How often do your breastfed babies eat and sleep?

Question

Pedi said feeding 6-8 x per day and 1-2 x per night unless in growth spurt is normal. 11-16 hours of sleep in 24 hours is norm again unless baby is in a growth spurt. My books all have diff. answers. Whats your norm?

Answer 1

Your pediatrician is living in a dream world!! I have 5 kids--all exclusively breastfed as newborns. I have a *lot* of friends who nursed a lot of kids. I have *never* heard of a newborn who nurses as little as 8 times in 24 hours!! Your doctor also needs to read breastfeeding research--a newborn nurses (in my experience) an *average* of 12 times in 24 hours. This means that for every baby who nurses 6 times a day, there's one who nurses 18 times a day.

And other research has shown that virtually every mother is capable of exclusively nursing, but not all women have the same storage capacity. So a woman who can store 4 ounces of milk in her breasts but whose baby needs 24 ounces a day can nurse 6 times a day (for food alone)...but a woman whose storage capacity is only 2 ounces needs to nurse at least 12 times a day or her baby will be malnourished.

The *only* correct answer to "how many times a day does a baby need to nurse?" is "every baby is different." Some babies (usually at least 6-8 weeks old) *may* only nurse 6-8 times a day (although I'm skeptical!!), but there are a lot who need to nurse 18-20 times a day (and usually for a lot longer than the first 4-6 months!!--ask me how I know!!). Even the American Academy of Pediatrics (your pediatrician's professional organization, assuming you live in the US) states that you have to nurse when baby expresses the need (see sources section below). You might want to ask your doctor why she/he believes she/he knows better than the most knowledgeable experts in her/his own professional organization.

I really don't know how many times my babies nursed during an average day; I don't even think we ever *had* an average day. I also couldn't tell you how many times I hugged a baby in a day... And sleep is the same. I have no idea how many hours a day my babies slept because I just helped them get to sleep whenever they were tired!

Answer 2

Every kid is different. Instead of worrying about how often you feed her/him let the baby tell you. They'll let you know when they are hungry. Some kids eat 6 times a day other each 10 or 12. It depends on your child. Some have fast metabolism and burn calories and therefore are hungry more often. Others have small appetites. Both my kids drank about 8-10 bottles a day until I started them on cereal and solids. They were both very hungry babies. One of them was always in the 25% no matter how much he ate he burned more calories than he could eat. When you have a child you think you have to figure it all out for yourself, but if you learn to listen to their cries you'll learn that they are telling you just what they need. It just takes practice on our part to be able to understand. Good luck and don't worry your baby will let you know if he/she is still hungry or he/she if full. Statistics are just based on a whole bunch of children and their average. Your child can be completely normal and eat more or less than the average...

As far as sleeping goes. My 2nd one slept thru the night on breast milk by the time she was 1 1/2 months old. My first one was slept thru the night at 3 weeks. They will sleep as long as they are not hungry. When they wake up feed them, change them. If its still night time put them immediately back into bed without turning on any bright lights or playing this can confuse them with day/ night hours. If its daytime when they awake give them tummy time on the floor and allow them to see the sunlight without taking them outside. The longer they play in the day the more likely it is that they will sleep thru the night. With both my children they need about 15-16 hours a day of sleep for them to not be crabby. You'll figure it all out and do just fine!

Answer 3

When my baby was new I nursed her at LEAST every two hours during the day. If she was asleep for that long I would wake her up to nurse. At night she would nurse every 3-4 hours, whenever she woke up. Waking them to nurse frequently during the day will help get their days and nights straight. I found that she nursed a lot more than the suggested 6-8 times per day. She is 11 months now and often nurses more than 20 times a day. Your baby will let you know when it's time to eat! Don't let other people who don't know anything about breastfeeding to tell you that it's too soon for a feed, they probably just want to hold that cute little baby and not give it back up so soon!

Answer 4

I breastfed four babies and each one of them was different, kind of like adults can be different. I had one child who never seemed to want to quit and he's turned out to be the slimmest of the four of them. One of them could barely stop paying attention to the rest of the world to eat, one of them napped a lot, another never closed his eyes all day long.

Norm?

It seems to depend upon the baby. It does give you a good opportunity to get to know the baby's personality. Sometimes I found it hard to sit and feed the baby, you know? So much to do, so little patience, but it was definitely worth it--I have very fond memories and am still close to all my children.

Answer 5

if the baby is new (less than 4 months) whenever they want to nurse. Sometimes to eat, sleep ,comfort. After maybe 6 months or so, you should try and move towards a bit of a schedule.

Answer 6

You feed that baby anytime he/she wants. Breast-milk is easily digested and they are hungry quicker than babies who are bottle fed. I used to get nervous when my baby slept too long without a feeding, but I had to learn the hard way that your baby will let you know when they need sustenance. Then there would be times that she was hungry a half hour after I just got done feeding her. Your baby is the boss now!

Answer 7

I think your doctor gave you the standard answer for a formula baby ...

Many mothers are surprised at how quickly and easily human milk is digested (often within 90 minutes of the last feeding). Rather than watching the clock it is recommended that a mother watch for signs that her newborn is hungry, such as the rooting reflex, chewing/sucking on hands or fingers, or crying.

Breastfed babies regulate themselves; they take what they need at each feeding, and from each breast. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that healthy, full-term newborns should breastfeed eight to twelve times in each 24-hour period. This equates to feedings two to three hours apart.

Thus, if your baby is not breastfeeding at least eight to twelve times in a 24-hour period in the early weeks, you may need to wake your baby to breastfeed more often. La Leche League may have an information sheet on "Tips for Rousing the Sleepy Newborn" in its catalogue, and it is available from your local Leader. It is important that you rouse your baby for feeding as necessary so your baby will gain properly.

Some mothers are concerned when their baby wants to breastfeed more often than every two hours. "During the early months, many babies do what is called 'cluster feeding;' spacing feedings closer together at certain times of the day (typically during the evening) and going longer between feedings at other times" (BAB, p. 36). This variability in frequency is normal. Moreover, many breastfeeding problems -- including those attributed to "too much milk" or "not enough milk" -- are resolved with more frequent nursing.

Babies who breastfeed frequently (as long as they are latched on correctly) tend to get plenty of milk because their mothers' milk supplies have been boosted by the frequent stimulation. Research now shows that restricting the amount of time at the breast and extending the time between feedings can reduce not only a mother's milk supply, but also the fat content of her milk -- resulting in a hungry, crying baby.

As babies grow and their stomachs become larger, they naturally begin to go longer between feedings and develop more regular feeding patterns. Growth spurts may disrupt the more regular feeding patterns, but they are usually short lived.

Answer 8

My daughter is 10 weeks old. She eats anything from 2 - 5 hours. At night she seems to go longer than the daytime - which i'm not complaining about lol!

Answer 9

How Often Do Newborns Eat

Answer 10

My doctor gave me a great piece of advice with my 1st child while I was breast feeding: Give him one formula bottle a day, it gives you a break and he will be easier to break when you do need to quite breast feeding.

My doctor gave me another great piece of advice with my 2nd child: Let her eat when she wants and she will sleep better... she is the one that knows when she's hungry. I did and she was a much happier baby than my first and got herself into her own routine. (I also did the 1st advice too.)

I only wonder why he didn't give my both pieces of advice with my 1st one. I guess if I have a 3rd he will then give me even better advice. I guess I have to leave that one alone.