For mummies who breastfeed, how many hours are there between each feed for newborn babies?
ByMy baby seem to want milk sometimes 2 and sometimes 3hrs interval. I cant seem to establish any routine also because she can sleep for hours and wake up a while and do the opposite another day. Any tips to help?
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9 Comments
April 22nd, 2010 at 11:20 am
Lol. You said mummies.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNkp4QF3we8&feature=related
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:14 pm
Just keep feeding on demand. You will notice a routine eventually. Remember that it is not just how they full themselves up it is also how they quench their thirst. I can easily put myself on a schedule for how often I eat but I cant control how often I get thirsty. Sometimes I may have a glass of water and an hour later I am thirsty again. So I wouldnt expect anything less from my baby. She usually goes around 3-4 hours between feeds but sometimes she wants a feed before that and I let her. Feeling thirsty is horrible and so if she wants a drink I will give her one. Good luck
EDIT: I just thought I would add my baby is 5 and a half months. When she was a new born she feed really often. Two hours was a long stretch for her when she was a new born.
April 22nd, 2010 at 12:51 pm
breast fed babies seldom have a predictable schedule. breast milk varies from feed to feed in quality and quantity, therefore the baby’s stomach will empty at varying rates. just go with the flow, ther eis nothing more special for you and your baby, and it will pass all too quickly.
April 22nd, 2010 at 1:21 pm
That is normal for a new born! Its about every 2 hours to 3 hours! As he/she gets older they will drink more and eat less often! He/she will establish a pattern after awhile it may take a month or two! Good luck!
April 22nd, 2010 at 1:30 pm
This is the joy of having a baby. My son usually has a feed every 2.5 to 3.5 hours, but that is a lot of variance. At the moment he is feeding every 1.5 to 2 hours so he must be going to have a growth spurt and needs to increase my supply. If you are breast feeding especially in the early days, it is good to feed often, it helps baby and it helps you lots. I do know it is hard, but try to go with the flow as much as you can or you will end up stressed out (been there with a previous child). Babies will sleep and feed when they want and no other time.
April 22nd, 2010 at 2:30 pm
about 1-2 hrs
April 22nd, 2010 at 2:48 pm
Newborns tend to have day and night mixed up at first, and it’s very common for them to feed at least 8-12 times in 24 hours – some babies feed more often than this, and some babies ‘cluster feed’ at certain times of day. Cluster feeding is when babies feed again within an hour, sometimes feeding for a few hours seemingly non-stop!
This is all normal, and this is no indication of how your baby will want to feed a month, or two months, or further down the track. Newborns have tiny, tiny stomachs, and breastmilk is a perfect food which is easy to digest so it’s digested very quickly.
A 2-3 hour interval is pretty average for a newborn, but it will space out naturally as she grows older.
The first few weeks of motherhood are really intense – you’re thrown into the deep end with a tiny baby who depends on you totally, and it seems like you never get a break! But hang in there… eventually she’ll give you a break, and eventually she’ll have a predictable sort of pattern.
April 22nd, 2010 at 3:10 pm
newborn babies usually feed anywhere from 1 hour intervals to 3 hour intervals and its best to never let them go longer than 4 hours (except if they willingly do it at night time!!) You probably won’t establish a routine for a long time to come, and its even harder with a breastfed baby because they’re taking however much they feel like at that point in time, my son is 6 months old and we have a rough routine but it can often be all over the place.
Think about yourself, sometimes you are really really hungry, other days you aren’t, babies are the same. Just keep feeding on demand and you’ll have a wonderful healthy bub.
April 22nd, 2010 at 3:55 pm
There is no set rule as to how many hours in between each feeding….My son goes through growth spurts, one week he wants to nurse every hour and the next he wants to nurse ever 2-3 hours. This is called cluster feeding…. Your baby will let you know when they are hungry, breast milk is produced on demand and your body will produce what your baby needs. If you really feel confused, contact a lactation consultant. Happy feeding, good luck!!
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