am five days in, no longer block feeding because I can't satisfy him with a single breast on any given feeding. Most feedings today he has not been satisfied after both breasts are emptied. I'm abandoning any thought of block feedings at this point and and doing the best I can to feed on demand and get my supply back up.
A few other notes...Baby burps well, does not spit up and poops 2-3 times a day. His weight gain has been a steady ounce a day. He's happy except when the gassiness is excessive. I am inclined to think that maybe his digestive system is just not firing on all cylinders yet. He might just need to grow out of this phase. Does anyone else have experience with correcting this issue with block feeding? Any other suggestions welcome. I just don't see it working for me and little guy. I just hope I haven't hurt my supply to the extent that it can't recover![]()