Most Breastfeeding Babies Sometimes Seem Hungry!

[stash]

I just had to post this thread because it's been irking me that no one seems to tell new mommies that when a BREASTFEEDING BABY ACTS HUNGRY ALL THE TIME AND NURSES ALL THE TIME IT'S NORMAL!

It's the way they're built! It's the way the system works! Nursing all the time increases supply and teaches the baby so many things about his world, social interaction, and intimacy!

It doesn't mean the baby needs formula! Or potato water! Or rice cereal!

Unless, of course, the baby isn't gaining weight. ;)

I just keep reading these threads that say "my baby is hungry!" or hearing of moms who quit because baby was fussy at the breast and it makes me sad. :(

[MommaBear]

I just keep reading these threads that say "my baby is hungry!" or hearing of moms who quit because baby was fussy at the breast and it makes me sad. :(

Me too. It breaks my heart when I found out someone quit BFing thinking they couldn't do it when they were going through something completely normal. Thank God for this forum.

[Red]

I have doubted myself so many times, especially during growth spurts.

Thank god for this forum.

[mothgirl]

Amen.

[maine06]

Can we sticky this, perhaps????

Potato water?? sounds yummy :yuck:

[hanvan]

I didn't know that either before this forum. I seriously thought she was starving to death! I always tell future bfing moms about how reese ATE ALL THE TIME

[Otterella]

Can we get Jenny to post her article on cluster feeding in this thread? That was a BIG help to me when I was experiencing it! It really bothers me how little is said about it in the breastfeeding books I've read. If we were truly a breastfeeding society, all new moms would know other moms who knew it was normal, and wouldn't feel so alone and desperate. But sadly, that's just not the way it is. That's the beauty of APA!

[Rin]

This kind of thing always frustrates me when I watch shows like "Bringing Home Baby" where they show the parents home in the first 36 hours after birth and I would say at least 75% of them give formula because they think that the baby is starving before their milk comes in. I seem to remember the advice "Colostrum is enough for your baby in the first few days after birth, they do not need to be supplemented."

But I agree more needs to be said about cluster feeding. I certainly wasn't prepared for my son needing to eat ever half hour!

[MrsV]

Yes! I agree. My son nursed and nursed and nursed for the first 10 weeks. Besides night-time and some napping during the day, he wanted to be on the boob ALL the time. It's hard work, but once we got past this initial stage, it has been SO worth it! Sometimes I actually miss him being on my boob so much. Wow, in those first weeks, I NEVER thought I would miss it.

[maine06]

This kind of thing always frustrates me when I watch shows like "Bringing Home Baby" where they show the parents home in the first 36 hours after birth and I would say at least 75% of them give formula because they think that the baby is starving before their milk comes in.!

I just watched BHB on Thursday and the EXACT thing happend. it hurt my heart.... :(

[missmeg]

I watch Bringing Home Baby too. It just kills me to watch those tiny babies go straight to formula. They're not even given a chance to have BM. Getting started BF was incredibly difficult for me, so I understand that it would be easy to give up. But I know I couldn't deny such good nutrition for my baby and replace it with manufactured powder. I am so thankful that our pediatrician sent us to a LC as soon as we were out of the hospital. I wish that all moms knew more about BF so that we would know that things aren't always smooth and know what to expect/what is normal from the very beginning. Thanks for adding this as a sticky!

[HaileysMom0608]

Thank goodness for this forum :D as I had no idea what was going on when Hailey went through her 10 day growth spurt. All the books I had didn't really say anything about and all I was told at the hospital was she might want to feed a little more than usual during one. If I hadn't of come on here I would of started to think I needed to switch to formula as I had no clue why she wanted to be attached to my breasts 24 hours for 2 days straight.

[haydensmom]

Thank you for posting this Stacy! I hope all the new moms read it!!!

