Pediatrician vs lactation consultant - conflicting advice to follow

[Anonymous]

I have a 2.5 week old baby boy and we are EBF. We have been seeing a lactation consultant to help make sure we are breastfeeding successfully. My baby is a one that loves to eat. He seems to want to eat every hour and sometimes even every 30 minutes. The pediatrician was surprised by his weight gain at 2 weeks and asked us what we had been doing. He told us that we should not be letting him eat every 30 minutes. He thinks he is overeating by eating that often or just snacking. He said to feed him every two hours. The lactation consultant said that is crazy and to feed on-demand, even if that means every 30 minutes. I feel reassurance from the lactation consultant, but I also value the pediatricians advice. I’m confused what to do and who to follow.

[Anonymous]

Lactation consultant. And I would find a new ped.

[Anonymous]

If the baby is gaining well, then if doesn’t really matter. You may want to clarify what the pediatrician was trying to say. Maybe he just wanted to give you the confidence to put the baby on more of a schedule if you want. Every 30 minutes is not really sustainable for most women, so it’s good he’s trying to advise you on how to make breastfeeding work more comfortably. If you don’t want to follow his advice, fine; but I bet he was just trying to tell you that you do not have to nurse that frequently.

[Anonymous]

My wife and daughter had a number of issues breastfeeding (difficulty latching, sub optimal weight gain) and the lactation consultant was phenomenal. Fortunately our pediatric practice (very well regarded) was watchful and generally in agreement on the plan. And I will say, our lactation consultant spotted post partum depression and helped save my wife's life by getting her transitioned to pumping and then to formula. It was a scary time and she saved us, so I'd probably always take the lactation consultant's guidance really seriously

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have a 2.5 week old baby boy and we are EBF. We have been seeing a lactation consultant to help make sure we are breastfeeding successfully. My baby is a one that loves to eat. He seems to want to eat every hour and sometimes even every 30 minutes. The pediatrician was surprised by his weight gain at 2 weeks and asked us what we had been doing. He told us that we should not be letting him eat every 30 minutes. He thinks he is overeating by eating that often or just snacking. He said to feed him every two hours. The lactation consultant said that is crazy and to feed on-demand, even if that means every 30 minutes. I feel reassurance from the lactation consultant, but I also value the pediatricians advice. I’m confused what to do and who to follow.

Feed on demand. And get a new ped.

[Anonymous]

Agree with feed on demand for a baby that young. Worrying about too much weight gain in a two-week old borders on the absurd.

[Anonymous]

A ped is a real doctor. A lactation counselor has a class, not a degree and is wrong.

[Anonymous]

Oh gosh here I was expecting the opposite situation, the LC says it’s no big deal that baby isn’t gaining weight and the ped is concerned. Definitely feed your baby on demand! If baby didn’t want the milk, he’d spit up or turn away from the breast. That goes for bottle-fed babies too. They regulate what they need.

[Anonymous]

OP here. Breastfeeding is going well and there have been no issues. My baby just likes to eat. We do have a baby scale because I’m paranoid and like to see what’s he’s eating. He will usually eat every 30 minutes to 2 hours. He does snack a lot and will only take 0.5-1oz every 30-60 minutes. If he goes the full two hours - usually only at night and once a day for a long nap - he will eat a full 2-3oz feed.

My baby had already gained a little over 1lb in two weeks. The pediatrician said his weight is fine, but I told him that he eats so often that our whole day is feeding him. He told em some babies love to snack and that I should encourage full feeds and feed every two hours.

The lactation consultant said I need to feed as often he wants to during this crucial time of establishing my supply. She said it’s fine if he is a snacker.

I do admit it gets to me some days. It’s hard having the baby on the breast every 30 minutes. I pumped half of a day just to give myself a break because my nipples were raw and sore and I loved having to only pump every 3 hours. It was harder and it’s easier to breastfeed, but I admit I sometimes think about pumping.

[Anonymous]

OP, it sounds like your ped is experienced. Establishing supply is very important, and then you can transition to encouraging full feeds by stretching out the time between feeds. Every 2 hours, while still being flexible and responsive, is great for baby and for supply.

[Anonymous]

I would encourage full feeds. If baby is just snacking, he's not getting the hindmilk which has a higher concentration of fats, which in theory should satiate him longer.

Also, I mean this kindly, are you feeding him every time he cries? Sometimes babies cry for other reasons and it doesn't mean they are hungry.

I breastfed my first for 2.5 yrs and my second is still going at 2.75 years so I'm a huge breastfeeding proponent but I think it can be done without having baby on your boobs all day if it's too much for you. I had a goal of every 2 hours at a minimum- sometimes they just wanted to be held or have a paci or change of scenery or diaper change etc. They never had any problem with weight gain (the opposite actually) and I never had problem with my supply.

[Anonymous]

OP, you will get a lot of different views on this, but I doubt your ped was trying to say it's not good for the baby if he eats every 30 mins or that the baby is gaining too much weight or something. Rather, it's just that eating every 30 mins-1 hr is not sustainable for YOU, and it's not necessary for the baby. I'd try to space out the feedings for your own sanity. Baby will probably eat more at each feed if you move to that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I would encourage full feeds. If baby is just snacking, he's not getting the hindmilk which has a higher concentration of fats, which in theory should satiate him longer.

Also, I mean this kindly, are you feeding him every time he cries? Sometimes babies cry for other reasons and it doesn't mean they are hungry.

I breastfed my first for 2.5 yrs and my second is still going at 2.75 years so I'm a huge breastfeeding proponent but I think it can be done without having baby on your boobs all day if it's too much for you. I had a goal of every 2 hours at a minimum- sometimes they just wanted to be held or have a paci or change of scenery or diaper change etc. They never had any problem with weight gain (the opposite actually) and I never had problem with my supply.

OP here. We don’t feed him every time he cries. I will change him, burp him, use a pacifier, etc. If that all fails, I will put him on the breast. He’s usually will root and stick out his tongue when he is hungry.

He’s only 2.5 weeks old. He doesn’t care about scenery or anything like that. He pretty much just eats and sleeps.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP, you will get a lot of different views on this, but I doubt your ped was trying to say it's not good for the baby if he eats every 30 mins or that the baby is gaining too much weight or something. Rather, it's just that eating every 30 mins-1 hr is not sustainable for YOU, and it's not necessary for the baby. I'd try to space out the feedings for your own sanity. Baby will probably eat more at each feed if you move to that.

OP here. How do I do that if he is crying before the two hours? Make him wait?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP, you will get a lot of different views on this, but I doubt your ped was trying to say it's not good for the baby if he eats every 30 mins or that the baby is gaining too much weight or something. Rather, it's just that eating every 30 mins-1 hr is not sustainable for YOU, and it's not necessary for the baby. I'd try to space out the feedings for your own sanity. Baby will probably eat more at each feed if you move to that.

OP here. How do I do that if he is crying before the two hours? Make him wait?

No, don't ignore a 2.5-week-old who is hungry and crying. Give it some time before you worry about this, honestly. If you can shush him back to sleep in order to stretch out feedings then you can try that, but.. this is really not something you should be worrying about right now.