Breastfeeding: How much should your newborn nurse?
I am a new mom and my baby is not on a set schedule. She will sometimes wake on her own to nurse, while at other times I have to wake her after three hours. She also seems to eat more when I feed her from my right breast and will often fall into a heavy sleep. How much should a newborn nurse?
Question:Debbi Donovan
Debbi Donovan is a Board Certified Lactation Consultant, as well as a retired La Leche League Leader. For more than a decade, Debbi... Read more
It really can be confusing to be a new mom! The most important advice I can give you is to watch your baby.
Pay attention to your little one's needs. Babies experience differences in appetite, just as we do. One day you might be ravenous, wanting to eat all the time, and on another day, you aren't very hungry at all. While three meals might be perfect for me, you might feel best when you eat six small meals. I don't recommend establishing a fixed schedule for babies.
Pay attention to your little one's cues, such as sucking on her fingers or fist, rapid eye movement or body movement while sleeping, and the soft sounds she makes. If you nurse her at these times, before she is crying and frantic, you will find she has a much better feed, will be more relaxed and probably is less fussy (and less gassy.)
In the first six weeks, I would recommend nursing at least 10 to 12 times in a 24 hour period. If you find your daughter is sleeping for long periods of time, and you are not able to nurse this often, keep her nearby while she naps, and watch for the cues I mentioned. Even if she isn't totally awake, it's very likely if you put her to your breast, she will nurse. If she slows down and you'd like to encourage her to have a longer feed, gently massage and gently compress your breast as she nurses. This will bring her more milk and you will hear her begin to swallow more actively (listen for the soft guh, guh, guh sounds.)
Breastmilk is digested in less than two hours, so physiologically it is very normal for an infant to want to feed quite often. There are also other factors that need to be taken into account, such as the length of the feed, baby's sucking ability, and your milk supply. As your milk supply is becoming established during the first six weeks of your baby's life, you may see your baby's schedule can vary quite a lot from day to day. That can come a quite a shock if you were expecting a to be able to accomplish a lot around the house with a new baby.
You seem to be noticing a difference in your milk supply from one breast to the other. This is nothing to be particularly concerned about. Many nursing mothers experience this. Since you are finding that your daughter spends a lot of time at your left breast and still doesn't seem satisfied for long, I would recommend allowing her a good feed (when nursing on the left side), switching sides when her swallowing has really slowed. Changing her diaper in between sides can help to wake her if she seems very sleepy. Allow her to nurse on the other breast, until she comes off on her own, very relaxed and satisfied.
Your baby's schedule will begin to even out. As you become skilled in identifying your baby's needs, you will fall into sync with your baby, naturally developing a schedule that will work for you both. Best wishes in mothering!
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