How long to go between feedings?

doglover31 · October 2014

DS is currently 5 weeks old. I am EBF and he is eating every 2 hours. Sometimes he will go 3 hours but that's rare. He has been gaining weight well. He was 9lbs 1 oz at birth and as of Monday he was 11lbs 5oz.

Our pedi said he should be going 3 hours not every 2. I'm not sure if I should try and make DS wait or if there is a way to even do that. He just gets so hungry at the 2 hour mark. Do you ladies have any advice?

CNYBride05 · October 2014

My girls are 14.5 mos old and just started going longer than 2 hrs. Pedis are not the be all, end all. Feed him when he's hungry.

flcl · October 2014

Every visit we have with the pedi, she would tell us that LO should be going longer between his feedings even though I told her I was feeding on demand vs feeding on a schedule. A week after our appointments, I would stress out trying to extend the time between his feedings to her recommended times before ignoring her advice and just feeding LO when he was hungry. Whenever I listened to LO's hunger cues, I have a much happier baby resulting in a much happier me.

Melody330 · October 2014

+1 for feed baby when hungry.

DS is 8.5 months old and will happily go 3 hrs between bottles while I'm at work. Weekends though- he wants to nurse every 1.5-2 hrs so that's what we do. Pedi always asks how many hrs between feedings and I just reply with "we feed on demand".

doglover31 · October 2014

Ok I'm still feeding on demand. If DS is hungry I'm not going to withhold from him. He's just a big boy that likes to eat. And as long as he is healthy I'm happy. Thanks for reassuring me I was doing the right thing!

TheBorg7of9 · October 2014

I feed my baby when he is hungry, but is it possible that you are confusing tired signals with hungry signals?

surpriseaddition · October 2014

My ped said there is no way to overfeed a BF baby. Babies can regulate how much milk they are getting, so even if LO is nursing every 2 hours, he may be taking in less ounces each time than another baby that goes longer between feedings. I also agree that if they eat less in the day, they will wake more. My LOs always ate very frequently during the day, but were STTN by 6 - 12 weeks. GL!

chatty6176 · October 2014

My pedi never asks how long between feedings...she asks how many times in 24 hrs is she feeding. She is more concerned with that. That way if she sleeps long at night (which she does) then she should be eating more frequently during the day. I feed her every 2 or 2 1/2 hours during the day and she is 10 weeks.

Aliki · October 2014

Feed the baby whenever baby is hungry.

Always keep in mind that a pediatrician can have as little as 1 hour of training on breastfeeding to get their medical degree!! They can (but not always) be less informed than you about what it takes to have a successful breastfeeding relationship.

doglover31 · October 2014

Thanks for all your responses. I've continued just feeding on demand. I'll do whatever I feel my mommy instincts tell me is best for my LO.

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