[HM16]

I feel so much better knowing that it is normal...My daughter sometimes wants it every half hour or hour and I was about to quit thinking that she is still hungry...plus I always have really sore nipples. Hopefully it will get better. I was so excited that I have been nursing her for 1 month yesterday!!

[Muzzie]

great post..i feel like my son is a permanent attachment to my boobs some days..where is the cluster feeding post? i would love to read it.

[scurry]

I'm so glad I read this. When DD gets done nursing, sleeps for 30 minutes and then wakes up acting hungry I keep thinking there's no way she's actually hungry again. All the book act like she should only be nursing every 1-3 hours and I figured I must be doing something wrong. So glad to see I'm not alone in this.

[raj]

Bless you all. Stash, thank you!! I am a new mom, determined to BF my baby who is 13 days old today. Initially I had problems with her latching on but finally I learned the right way to do it and everything seemed to go pretty smooth until now. The exact same thing that all these ladies are talking about (baby wants to be on the boob all the time, wakes up hungry after 20-30 minutes of feeding, sore nipples) is happening to me, and the books that I have read don't talk about these things. I was getting pretty frustrated and was about to cry when I came upon this thread! It's like a prayer answered!!

Thank you!! I am pretty determined to BF my baby, but quite confused at times. Yaay for APA!!!! I love this place.

[jdang]

I agree with everyone on this post. Our baby was born pre-term and only 4lbs 12oz (still waiting for her to break 8lbs) so I always worried when she was constantly wanting to eat as soon I was done feeding her. The LC that I see assured me that it was her way of making sure she would have enough milk! After that I didn't feel as guilty, thinking I was starving my baby! We BF mothers need all the support and info we can get!!! :D

[missamanda]

I'm going through the cluster feedings in the evenings and the first thing we automatically thought was "OMG he's not getting enough to eat!!!" but DH looked it up on the internet and we're happy to know we're not starving our child...it's hard though when they fuss because it makes you feel like something is wrong. :( Just gotta keep on truckin' along.

Did anyone post that cluster feeding article someone else mentioned? I've love to read it.

[MommaBear]

Here's a couple links about cluster feeding, I don't know which was being referenced:

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/fussy-evening.html

http://www.lactationconsultant.info/cuefeed.html

[winkipinky]

my nipples are so sore and my baby wants to be feed every hour too. sometimes i feel like giving up too, but i feel that would make me fail as a mother. i'm glad other people are going through this too and that i'm not alone.

[eenchoo]

OMG thank goodness - I was beginning to think that I was starving my little sweet pea! My LC keeps assuring me that I have a good milk supply but I was really beginning to doubt her and myself! I am so grateful for this forum!!! Thank you ladies!!!!!! :D

[kerri]

Thanks for this sticky and the other!!!! Makes me even more confident about future bfing!

[stlgirl]

Oh my goodness! I so needed to read this today! My little girl just keeps feeding and I was worried! Now I feel good about it!

[dixiechicken]

Thank goodness for APA and helping Mommas feel normal.

[fredsbaby]

thank you from me too! Couldnt figure out why DD wanted to eat for 12 hours straight and not sleep. Makes sense now. Thanks for linking me Jess!

[laura88]

I was totaly frustrted when he hit the 7-10 growth spurt, & now that we're at the 2wk mark I started to get there. Just as I got him on scheule again, he started eating more often again...My doctor also wants me to wait a minimum of 3hrs, no matter how he acts...partially b/c she says he's colicy, but I'm not convinced 100%, & even so...when he eats for 5mn or less & goes to sleep he probably was just comfort sucking, but other times he practicaly drains the boob every 2hrs...thank goodness I remembered the forum & checked & realized these are the growth spurt days...I just wish I had more suport available around here to help.

[blueberry]

I needed to hear that today!!

