What is meant by 'marathon' breastfeeding?

Marathon breastfeeding is a term often used when you feel that you're constantly breastfeeding, day and night. It happens when you find the only way to keep your baby dialled down is to offer the breast. Women who are marathon breastfeeding are exhausted, and often say to me that they just can't keep on doing it for much longer.

Your have a newborn who is marathon feeding

If you have a newborn who is marathon feeding, please have your baby weighed and assessed by your GP or other health professional. This is your most important first step.

There are two things to bear in mind which don't help when you're breastfeeding a newborn, and which can contribute to marathon feeding. It doesn't help to

• Wait for your newborn to fall off the breast or take herself off the breast - you can take her off whenever she doesn't seem to be swallowing a lot

• Ensure your newborn 'empties' the breast. Again, just take her off when you've had enough or she doesn't seem to be swallowing a lot (and perhaps offer her the other side).

You have a baby (who isn't a newborn and) who is marathon breastfeeding

Again, the first thing to check on is your baby's weight gain with your GP or health professional if your little one is marathon feeding.

Your baby isn't gaining enough weight

If your baby isn't gaining weight well, and is marathon breastfeeding, then it is clear baby is cue-ing for the breast so frequently because he needs more calories. Your health professional will monitor your baby's weight and discuss your options with you.

You'll be wondering why baby is at the breast for such long periods but not receiving the calories he needs. Here are the possibilities.

1. You and your baby faced obstacles at the very beginning, and your breast milk production setting is lower than baby needs, regardless of what you try

2. There is nipple and breast tissue drag while your baby is breastfeeding, which decreases milk transfer. To be severe enough to seriously impact milk transfer, the nipple and breast tissue drag usually also causes other problems, like baby fussing at the breast, or nipple pain for you.

3. You might have thought you needed to allow baby to empty the breast, or come off himself, so you haven't been switching sides enough

4. You have a medical condition which puts you at increased risk of not being able to exclusively meet your baby's caloric needs

5. You have the rare condition of Insufficient Glandular Tissue. You can find out about this here

Your baby is gaining weight adequately

1. If your baby is gaining weight adequately, it is also possible that there are underlying fit and hold problems which are compromising milk transfer, but you are compensating heroically by being so generous with your breast. In this case, it helps to address underlying nipple and breast tissue drag.

2. Experimenting with much richer sensory motor experiences outside the home can help if you have marathon feeding and your baby is gaining weight well.

   • Plan days outside the house, so that your baby receives rich doses of sensory motor stimulation. In the Possums programs, we talk about using your two tools, milk and sensory motor nourishment, to dial baby down. Sometimes you might feel trapped inside your home as you generously respond to your baby's dialling up with offers of your breast. But in fact, baby is dialling because she needs richer sensory motor experience, or more use of your second dialling-down tool! If you are outside the home more, you find she is looking less for the breast. You can find out about sensory motor stimulation here.

   • Take your baby off the breast when you've had enough, and move into an enjoyable day outside the home to see what happens. You can always offer the breast again in a short period of time, if your baby seems to really need it.

3. Explore The Possums Sleep Program to address excessive night waking, which can masquerade as excessive breastfeeding in the night.