Help! My Baby is Feeding All the Time! Is This Normal? In the early days of your baby’s life, between the hormones, the visitors, the other children and pets, and the exhaustion, it’s easy for moms to feel overwhelmed! Add to this a baby who seems to want to breastfeed all the time, and moms can despair and lack confidence. On your baby’s first day of life, he will take an average of 1 to 2 teaspoons of colostrum per feeding. Those tiny meals allow your baby to lose some of the extra fluids that are in his body at birth, empty his bowels, and practice lots of feedings without taking in too much. Your baby might not have many meals in the first 24 hours, but by the second day of life, he will be eating 8 to 12 times or more per day! Most babies cluster feed in the evening and nighttime hours during the first few days of life. Cluster feeding simply means your baby wants to have several meals back to back. It’s important to understand that when your baby cluster feeds, this is perfectly normal and expected, and it does not mean that something is wrong or that your baby is starving. If everything is fine, why is my baby sucking so much? Each time your baby latches, even though he isn’t getting a large meal, he is doing a very important job: telling your body to make lots of milk for him. As he sucks at the breast, your breast is changed and milk production is triggered. The more he latches in the first few days, the more milk you will be making in the first weeks and months. More sucking now = more milk later! Your colostrum is all your baby needs, and it’s really important to not despair and give your baby formula during those few nights of cluster feeding! Continuing to offer him your breast when he is acting hungry, even if he just had a meal, will: 1. Give baby everything he needs and wants 2. Trigger your breasts to make lots of milk 3. Help prevent engorgement 4. Help calm you and increase your confidence. Anytime you are not sure if things are going well, make sure to consult your pediatrician or an IBCLC. I can visit you in the comfort of your home to assess a feeding and make a customized feeding plan for you. I will weigh your baby with my hospital-grade baby scale before and after he eats, so we will see how much he's getting. I am available to come to your house to help you usually within 24 hours of your request! Contact me here.
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AuthorBeth Sanders, BSN, RN, IBCLC Categories
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