[teachermom]

I watch Bringing Home Baby too. It just kills me to watch those tiny babies go straight to formula. They're not even given a chance to have BM. Getting started BF was incredibly difficult for me, so I understand that it would be easy to give up. But I know I couldn't deny such good nutrition for my baby and replace it with manufactured powder. I am so thankful that our pediatrician sent us to a LC as soon as we were out of the hospital. I wish that all moms knew more about BF so that we would know that things aren't always smooth and know what to expect/what is normal from the very beginning. Thanks for adding this as a sticky!

Ooohhhh, I get so mad when I watch the show. The women often say that they're going to supplement until their milk comes in, but how can their milk come in on time if the baby's never nursing!

Seriously, thank God for this forum!

[JulieC]

Ooohhhh, I get so mad when I watch the show. The women often say that they're going to supplement until their milk comes in, but how can their milk come in on time if the baby's never nursing!


I just went through this in the hospital. They kept telling me to give him formula but I kept trying and pumped when he wouldn't latch well, and my milk was in by the time I got home. If I hadn't been lurking here for so long I wouldn't have know what to do.
Thanks mommas!

[laura88]

I just went through this in the hospital. They kept telling me to give him formula but I kept trying and pumped when he wouldn't latch well, and my milk was in by the time I got home. If I hadn't been lurking here for so long I wouldn't have know what to do.
Thanks mommas!
Just proves knowledge is power. Congrats on your LO! keep it up. You will have rough periods, & we're all here to help. Oh,don't pump during a GS. It'll make it last longer. I learned that one the hard way!

[kendallina]

Thank you for this- as a first time mommy-to-be who is determined to breastfeed I can use all the help I can get. :)

[snowwhite]

I'm so thankful for this. I think this is one of the "issues" we are dealing with now. Four hours on the breast - and my butt hurst from still in place!

[cheeksy]

I should have read it few days before. I am so frustrated with DD being always on the boob and throwing up and still looking hungry! Thanks for the consolation and words of reassurance!

[nbaloch]

Right click at the right thread, same thing happening LO always want boobs, it make total sense now. THANKS APA.

[bradleyandstaceysmom]

Here I am in tears, boobs hurt, and so wanting to go to bottle. But I will not give up knowing that I am not alone. Thank goodness you guys are here. I thought I was doing something wrong, he has been eating and eating. And I just finished feeding him or so I thought.

[Irish-Eyes]

yup, feeding every 30 mins. She's 3.5 months old now and I'm doubting my supply.

[maine06]

Here I am in tears, boobs hurt, and so wanting to go to bottle. But I will not give up knowing that I am not alone. Thank goodness you guys are here. I thought I was doing something wrong, he has been eating and eating. And I just finished feeding him or so I thought.


:hugs: it gets better, mama! hang in there!

[maine06]

bump! we never want to lose this one!

[poliale]

Here I am in tears, boobs hurt, and so wanting to go to bottle. But I will not give up knowing that I am not alone. Thank goodness you guys are here. I thought I was doing something wrong, he has been eating and eating. And I just finished feeding him or so I thought.

I feel the same way. Sometimes DH tells me to give him formula cause I am in pain. But I won't give up!! :hi:

[abbylynne]

Omg thank ggati for this thread. I was so sure I was starving my twins that I would nurse and then give the bottles of formula! I was so sad thinking I was failing at being a mommy. Thank you for posting the links to cluster feeding. I feel so much better about myself and I have been nursing all day today and no formula. My dh is worried they aren't going to gain enough weight but I'll just weigh them daily and keep track to ease his mind.
Thanks again for this thread.

[babymama]

Just wanted to say thank you for this thread! It really helped me make it through the first weeks of breastfeeding. I'm always hearing women saying they weren't able to breastfeed because their baby was hungry all the time, and I am so glad I had the knowledge of this thread prior to giving birth.

