Breastfeeding 8 week old.?

Question

How often should an 8 week old infant be breastfeeding? Is it still every 2-3 hours? He will go 3-6 hours at night after a bottle of EBM. Also at what age do infants start to breastfeed more efficiently on a consistent basis (like 15-20 minutes per feeding instead of 30+). I know some do right away and every baby is different.

Answer 1

Yes, your 8 week old should still be eating about that much. My 7 1/2 month old nurses about 6-9 times a day, at about 5-10 minutes on a breast. She started getting real efficient at about 3-4 months. Your doing really great! Keep up the breastfeeding! Your doing the best thing ever for you babe!

Answer 2

This is absolutely normal, and your expectations are not reasonable. If he's nursing every 2 hours during the day and 3 hours at night, that's about 9-10 feeds in 24 hours (depending on your definition of 'night') -- which is EXACTLY what you'd expect for a 2 month old. Over the next few months he'll likely begin going a bit longer at night (stretching out to 3 1/2-4 hours at least once or twice), but he'll probably want to nurse about every 2 hours during the day for quite some time yet. (Breastmilk digests very fast.) Your breasts dont' feel full because your supply has adjusted to meet baby's needs. If he's otherwise doing well (wetting enough diapers, gaining weight (he should be at least 1 -1 1/2 pounds over his birthweight), then your supply is fine and everything is as it should be.

Answer 3

It is normal for them to continue feeding every 2-3 hours for a couple more months. My son is 5 months old and our pediatrician said he is still going to eat every 2-3 hours and that it is fine. You should actually not let your baby go longer than 30 minutes while feeding. After 30 minutes they are just pacifying themselves, and it tends to cause more spit-up if they overeat.

My son only started feeding for 15-20 minutes in the last 2-3 weeks, but every baby is different.

Answer 4

Both of my children nursed about every 2-3 hours for at least 6 months, until I introduced solids (8 months for the second child). You are lucky if your baby goes 3-6 hours at night! You probably already know this, but make sure you are nursing as often as your baby wants to eat, since you won't know when he needs more due to a growth spurt (6-8 weeks is a big one!) or for some other reason.

As far as the length of time, it all depends on the baby. Mine both only nursed for 5-10 minutes per session, but still managed to thrive off the charts. They were just very efficient nursers! If your baby is nursing for 30+ minutes, it might mean that he is falling asleep. You can try rubbing his feet or gently rubbing his belly to wake him, if you want him to finish nursing.

Feel free to email me with any breastfeeding questions you might have, I'd love to help!

Good luck and congratulations on your baby and your decision to breastfeed him!

Answer 5

In my experience of breastfeeding two children, each for 6 months, they literally take it little and often. Just keep up your milk supply and carry on, it will become part of routine soon. Once they are weaned on solids breast milk demand will drop off. I used to 'top up' my babies with a bottle of formula at the bedtime feed but this doesn't work for everyone. Trick is to try and get them to take most of their milk during the day so they learn that night time is for sleeping - although having said this your baby is still only 8 weeks, so I would expect this for a bit longer! You sound like you are doing a sterling job, remember that a lot of women give up by now as they find it too demanding. I remember friends bragging about how their babies were sleeping through the night by 3 months, well mine both woke for feeds during the night for 6 months, but have never have any sleeping problems since, it must be a good base as the bragging friends have all gone on to have problems! You will be rewarded in years to come by having healthier children with stong immune systems.

Answer 6

My daughter had a "reflux" problem (she spit up continuously) and she had to feed every 1-2 hours around the clock. For months.

If she seems to be feeding more than normal, she may be going through a growth spurt and it will soon pass.

After breastfeeding for nearly 2 years I can offer the following advice.

It isn't easy
It isn't impossible
It does get better, efficiency kicks in at about 3-5 months.
Babies will nurse more when they are hungry, or getting sick, or going through a growth spurt, or when they are scared, or nervous, you get the point.
LaLeche League are nursing-nazis, use with caution
You are 1/2 way (2 months) to being able to introduce some solid foods and give the boobs are break.


Congrats on new baby & good luck to you.

Answer 7

Mine was still going at it every 2 to 3 hours at that age. She really leveled out around 4 to 5 months. Once we added solids to her diet the nursing did slow down. I continued breastfeeding until she was 2 1/2. Weaning took about 3 days, she was great! Just keep up with it, you are doing the best for your baby.

Answer 8

Mine has done 5 minute feeds since about 6 weeks BUT even at 11 months he still feeds 12+ times a day. Also he has GER so he needs the frequent feeds as an antacid.

Breast compression can help shorten feed times.

Answer 9

Every baby is different! Due to individual differences, healthy full-term babies may breastfeed as often as every hour or as infrequently as every four hours and thrive, according to LLLI BREASTFEEDING ANSWER BOOK (BAB) Third Revised Edition, page 26. Daily breastfeeding patterns will vary from baby to baby and from day to day.

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.

Mothers can follow their baby's lead in how often to breastfeed, as long as their baby is getting enough. See the FAQ on how to tell your baby is getting enough milk or the articles in our Web resource page on milk supply issues. 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.

Answer 10

On the average, most babies will start being more efficient around 4 months. At about 5 months you can introduce a little cereal. Once you can feed them cereal then they will last longer before they need to eat again. Hang in there