I am a first time mother, with a baby girl (Lillian) who will be one month old tomorrow. For the last three days she has been extra fussy, sleeping a lot less and for shorter periods of time AND seems to want to nurse constantly! I am breastfeeding and she will eat for a good 10-15 minutes, fall asleep and then when I put her down she will be awake again, fussy and show all the signs of still being hungry.. this will go on for hours at a time all throughout the day. I am producing milk, and nearly every time she is done nursing she will have a little milk drool, she's also having regular wet & poopy diapers, so I assume she is getting enough, but why does she constantly want to? and how long is this going to go on? I feel like I can't be away from her for any period of time because she gets to a point where only thing to calm her is to feed her. Is this growth spurt behavior.. is it wrong to feed her this much.. what is going on?!
2007-08-22 05:45:19 · 9 answers · asked by Christina 1 in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Newborn & Baby
It certainly sounds like a growth spirt-- it last 2-5 days, usually, of eating CONSTANTLY. Just when you think you cant take it anymore, she will chill out.
Its not wrong to feed her htis much-- its neccessary.
2007-08-22 05:49:12 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
This is very common, actually. It can take up to 3 months for a newborn to settle into some semblance of a schedule and it may even take longer for some babies. Both your body and your baby are working on establishing your milk supply. Frequent nursing by your baby signals your breasts to make adequate milk. Additionally, breast milk is very digestible. Your baby's tummy is tiny and can only take in a limited amount at one time and then her body is able to utilize the vitamins and nutrients quickly. Nursing every 1-2 hours, even around the clock is not unusual, especially in the first 6-8 weeks of life. As she gets a little bigger, she will be able to go closer to 2 hours between feedings. She constantly wants to nurse because she probably needs to. Some babies do just need the extra sucking and she may do well with a pacifier if she seems too fussy and it has been less than an hour since you began her last feeding session. It is not wrong to nurse her as often as she wants to. For newborns this is a good thing. Eating more often can be a sign of a growth spurt, which are frequent in the first year of life.
2007-08-22 06:08:16 · answer #2 · answered by sevenofus 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Keep feeding her when she is hungry. It's call "cluster feeding" and my newborn went through it as well. Doc said growth spurts cause them to be hungry more often.
Cluster feeding, also called bunch feeding, is when babies space feeding closer together at certain times of the day and go longer between feedings at other times. This is very common, and often occurs in the evenings. It's often -but not always- followed by a longer sleep period than usual: baby may be "tanking up" before a long sleep. For example, your baby may nurse every hour (or even constantly) between 6 and 10 PM, then have a longish stretch of sleep at night - baby may even sleep all night.
Cluster feeding often coincides with your baby's fussy time. Baby will nurse a few minutes, pull off, fuss/cry, nurse a few minutes, pull off, fuss/cry... on and on... for hours. This can be VERY frustrating, and mom starts wondering if baby is getting enough milk, if something she is eating is bothering baby, if EVERYTHING she is doing is bothering baby... It can really ruin your confidence, particularly if there is someone else around asking the same questions (your mother, your husband, your mother-in-law).
This behavior is NORMAL! It has nothing to do with your breastmilk or your mothering. If baby is happy the rest of the day, and baby doesn't seem to be in pain (as with colic) during the fussy time - just keep trying to soothe your baby and don't beat yourself up about the cause. Let baby nurse as long and as often as he will. Recruit dad (or another helper) to bring you food/drink and fetch things (book/remote/phone/etc.) while you are nursing and holding baby.
2007-08-22 05:54:05 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
growth spurts are just that... they grow in spurts. Because they grow fast during these times, they eat a lot too. If you've been doing this for 3 days, it should be ending soon and you guys can settle in to a better feeding routine.
No, it is not wrong to feed the baby as much as she wants. Babies only eat when they're hungry, unlike adults who eat even when not hungry. So, if you're baby is eating, it means she's hungry and needs to eat.
Good luck to you! I am currently breastfeeding 2 1/2 month old identical twins girls so I know what you're going through. And to top that, my girls do not go through growth spurts at the same time. THey're are off by a few days so it just drags on!
2007-08-22 05:51:39 · answer #4 · answered by mrs.izabel 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
This is totally normal!! My daughter ate constantly for the first 2 months after she was born. When she was about 2.5 - 3 months it finally settled into more of a comfortable time frame. Babies just need to eat and eat, they are always growing and need the nutrients! For the first few months she is growing quickly and that's why she is eating constantly.
She will settle soon into a less frequent eating schedule (every 2-3 hours) but its better than every half hour! My daughter (Alicia - 5 Months now) used to eat for about 30- 45 minutes, and I'd put her to bed and 10 minutes later she'd be up and just want to eat again too!
Hopefully it will get better for you! For me, my daughter was colicky and she is still having some problems sleeping, but your daughter should settle between now and about 3 months.
2007-08-22 05:55:44 · answer #5 · answered by Danielle M 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It def. sounds like a growth spurt. They last about a week and then will sprout up again. You are not overfeeding her, so don't worry. She's just growing and needs the extra nutrients. The first growth spurt usually hits at 6 weeks, but every baby is different. Your baby sounds happy and healthy, even with the fussiness, so good job!
2007-08-22 05:49:36 · answer #6 · answered by keonli 4 · 3⤊ 0⤋
it could be a growth spurt, but sometimes babies just need something to suck on too, which could be why she constantly seems like she wants to nurse. give a pacifier a try and see if that helps at all. growth spurts usually only last about 2-5 days, so after that amount of time i would pop in the paci in between feedings or when she is going to sleep.
2007-08-22 05:51:43 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 2⤋
Everything everybody said was right on. You do need a break though, you may try giving her a bottle for one of her night time feeds. Formula sometimes can satisfy a growing infant a little longer then breast milk. One bottle a day won't decrease your milk production. Somebody other then you can give it to her and let you get a couple hours of uninterrupted sleep. Mom's need care too.
2007-08-22 06:38:07 · answer #8 · answered by Kristina 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Classic growth spurt behavior;-) They will become more predicatble in a bit. Hang in there. she really isn't supposed to be away from ou for a minute anyway (biologically speaking.)
I highly recommend getting a sling ASAP. It will allow you to move and get on with your day while your newborn nurses and is held close.
2007-08-22 05:52:30 · answer #9 · answered by Terrible Threes 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