[cherryici]

I made the mistake of supplementing my lil girl when I was b/f for the first time. She ended up off the breast at 5 months which was sooner than I wanted because of two reasons...(1)return to work and (2) what i now know to be growth spurts...had I no knownledge of "growth spurt" and my doctor nor pediatrician told me anything about such a thing. the only thing they would tell me is to continue with breast feeding but i felt so alone and inadequate because I thought my baby was starving. Even when I mentioned that I had started supplementing my dd with formula because she is starving they said nothing. I will definitely consult this forum frequently this time around...my daughter us now 2yrs old and I am currently 11weeks and 2ds pregnant and very excited about a second chance to breast feed...lol...would never have thought that would say that in a million yrs.

[cherryici]

P.S. any ladies out there faced with returning to work and breastfeeding and have developed a way to overcome the issue please help me...I will be returning to work and I want to continue breastfeeding my baby for at the least the first year. Any advise would be very much appreciated.

[Joie]

So glad I clicked on this thread. Trinity seems to be eating constantly and DH is toying with the idea of starting solids. I am so against this idea. We have two other new babies in our family, both a month older than Trinity and both formula fed. They've both been on solids for a month or more now...it's making us question ourselves. I'll make sure he reads up on cluster feeding. Even our pedi says no solids until at least 4 months. I do not want to introduce them too early.

[markandamy06]

thank you so much for this post :) It really helps reassure me that he IS actually getting milk when he's eating. And that Im not starving him! (obviously since he's gaining weight lol)

[Brandles]

I don't know how I skipped over this thread. I wish I would've seen this before my LO was born. I was told to get on a schedule of feeding my LO every 2 hours or so. My LO always seemed hungry and I thought there was no way that he was still hungry 30 minutes after a feeding. I wonder if my LO lost weight because I tried to keep him close to this schedule. When the Dr asked me how often I was nursing, I told him "about every 2 hours." He said that was normal and because of the weight loss he had me supplementing with formula at only 2 weeks. I was devastated to say the least. I was so determined to breast feed and I felt trapped into bottles. Now my LO is 5 1/2 weeks old and is still being breastfed as well as formula fed. I always think my breast are empty soon after a feeding and have to top him off with formula 45 min to an hour after he was on the breast... or I give in and just give him a bottle of formula and pump instead. I wonder if I can turn things around now and just keep feeding him on the breast??

Thank you so much!! I appreciate knowing this and will start educating others around me that are planning to breast feed for the first time.

[cheysum]

I want to thank yall for this thread too!!!

My DH always asks me if I want to give them formula because they are eating sometimes every 30 min and seem so hungry! I've been refusing, but I was starting to feel that maybe I should give in. Thanks!!! I'm so glad to hear that I'm not alone. And I wont be supplementing!!!

[MountainMama4]

Amazing! As a 4th time bf'ing mom you would think I would know this. I somehow managed to bf my boys between 15 mos and 2 years, but just followed what my body and baby told me. Never knew the "science" behind any of it. Thank you so much for this thread and the links. Definitely helped me be more informed!!! :hugs:

[sayratliff]

I'm glad to see this post. I am new to breastfeeding, I fed my son formula. I have been nursing my daughter who is 7 weeks exclusively. I feel like I nurse her the whole time she's awake. She does not do what the "books" say about every 2-3 hrs. At night she wakes at least every two hrs if not less and sometimes she will surprise me and go longer. I have several friends who are nursing and have baby's the same age and they go the three hr stretch in between feedings. I love to nurse my baby but I do struggle with nursing so often and keeping up with my son and the things I need to do during the day. Any suggestions? She does not take a paci and enjoys to comfort suck. She seems fussy most of the time she's awake and spits up frequently. I want to do whatever is best for her and it makes me sad to feel like she is frustrated. She is a slow nurser, does not have a very strong suck, but she is gaining weight which is good b/c she wasn't in the beginning due to using a nipple shield. I've seen a lactation consultant at least five times and she says the latch is good. I'm new to the forum, thanks in advance for any suggestions...

[ghjgfj]

Amen.

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