My baby wants to eat all the time!?

Question

Before my milk came in he ate well every 2-3 hours. Now I cant get him to stop eating. If I pull him away he cries. I was up all night feeding him and I just fed him for 3 hours straght. Could something be wrong with him or me?

please no rude answers and from experienced mothers. Thanks.

Oh and he rarely sleeps! hes so alert all the time. I thought newborns slept a lot?

And I do use a pacifier but he wont always keep it in his mouth when he wants the breast.

Answer 1

It may not be that he is wanting to eat all the time but nursing is very comforting to a newborn. This is most likely why he cries when you pull him away. It is not good for you to nurse that long, it will make your breasts very sore (more than usual) Try to give him a pacifier between feedings to see if this helps to soothe him. Try to space out the feedings to one an hour to start off with and then possibly spread them out more if possible. My son nursed every 1hr to 1hr and 15 mins.

Answer 2

I'd say he's just enjoying what's there. Babies won't eat what they don't need, but they will cry if they need more. This can make growth spurts a very trying time for mom!

If it seems like he is feeding too much, check with your pediatrician or with a lactation consultant. It's possible that his latch is poor and he doesn't get very good flow, which would mean he needs to nurse longer to get what he wants.

If he's quite a few months old, then he might be just latching on for comfort instead of nutrition, and THAT can be stopped as long as you're sure he's getting enough food. (If he falls asleep while on your breast, that's a sign it's comfort nursing. If his mouth is still moving, he's still eating.)

MORE: Only lucky people have newborns that sleep a lot :-)

Answer 3

OKay I had that same question myself at first, but each baby is not the same. Generally babies do eat every three hours, and they say every two hours if they are being breast fed. I have wondered the same thing, my baby never wanted to let go of my breast, sometimes he would just sleep with it in his mouth, what I would do is slowly break the suction and let him sleep. If you feel something is wrong though ask your doctor

P.S. You have to eat a lot when you are breast feeding, maybe your milk is not sufficient...Eat very healthy,

Answer 4

your body will soon make more. More-frequent requests to nurse usually mean that your baby is going through a growth spurt. These occur around ten days to three weeks, six weeks, and three months of age. Think of these as "frequency days" when babies want and need to nurse "all the time" because they are growing very quickly. After a day or two of "marathon nursing," your body will begin to make more milk, and baby will need to feed less often. It's the supply and demand principle of milk production at work--only the demand part comes first, followed by the increase in supply.

When baby steps up his feedings, you need to cut back on your other commitments, at least for a few days. Just settle in and nurse your baby and don't worry about the housework or other commitments. Trying to do too much will quickly lead to exhaustion, and being exhausted will interfere with your body's ability to make more milk. Give yourself the opportunity to let biology work for you. (See Increasing Your Milk Supply" for suggestions.) The more often your baby nurses, the higher the level of milk-making hormones in your body. These will help you to relax during these potentially stressful days.

A baby is a baby for a very short time, so take advantage of this time to enjoy holding and nursing your baby. No one's life or growth is going to be affected if the housework doesn't get done.

Answer 5

how should you hold your baby during breast feeding? The answer to this is that see to it that the gums of the baby are on top of the areola because there is a chance of nipples becoming sore if the baby just chews on the nipple instead of taking in the areola. You can hold the baby in a cuddling position and feed it or you can lie on your side placing your baby facing you. Usually when the baby has had enough milk it will let go of the nipple on its own, but the baby takes usually half an hour on each side.
I get this useful tips on baby care books I bought from this link: http://bestforyourbaby.prasasti.com/books

Hope that helps! :)

Answer 6

It sounds like he is not feeding the entire time. He wants to suck. If the pacifier that you are using is not working and he is spitting it out try buying one with a different nipple. They make all kinds of different shapes and sizes. Try different ones until you find one he likes. Just make sure he is getting enough to eat. If you think maybe he is not getting enough try one time pumping your milk into a bottle and feed him. That way you can see just how much he is getting and if you need to feed him more.

Answer 7

your milk is probably not thick enough, and if you pump it you can give it to him in a bottle that way others can help you out, and you will still be give him the nurtients that you feel are important to him. Cause the breast milk is the best milk.
But if you pump and give it to him in the bottle put a little bit of plain single gain rice cereal in it and ,make sure to cut the nipple to let it come out easily. Thats what we had to do with our oldest at a weekold cause he was just a hungry baby.
This is what worked for me, cuase I was getting up every 30-1:00 feeding him. So I hope this helps and good luck with the baby and getting some much needed sleep.!!! *** And our Dr. told us this was fine b/c some babies are just hungry and our millk is not enough.***
Hope this helps!!!!

Answer 8

If your flow is not enough the baby will still be hungry. Breastfeeding is wonderful, but difficult to tell how muck they are getting.
I would try pumping the milk to see how much the baby is really eating. Then you will know for sure.

Good Luck

Answer 9

try pumping and feeding him that way.
he may not be getting enough milk from your breast.

Answer 10

growth spurt?

using u as a human pacifier? give him a binky