My baby is always hungry. Does he just need to eat more or am I drying up?

Question

My baby is 2 and a half months old. Last few days, he seemed to be hungry a lot. He used to go 3 to 4 hours between feeds before but now gets hungry even after 2 and a half hours. In the night, he wakes up more for feeds. I'm still breastfeeding and am on the mini pill. Could that have decreased my milk supply? How do I know if that is so? Or is he just more hungry because he's getting bigger? If so, will my milk supply catch up with his appetite? Should I feed him more often, top up feeds with a little formula, or just feed as normal and give boiled water in between?

Answer 1

Your baby is most likely going through a growth spurt. Babies typically go through four major growth spurts in the first year: around three weeks, six to eight weeks, three months, and six months of age. These guidelines can vary, so it sounds like your baby has just started the growth spurt that happens around three months of age.

The best thing you can do to help your baby is to nurse on demand -- feed him whenever he is hungry for as long as he wants to eat. Do NOT give your baby formula or water. Giving your baby a bottle of any kind can cause nipple confusion, but even if your baby has already been using bottles without this problem, it completely throws off the delicate supply and demand system that breastfeeding operates on.

Formula will fill up your baby, causing him to nurse less often. Nursing less often will then cause your body to produce less milk. Your baby will not be able to get enough milk and will then be hungry, and you'll probably want to top him off with formula again. See the pattern?

Water (even boiled) can cause water intoxication in babies, and is completely unnecessary in breastfed babies. Again, water will also fill up your baby and have the same effect as formula.

Your baby begins to nurse more often a day or two before he actually needs the extra milk for a growth spurt so that your body has a chance to respond to your baby's needs and produce the milk for him. All you have to do is nurse, nurse, nurse, and your baby will get all he needs from you.

The mini-pill is a progesterone-only pill, and for most mothers it does not cause problems with milk supply if it is started 6-8 weeks after delivery and if given at normal doses. Because of the age of your baby, I would suspect that this is a growth spurt, NOT a milk supply issue.

Good luck and feel free to email me with any breastfeeding questions if you'd like; I'd love to be able to help!

edit:
By the way, a breast pump is NOT an accurate measure of how much milk you have. Babies are much more efficient at expressing milk than a pump. And never put cereal in a bottle, it can be a choking hazard.

Answer 2

DON'T give him formula or water. That will only hurt your supply. He is going through a growth spurt about now and will need to feed more often. Nurse him as often as he wants. Pumping will not give you any idea of how much your baby is actually getting. No pump can come near the same stimulation that the baby does. Do you need to be on the pill? That can cause a drop in supply as well. Things to increase your supply if you think that is the issue are oatmeal, Mother's Milk Tea - usually availble at health food stores or places like Whole Foods or Kroger or any store that has a natural foods section, increasing your water intake and making sure you're eating enough good foods. Your milk runs off a supply and demand - the more he demands, the more you will make. As long as he's gaining weight and having enough wet/poopy diapers, he's fine. You're doing a great thing by breastfeeding him. He's one lucky baby :)

Answer 3

It sounds like he is going through a growth spurt. Just nurse him more, and within a few days your milk should catch up.
It *is* possible that the mini pill could affect your supply, but I don't think that's the case, unless this directly coincided with your starting on it.

DON'T "top it off" with formula. THIS WILL dry up you milk. Besides, you don't want your baby getting any of that stuff anyway.
He doesn't need water either, it won't fill him up or give him any nutrients.

Pumping IS NOT and accurate measure AT ALL of how much you are producing.

Here are the ways you know you are producing enough:
-Your baby is having the normal amount of wet and poopy diapers
-Your baby is gaining weight
-Your baby is satisfied after you feed him

If you are really worried about supply, you can take Fenugreek. You can find it at GNC. Take 3 caps 3-4 times a day until your milk comes back up.

