Newborn wants to nurse ALL the time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 9 months pregnant and haven't breastfed yet (obviously) but aren't you supposed to try to put your newborn on a schedule and not let them nurse on demand? My DH is a pediatrician and says that you shouldn't just let them "graze" whenever they want, but put them on a feeding schedule. I know nothing about this sort of thing so I just assumed he was right. My sister had a baby a month ago (5 lb 5 oz) and the baby wanted to feed constantly in the first few weeks, but my sister (who is very regimented) put the baby on an every 2-3 hr schedule even though the baby wanted to feed every hour (or even less). I was appalled when I heard that she wasn't feeding her baby on demand and asked DH, and he said she was absolutely doing the right thing. Does anyone here have opinions about this??

He is absolutely wrong. Infants do not have a constant hunger pattern that can be tracked. They are hungry when they are hungry.

It is cruel not to feed a baby who is hungry.

[Anonymous]

PP here - I re-read your post and my GOD, your sister's baby is in danger. Doesn't she know that baby needs to put on weight?

http://breastfeedingbasics.info/ezzos-dangerous-breastfeeding-schedules

Also, your pediatrician-DH is giving advice which is contrary to the AAP's policy on breastfeeding:

The American Association of Pediatrics (APA) warns against scheduled breastfeeding and advises parents to breastfeed “on demand.” In other words, feed when your babies act hungry, before they are crying. Sucking fingers, rooting and increased alertness indicate hunger. Here is a quote from the APA in from press release dated April 20, 1998:

[i]The AAP has always advocated breastfeeding as the optimal form of nutrition for infants, and in December 1997, the AAP issued its latest recommendations about breastfeeding infants. The policy statement says, “Newborns should be nursed whenever they show signs of hunger, such as increased alertness or activity, mouthing, or rooting. Crying is a late indicator of hunger. Newborns should be nursed approximately eight to 12 times every 24 hours until satiety … In the early weeks after birth, undemanding babies should be aroused to feed if 4 hours have elapsed since the last nursing.”[/i/]

Please tell him to get with the program. I feel for his young patients!

[Anonymous]

My DH is a pediatrician and says that you shouldn't just let them "graze" whenever they want, but put them on a feeding schedule. I know nothing about this sort of thing so I just assumed he was right.

I'm sorry, but if your husband were my pediatrician and had told me this, I would have left his practice immediately. That is just bad, dangerous advice. Not feeding a hungry newborn is downright cruel.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm 9 months pregnant and haven't breastfed yet (obviously) but aren't you supposed to try to put your newborn on a schedule and not let them nurse on demand? My DH is a pediatrician and says that you shouldn't just let them "graze" whenever they want, but put them on a feeding schedule. I know nothing about this sort of thing so I just assumed he was right. My sister had a baby a month ago (5 lb 5 oz) and the baby wanted to feed constantly in the first few weeks, but my sister (who is very regimented) put the baby on an every 2-3 hr schedule even though the baby wanted to feed every hour (or even less). I was appalled when I heard that she wasn't feeding her baby on demand and asked DH, and he said she was absolutely doing the right thing. Does anyone here have opinions about this??

Bottle fed babies often eat every 2-3 hours in the first few weeks....and formula is digested much more slowly.

Breast fed babies NEED to eat more frequently- both because the milk is digested much more quickly as it's easier to digest...and because they need to establish your supply. Their stomachs (any baby) are also very very small to start.

Let your baby lead for at least the first few weeks and then you can worry about gradually getting into more of a schedule/routine. But the baby absolutely should nurse more frequently than 3 hours in the first few weeks/months! Most likely the baby will eat more like every 1.5-2hrs to start.

Many doctors (apparently your husband included) are pretty clueless about breast fed babies and their needs. They don't exactly get a ton of parenting classes/etc in med school.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

My DH is a pediatrician and says that you shouldn't just let them "graze" whenever they want, but put them on a feeding schedule. I know nothing about this sort of thing so I just assumed he was right.

I'm sorry, but if your husband were my pediatrician and had told me this, I would have left his practice immediately. That is just bad, dangerous advice. Not feeding a hungry newborn is downright cruel.

I agree - that is horrific. I can't believe he is giving this advice.

OP, your sister needs to do some reading on feeding on demand - she is putting her infant at risk. Horrible.

[Anonymous]

OP, your sister needs to do some reading on feeding on demand - she is putting her infant at risk.

