How do I get my 3 week old to not want to breast feed every hour during the day??

Question

Or, is it normal for them to want to eat so often. The pediatrician said to try and get him to eat more at his feedings....but he always falls asleep or doesn't want to feed for longer than 10-15 minutes total, usually just on one breast at a feeding?? Do they usually outgrow this, and should I just stick it out and feed him when he's hungry, or let him scream.....which is REALLY hard for me to do!

He's gaining weight too!!!!! he weighed 7pnds 3oz at birth and at his 2wk appt. weighed 9pnds 2oz!!! So, he's getting plenty obviously.

Answer 1

Have you pumped to see how much is coming out?
Also, have the doc check your baby to make sure he doesn't have a smaller than normal tummy. My son had a terrible spit up problem after he ate. It was just an underdeveloped muscle above the tummy... can't remember what it's called, but he outgrew it.
If he's doing 20 minutes on each side every hour, that's a bit much.
If he's only doing 2-3 minutes, then see if you can nurse him longer at a time and maybe it won't be so often.
Just a word of wisdom, however... if there are no physical problems causing this, it will eventually slow down. He might be growing really fast right now and just needs the extra nutrition. There will be times when he won't want to nurse, there are up's and downs.
You are doing great! Keep it up!

Answer 2

A lot of breastfed babies have growth spurts around 3 weeks (3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months tend to be the bigger ones, after that they aren't very predicatable). He could be growing and that's why he's so hungry, I know mine eats WAY more when he's growing (now a 9 month old). If you want to try and get him to eat more during a feeding, try feeding him on one side for 10-15 minutes and then switching to the other side. The other thing is that he may not really be hungry. Your breast is the ultimate comfort object for your son (we call it the "Comfort Boob") and he knows that if he cries, he gets to get his comfort object. With his weight gain, I'm guessing that he's nursing well, so you could always try something like a pacifier (*gasp* yes a pacifier, they aren't evil...mine never took one, he sucks his thumb now). Babies at his age love to suck on things, it's something that calms them. As for letting him cry it out, I'd say he's still a little too young for that. We didn't really start letting our son do crying it out things until he was about 3 months old. He'll probably grow out of it. Just know that he may grow back into it at different times. He's pretty smart, he knows that by crying, he'll get what he wants. And besides, feeding him so often will do wonders for your milk supply. Enjoy him while he's wanting to feed, in a couple of months he'll be pushing away fast so that he can go and discover the world around him. Right now you're the world, it goes fast...enjoy!

Answer 3

Congratulations on your new baby! It's normal that they eat that often at so young an age. You can expect feedings to stretch out to every 3 hours or so by six weeks. You really shouldn't let him cry it out. If he's hungry, he should be fed (I can't imagine why you're pediatricain would say otherwise). A newborn can not comprehend why his needs are not being met and being left hungry can make him insecure, it can also interfere with his natural ability to take in exactly the number of calories his growing body and brain need and cause him to over or under-eat.. Here is a useful article about breastfeeding newborns:
http://kidshealth.org/parent/pregnancy_newborn/breastfeed/breastfeed_often.html
I know you must be exhausted, but before you know it, he will develop an easier routine. Hang in there! Good luck.

Answer 4

Feed him when he is hungry. What my pediatrician recommended for me was to feed one side then burp and change my babies diaper to help wake them up then nurse on the other side. Don't give up an be patient he will get it figured out the first 6 weeks were the hardest with both of mine.

Answer 5

You shouldnt get him to stop feeding every hour. This is quite normal for a newborn. If he is happy feeding small quantities often then that is what he needs. DONT let him scream. He will drink as much as he needs when he needs it. My two daughters were exactly the same. As they get older they will need less feeds and drink more at each feeding as their stomachs grow.
Congratulations on your new baby. I hope this helped.

Answer 6

That's normal, if he is falling asleep at feedings, just nudge him a little to wake him up so he can finish. He might be going through a little bit of a growth spurt too, so he's wanting to eat a bit more. Stick it out, it will get better!!!

Answer 7

Aww dont let him scream, hes too young to be put on a feeding schedule. You're just supposed to feed on demand at this point. But if he wakes up froma nap dont offer the breast right away, wait until he's rooting around or crying. It will get easier soon, trust me and GOOD FOR YOU FOR BREASTFEEDING! It aint easy!

Answer 8

Do you know that a) just because a baby cries doesn't mean they need to eat? and b) babies like to suck, not just eat, so probalby you are just being a human pacifier for half those feedings. I would start feeding him every two hours, even if he's crying. Use a pacifier and see ifit helps. AFter he gets accustomed to a 2 hour interval, you can start increasing it by 15 minutes every week or two.

Answer 9

I would offer a pacifier in between feedings. He may
just want to suck. That way, he won't just get in the
habit of eating every hour. He'll survive just fine if
fed every 3 hours.

Answer 10

When my wife went through this, she would either wake the baby up and try to make her eat more, but your baby knows what he or she needs. It can be rough. My wife also used a breast pump and filled bottles with her milk. That helped her alot.

Goood Luck