Answer 4

dont listen to the first person a little bit of cooled boiled water wont cause seizuers however your baby does not need any water at this point in time he can obtain the perfect amount from your breastmilk alone water supplements will not even be necesary untill you finish breastfeeding if you like.
i would say your son is going through a growth spurt this happens generally around this age 4 month six month ect the baby will suckle longer to produce more milk it takes a couple of days for your supply to up to his demands.it can be a wingy long couple of days but its worth it.
secondly never supplement with formula at all for 2 reasons 1 being that this will not boost your supply if you do it now you will be doing it for ever secondly it can cause nipple confusion wear your baby may refuse to breastfeed as getting it from that bottle is much easier.
thirdly yes the mini pill can cause your milk supply to be low as it did me and plenty of others i know you should look into alternate things such as the coil condoms ect while breastfeeding.
why do i say this its because youre milk will dry up and because its not a fool proof method of protection i am speaking from experience here i fell pregnant with my second when my first was only 6 weeks old while breastfeeding and on the mini pill.
you would be suprised of how many ladies ive talked to since this happened and the same has happened to them.
so remember just keep nursing some babies want to nurse around the clock NEVER SUPPLEMENT WITH FORMULA and water will not be necessary at this point unless you are from a really hot climate i wish you luck and if you need any more advice please dont hesitate to contact me goodluck.
oh one more thing if you think your supply is low you can look into taking a fenugreek supplement you get them from health food stores do a search on this it to can help with your milk supply and make sure you are drinking bucket loads of water.
another thing you are not pregnant are you as this will deminish your supply pronto and as stated i fell pregnant in the same situation as well as thousands of others out there dam this was long i hope i helped you lol

Answer 5

Usually at about 2 months old babies have a major growth spurt, and they feed like crazy, you will catch up and he will calm down, so I wouldn't give him anything else not even water unless your doctor advises you otherwise. For me you are a lucky one. My daughter fed every 2 hours regularly until about 5 or 6 months and when on a growth spurt fed every 45 min to an hour. So unless your doctor is concerned you and your baby are fine.

Answer 6

you don't need to give a bottle, just feed every 1.5-2 hrs for a few days and your milk supply will increase to match his appettite. It sounds like he is going through a growth spurt. He will go through many of these. As long as he continues to put on weight and has 6 or more wet nappies a day you are doing fine

Answer 7

You can check to see how much milk you are producing by using a breast pump. That will give you a pretty accurate idea how much milk you have. Are you eating properly? If the child is not getting the nourishment that is required they may act hungry. I breast feed both of my children and had a similar problem so what I did was before bed I would breast feed then top it off with formula and a little bit of rice cereal mixed into the bottle. It helped my girls sleep through the night and I was able to regain my strength faster so I could be a better mom. They make special nipples with a hole that is a little bit bigger for when you mix cereal in with the formula. It worked well and rice is very gentle on their stomachs. The doctor told me it was fine to do, and my mom had done it with all five of us. When the babies appetite increases it does take a little bit of time for the mothers milk to increase, so there is nothing wrong with feeding them more. I always tried to remember to give my children water to rinse their mouths out after a feeding, it is better for their teeth that are in their gums. Believe it or not milk in a babies mouth does affect teeth that have not come in yet. Water after feeding is a good habit to get into.

Answer 8

your milk is more than likely not drying up your body makes the milk just for your baby it has all the vitamins that he needs as he grows as he changes your body and milk changes with him =) it is more than likely that he is growing and as he grows his appetite does as well but if you are still concerned when you go to his 4 mt check up as the pediatrician and if you are still concerned most of the time the hospital has a breastfeeding coach you can always call her and ask good luck

Answer 9

Ive herd of people drying up because they are pregnant. I would feed as much as possible the more you feed the more your bode will make more milk. Id say he is probably just getting bigger and needs more, don't stress the m more you stress about it, it may interrupt your milk production. If all that fails try the bottle i did with both my sons and they are fine I think there is way too much pressure on mums to breast feed these days.

Answer 10

DONT GIVE THE BABY WATER I CANT BELEIVE THAT YOU DONT KNOW THIS/// LOOK IT UP IT WILL THIN HIS BLOOD AND CAN CAUSE THINGS LIKE SEIZURE OR WORSE omg!!!!!
i KNOW THIS CAUSE IVE BEEN READING ALL KINDS OF BABY BOOKS LATELLY
could be your producing less...he is needing more.... you can top off with formula if you dont think he is getting enough but the baby where im living now feeds the same way....every 2 to 3 hours and he is almost 2 months
please dont give him water only formula or breast milk