It's not only her sister that needs to do some reading - her husband needs to, too!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP, your sister needs to do some reading on feeding on demand - she is putting her infant at risk.

It's not only her sister that needs to do some reading - her husband needs to, too!

I agree, and hope OP's husband can put his ego aside sufficiently to get with the program. It is critical that he do so.

[Anonymous]

I agree with the PP that said no one prepares you for nursing an infant. I thought my daughter only needed to nurse every 2.5-3 hours too. Once I gave up on that, we were both much happier.

Keep it up OP! It really does get better.

[Anonymous]

PP here with the clueless pediatrician husband. Don't worry, he's not an egomaniac -- he isn't a general pediatrician (he's a pediatric oncologist) so he is probably just a little idiotic when it comes to things like breastfeeding. He's not giving advice to new mothers about breastfeeding, so don't worry - he is not endangering anyone (only family members who ask for medical advice)! When he told me that I SERIOUSLY questioned it -- that's why I asked on here. It just seemed CRAZY to not feed a hungry baby, especially an underweight one like my new niece. I will DEFINITELY breastfeed on demand when I have my baby. And I'll show my hubby this thread and the American Association of Pediatrics recommendations!!!

[Anonymous]

OP here. Thank you so much to everyone who answered in this thread. I feel so much better now. I actually do not mind the constant feeding. I was just worried that my DD had a need that I wasn't meeting. It is true that noone warned me about this ahead of time. All I ever heard was that the babies eat every 2-3 hours.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you so much to everyone who answered in this thread. I feel so much better now. I actually do not mind the constant feeding. I was just worried that my DD had a need that I wasn't meeting. It is true that noone warned me about this ahead of time. All I ever heard was that the babies eat every 2-3 hours.

It's not just the pediatric oncologist who is clueless -- lots of people who *should* know better just don't. My friend is a maternity ward nurse and routinely tells moms that their baby will eat every 2-3 hours. I told her how much my baby was nursing and she said that this was only "normal" at first, and signifies that mom is only producing colostrum. I showed her guidelines from AAP and she STILL argued with me that this was only in the first few weeks. Patently false and a good example of someone set in their ways refusing to pay attention to any info, however credible, that challenges them. Hope she figures this all out before she gets pregnant with a child of her own....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here. Thank you so much to everyone who answered in this thread. I feel so much better now. I actually do not mind the constant feeding. I was just worried that my DD had a need that I wasn't meeting. It is true that noone warned me about this ahead of time. All I ever heard was that the babies eat every 2-3 hours.

It's not just the pediatric oncologist who is clueless -- lots of people who *should* know better just don't. My friend is a maternity ward nurse and routinely tells moms that their baby will eat every 2-3 hours. I told her how much my baby was nursing and she said that this was only "normal" at first, and signifies that mom is only producing colostrum. I showed her guidelines from AAP and she STILL argued with me that this was only in the first few weeks. Patently false and a good example of someone set in their ways refusing to pay attention to any info, however credible, that challenges them. Hope she figures this all out before she gets pregnant with a child of her own....

Agree! My aunt told me I had to put my 5 w. old in a 3 hours schedule or she will become OBESE! I am so pissed!

[Anonymous]

People are crazy. Babies are smart little animals, let them regulate their eating and do what they need to do to up your supply. I was told the every 2 hours but it's from the start of the nursing, so if they eat for 1.5 hours off and on then it is just .5 later that they start again. The nursing all the time really starts to space out naturally, you don't need to do anything. Get some good magazines, paperbacks, cable, whatever floats your boat, a comfy nursing pillow and a good chair and enjoy the time. They grow so fast. There is a reason that they call it the 4th trimester, they aren't fully cooked yet.

[Anonymous]

My dad's mom was told by her doctor that she had to start right off with a schedule of every 4 hours, to build discipline--my dad, starting as an infant, was fed every 4 hours, no more and no less. She was not even supposed to pick him up when he cried in the meantime. Evidently she would herself be crying outside of the door to the nursery, listening to him wail, but feeling like she was not "supposed" to go to him. It breaks my heart to think of that.

anyway, my dad has a lot of issues--overeating and abandonment among them. wonder where that came from. I think of that every time i pick up my LO, yes even when it's the third time in 3 hours at 3 am. Especially then.

[Anonymous]

It's three am.

OP, the best indicator of whether your supply is good is to check your baby's weight gain. I weighed my baby once a week at the Breastfeeding Center for about the first 14 weeks. You can go in any time and use their scale, and they also have a new moms group you can attend on a drop-in basis.