Baby Feeding Every Hour to Hour and Half

my son did this too - and there were so many reasons for what it could be - growth spurt, comfort. there's a great website called www.kellymom.com that is full of helpful info for breastfeeding. i also pulled this article from my pediatrician's website - he is one of the few male lactation consultants and is so helpful when it comes to nursing as he really knows his info!! many pediatricians do not!!

hang in there - this will pass and your baby is so lucky to be getting breastmilk so keep it up!! my son never took a bottle so i can completely relate to being tired - but he is almost 4 now and i don't regret one minute of nursing him!! (for almost 3 years!!)
J.

from http://www.drjaygordon.com/development/bf/growspu.asp
Growth Spurts

By Cheryl Taylor, CBE

If there is a rule that would help moms survive growth spurts with a smile, it would have to be, "Don't Watch The Clock!" Don't watch the clock for how long baby has been nursing. Don't watch the clock for how long it's been since baby last wanted to nurse. Don't watch the clock for how many times you've been awakened that night to nurse.
Growth spurts happen. They happen with all nursing dyads. Some babies protest more about them and others seem to sail through them with the greatest of ease. Some books will tell you they happen at so many weeks or months. They may tend to, but the truth is, they can happen anytime.

Signs of a Growth Spurt

Baby is nursing often or almost nonstop
A baby who was previously sleeping through the night is now waking to nurse several times
Baby will latch and unlatch, fussing in between
These signs are all signals to the mom's body to "MAKE MORE MILK NOW!" Our bodies listen very well if we will merely respond to the baby's needs. The extra suckling will stimulate your body to make more milk.

Often Observed After a Growth Spurt

Baby sleeps extra for a day or two
Mom is a bit fuller than usual for a day or so
Baby calms down at the breast
You may see an increase in wettings with the increased supply baby is drinking
Growth spurts seem to throw new moms for a loop. Just when they thought they were beginning to understand their baby's signals, they abruptly changed. The frequent requests to nurse can be confusing as well as the frequency with which growth spurts happen within the first few months. The key is purely and simply to go with the flow (pun intended!) If you respond to your baby's signals to nurse during a growth spurt and do not interfere with them in any manner, your body will quickly respond and increase supply. Typically it happens within 24 to 48 hours. Sometimes growth spurts seem to drag on for a week. This would be a good time to make sure you're drinking plenty water.

Don't allow a growth spurt to rob you of your confidence in nursing. Instead, allow it to instill confidence in your ability to read your baby's cues. Your confidence will be further rewarded as your supply increases and your baby settles back down into a happy breastfeeding baby again, with a smart mommy who knew that sometimes baby really does know best and our job is to listen.

Hi Amy
My daughter is also 2 months, and the pediatrician told me the other day that it's normal for her to eat every hour and a half. My daughter tends to doze a lot when I'm feeding her, then sort of wakes back up if I move her around, and wants to eat more (which makes for much longer feedings that I bargain for). To make a long story short, I am in a similar situation.
The doctor basically told me to feed her when she's hungry (which in her case is all the time). Maybe your baby is sort of hanging out some of the time (which mine does as well); they find it comforting. It's tiring to say the least, but there's not much more that can be done if a person is only breastfeeding. They digest it in about two seconds. I personally rely on the F word (formula -haha) to get a break at night and periodically during the day, which will take about 3-4 hours to wear off. Good luck!

Is she actually "feeding" during those minutes? Or does she just languish on it? My first two babies loved to just hold the nipple in their mouths for awhile after they were actually finished actively nursing. My "now baby" (5mos) nurses for about 5 minutes and then is finished. She doesn't even bother with both breasts! If you feel that she's not really sucking anymore, get her off the one side and switch to the other. It sounds as if she's not filling up enough at one feeding. Limit her to maybe 10 mins (at the most!) each side at one feeding. Maybe then she'll fill up more and will sleep a little longer. But she may be like my girl and just eat enough to stop the hunger and then cry for more a little while later. Good luck!

Hi Amy,

I had this problem with my first and third babies. There could be a few reasons for this. For me, there were two issues. The first was exactly the same as what the other Mom that posted said - my newest daughter would sometimes latch on, get comfortable and take tiny sips, but mostly sleep and not take her fill of milk. She basicially used the nipple as a "human pacifier". She would take a short nap and be hungry again. I was exhausted and felt like I was constantly feeding her. I'm not sure how you feel about pacifiers, but you might want to use one. This will help your baby have a longer, comfortable sleep so that when she wakes, she is very hungry and will fill up on breast milk. My pediatrician feels that pacifier use, while the baby is a newborn, is fine because it is instinct for the baby to continually have the sucking reflex. Once my children got older (prior to them getting teeth), we eliminated the pacifier altogether. My other issue was with my first daughter - I was not producing enough milk at each feeding so my daughter would drink til I ran out and then continue to suck (again, like a pacifier) but not get any milk. You may want to find out how much milk you are producing by pumping, to be sure that you are making enough. Depending on what you discover, you may want to pump more to increase milk production, or supplement with formula in addition to breast milk (which is what I ended up having to do). Remember, breast milk is much thinner than formula which is why babies on formula usually sleep longer in the beginning... the heavier consistency makes them feel satisfied longer.

I hope this info helps. Good luck with your new daughter!

Sincerely,
K.
(Stay-at-home Mom of three - daughter almost 5, son almost 3 and daughter 11 mos)