EBF moms please come in...

jmo866 · October 2011

My DS is 3 months old and I am just thinking about his feeding schedule. When he was little, I fed on demand, especially since in the early days he seemed hungry very frequently with all of the growth spurts. I was told that for a bf baby, they should receive 8 feedings a day when very young, and 6-8 feedings was normal as they got older. I am just wondering, how many times a day did/do you bf your LO at this age? I do not always wait for him to "cry/demand" for food anymore, since I try to feed when he wakes from naps when I can, which doesn't always work since many naps are quite short. He has been spitting up alot lately, and although I have been told bf babies "don't overeat" I feel like many people are thinking I do overfeed him by not waiting for his demand. He STTN's so goes 11/12 hours at night without a feeding now, so, how many feedings should I be averaging a day? I am so lost! I took him for a weigh-in today and the nurse acted like he was enormous! He is a big boy, 14lbs 7 oz and 25 inches, but I come from a very tall family (dad was 6'4") and my DH is a big guy. I just want to do what is best! TIA!!

MilMom2B · October 2011

I don't wait for my DD to cry for food. During the day (9 am until 9pm) she eats every 2 hours. If I wait much longer then that then she will cry and demand to be fed. At night she sleeps about 11.5 hours (9:30pm to 9am) and wakes twice to eat (so she goes about 4 hours between feedings at night).

lysetterae · October 2011

MilMom2B:
I don't wait for my DD to cry for food. During the day (9 am until 9pm) she eats every 2 hours. If I wait much longer then that then she will cry and demand to be fed. At night she sleeps about 11.5 hours (9:30pm to 9am) and wakes twice to eat (so she goes about 4 hours between feedings at night).

Exactly this. DD isn't always hungry though when I offer, she will take boob for a minute and then spit it out. I'm a little confused though as to how a baby could over eat when they are breastfed. I thought our milk was specifically designed & tailored just for them & their needs. If DD comfort nurses & over eats, she'll end up throwing up.

jmo866 · October 2011

I think that contributing to my second guessing myself is the grandmothers, both who formula fed their babies, never hesitating to mention over and over: "He's eating again!?!"

tarahnpaul · October 2011

ignore those kinds of comments. feed baby when he seems hungry and don't worry about it. DD still eats about every 2 hrs during the day.

pinkforme · October 2011

My LO was eating and still eats about every 3 hours. For some reason for the past 2 days it's been more like every 2 hours. She does not technically sleep through the night as she usually wakes up at least 2x to feed and some times she does not go directly back to sleep.

JSanFran · October 2011

I asked this exact same thing a few weeks ago!! LO used to sleep 10+ hours a night and I was having a tough time with how much he should be eating a day. I was feeding every 2-3 hours at that point...

NOW...I've disrupted our pattern a little. He eats usually 4-5 times during the day (8am-7ishpm) and 1 time at night. He use to STTN 10+ hours without waking, but I think I messed him up when we "de-swaddled" him and the 4MW. So we're trying to get back to that. I feed him every 3-4hours now and have the same problems with the short naps and wanting to feed him when he wakes up. I can get the first waking that way and sometimes the first nap but as the day progresses sometimes the feeding and naps are at the same time and I have a tough time deciding which to do...lol so I feel you!

I think feeding him more often during the day allows for more calories to be consumed therefore less night wakings...

jillybean222 · October 2011

My DD is also 3 months but I still can't get more than 5-6 hours out of her at night That said, she eats 6-8x/day...I still feed on demand but never let her go more than 3 hours (if she ate 2 hours ago and seems hungry, I feed her but if she is content but it has been about 3 hours, I feed her again).

BF babies can't really overeat but they can take in too much air, especially if they are not really hungry/focused on eating, which may cause more spit up than normal.

PinkNoise123 · October 2011

jmo866:
I think that contributing to my second guessing myself is the grandmothers, both who formula fed their babies, never hesitating to mention over and over: "He's eating again!?!"

