Sorry for requesting more help but things are still not going well. Also soorry this is long I have not slept in days and cannot think or write very well at the moment. If anyone has any extra time and muddle through this long post and offer any help I would be very grateful!
I am trying to BF DS#2 but there are issues and the bottom line is I really do not know if the issue is me or him (ie is this a supply problem or does he have nursing issues - just sucking without consuming enough milk my guess is the first, but I am stymied.).Anyway, I am demand feeding (which I have to be honest is not my preference, but since DS is calling the shots not much I can do). My problem is he is feeding constantly. He will nurse off and on for 2.5-5 hour stretches - he will nurse 10-20 minutes, fall asleep while nursing take/take short 10-25 minute breaks and then start up again. I cannot move him off of me as this will wake him and he will scream till I put him back on the breast. This goes on all day and all night. The biggest block of time I can get with him off the breast is 2 hours and that only occurs 2 maybe 3 times in a 24 hour period. Honestly it is almost making me causterphobic having him attached to me so much of the time. I know that is a horrible thing to say but I do think I am mentally losing it a bit.
The other part of this problem is that even after nursing for 4 hours straight he will still act desperate if I take him off the breast and try to put him down. For the last 4 nights he has done these marathon cluster feeds and then I still have to give a supplement bottle with formula (with all the cluster feeds there is no way to pump). It also happens during the day. The times I have broken down and offered a bottle he drank 2.5-3.25 oz even after marathon nursing right before that has to mean this is a supply issue right??!! But after all this demand and cluster feeding if I was going to be able to increase my supply that should have happened right? I am drinking and eating enough so that is not the problem, but I know I am not getting enough sleep (at most 2 hours at night, and maybe if I am really lucky a 45 min nap during the day) so that may be effecting supply (but there is no way for me to get more sleep as long as these cluster feeding go on and on).
Again sorry for x-posting and rambling on but I am at my wits end I am getting no sleep, I have a 2.5 yr old who is getting ignored and I work for myself and with this issue I am really challenged to get even a small task done. I am losing my mind and while I would really like to make this work I just cannot see how to do that. I said I would do anything this weekend but if I cannot improve things then I will have to switch to bottles and just do a combo of formula and EBM depending on how much I can pump. I know it is a little black and white to go to all bottles but I think as long as I offer any breast I will be doing these marathon sessions and mentally I just cannot keep doing it. What is so frustrating is I cannot figure out what is going on, so any ideas appreciated. As I said I would like BFing to work but if I am being honest I am on the verge of throwing in the towel. I had a consult with the nurse at our Ped who specializes in breastfeeding yesterday and she was quite nice but just said feed him as much as possible which I sort of feel is what I have been doing for two and a half weeks with very little success. Anyway this weekend I am in bed with him and we are doing nothing else so this really is my last ditch effort to find a resolution. I tried to get an appt with a lactation consultant but they could not see me till Mon just not sure I will not make it to Monday.
couple things for background in case it helps
DS#2 will be 3 weeks on Monday, and by all the regular ways to gage success the BFing is going well
by 10 days he had gained back his birth weight with no problem and no supplement (just the constant demand feedings approx every 90-100 minutes). He has LOTS of wet and poopy diapers. If anything I would say too many, if that is possible, like 12-14 poopy diapers in 24 hour period.
I have been and continue to be a bit concerned that he is not alert for very much of the day. He is only eyes wide open/interactive for 1-2 hours a day other than that he is either nursing (eyes closed) or asleep. DS#1 was much more interactive so this freaks me out a little.
I have tried to introduce a pacifier or finger to see if that helps if this is a sucking issue but even if he takes and like the paci he spits it out after 60 seconds and only wants the breast back. Is it reasonable to place a paci back in a babys mouth over and over or and I just making him frustrated and angry? DS#1 took to his right away at the 3 week mark so no experience in this.
Sorry to be so needy and thanks again for any who made it this far!!