Question for moms who BF...

I was told that when you BF your newborn, the baby will want to eat every two hours or so. How long should the baby be on that schedule? Jesse is almost three weeks and is on more of a three hour schedule, sometimes four. I want to make sure he's eating enough. Also, I was wondering when the time schedule should increase to a steady four or five hours (as opposed to when it would be too early and we should be concerned). Thanks for any info you can provide!

Re: Question for moms who BF...

I breastfed exclusively and let Andrew dictate his schedule. Sometimes it was 2 hours, sometimes more. As long as he continued to gain each month, I was not worried. Since I let him make his own schedule, I think that we fared well. He's an excellent eater and sleeper nowadays!

I think your schedule sounds fine. How long is he nursing at each side? Andrew would at first go from 10-15 minutes each side, but he also had a strong, powerful s u c king reflex!

Message edited 5/16/2005 1:54:46 PM.

Re: Question for moms who BF...

Thanks Trish.

I let Jesse make his own schedule but I start to worry when it gets near four hours. Sometimes he'll only nurse on one side for 20-30 minutes (with me waking him when he falls asleep) and other times 15-20 minutes on each side. He seems to be gaining weight but we don't have a baby scale so we don't know how much. Since he was small at birth, we want to be sure he's gaining weight. He seems like a healthy eater but it's difficult to gauge.

Re: Question for moms who BF...

Feed on demand. My kids fed every hr for the first 3-4 months. You can gauge if he is eating enough by the # of wet and poopy diapers.

Re: Question for moms who BF...

When I was BF, Kiera would mostly go 2-3 hours and every now and then she snuck in a 4 hour break. The doctors told us to never let her go more than 4 hours during the day but to let her do it at night.

Re: Question for moms who BF...

I always let Claire make her own schedule, she ate every 1.5-2 hours up until about 3 months. Now at 5 months she wants to eat about every 3 hours. If she is sleeping (day or night) I do not wake her to eat, but she has always been a very good eater. Definitely count the wet and dirty diapers to ensure he is getting enough

Re: Question for moms who BF...

I agree feed on demand. Having exclusvely nursed both of mine for the first year of life. They adjust into a schedule, but when that little there is no reason for them to be crying or hungry. It's just not necessary. They let you know what they need.