I hate it when people say that! I was told the other day that by feeding DD every 2-2.5 hours I was just being a human pacifier. The last time I checked, nothing comes out of a pacifier, so how is that possible if she's actually eating? Duh! I hate to say it, but mom's who didn't breastfeed just don't get it.

weebos8 · October 2011

I feed DS when he wakes from naps. He is a horrible napper, so sometimes we stretch it out farther depending on his mood. He still wakes every 2-3 hours during the night, so he never goes without for sure! He is a definite snacker; does your LO like to eat several times a day but just small amounts? That is what DS does; I would just feed as you are doing though. As long as you are both happy, don't worry about negative comments.

Tikat · October 2011

Sounds to me like you're right on track - especially with him STTN. If you were to cut back on feedings during the day he'd likely backslide and make up nutritious needs at night...Maybe aim to feed him every 2 hrs? That's been working great with DD and she doesn't spit up - never has though...

jmo866 · October 2011

weebos8:
I feed DS when he wakes from naps. He is a horrible napper, so sometimes we stretch it out farther depending on his mood. He still wakes every 2-3 hours during the night, so he never goes without for sure! He is a definite snacker; does your LO like to eat several times a day but just small amounts? That is what DS does; I would just feed as you are doing though. As long as you are both happy, don't worry about negative comments.

I don't think he is a snacker, he used to empty both breasts and it would take about 35 - 40 minutes. Lately since he has been STTN sometimes he only takes one breast, so its taking less time, but I think my milk is increased too so he is getting more from 1 side. Today he ate at 7:00am, 9:00am, noon, 3:30, 7:00 and 8:30 (bed)... doesn't seem too frequent based on what all of you have said..?

erin79 · October 2011

I feed LO whenever he wakes up from a nap. He's a catnapper these days, so that means he's eating every 2-2.5 hours during the day. He has 2 night feedings, so we're at about 8 feedings per day. I also frequently get the "He's eating again?" comment from my mom. Drives me crazy. I've come to the realization that a lot of our moms just don't remember the newborn phase. All babies, especially breastfed babies, eat frequently. They're growing really fast!

McAllie5 · October 2011

During the day, DS fluctuates. Sometimes he eats every hour, sometimes he goes 3 hours in between feedings. I completely follow his cues.

I really don't think you can overfeed your breastfed baby (using the boob). If they're not hungry when they get on you, they'll just nibble for comfort. Try to ignore other people. Only you truly know your own LO.

abbyfp2324 · October 2011

Same here as other posters, I fed every 2 hours during the day (if she takes a longer nap it may stretch to 3 but not often). She still wakes to eat 1-2 times a night, so she eats about 8, maybe 9 times a day (because she often cluster feeds in the evening). It sounds right on track, and although we haven't gotten her weighed recently she was almost 12 lbs at 2 months and according to our scales at home she's about 14.5 lbs now so I think that's average.

jmo866 · October 2011

Thanks for the reassurance ladies! Sometimes you just need to be told what your instincts are already telling you!!

rosiemomma · November 2011

https://www.mother-2-mother.com/normal.htm#breastfeedingpatterns

https://breastfeeding.hypermart.net/development.html

"From 2 - 4 months baby should nurse at least 6 times in 24 hr period"

"Experts recognize that breastfeeding is not just a method of feeding for the infant, but includes a wide range of physiologic and emotional needs. Too often we hear comments like "he is just using you for a pacifier" or "he couldn't/shouldn't need to nurse already, he just ate". These comments rarely take into account an infant's various needs both physical and emotional. They do not help to solve possible breastfeeding problems, and they do nothing to ease mother's concerns! "

Bunniehug · November 2011

tarahnpaul:
ignore those kinds of comments. feed baby when he seems hungry and don't worry about it. DD still eats about every 2 hrs during the day.

This. My dd still eats at least 8 times within 24 hours. Usually about 10. My MIL makes comments too "she should be going at least four or five hours without eating" um no lady you FF and I bet at 3 months your kids ate every 3 hours still!

dairygirl19 · November 2011

tarahnpaul:
ignore those kinds of comments. feed baby when he seems hungry and don't worry about it. DD still eats about every 2 hrs during the day.

This. My closer to 4 month old eats 3 oz of bm every 2ish hours (I EP so I know this).

People act like my kid is always hungry. She is a spit up queen but the pedi that had less to do with over eating and more just the way of the world.

She does sleep all night and always has so there's 8plus hours she needs to make up for during daylight.

EBF moms please come in...

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