Breastfeeding Questions & Answers
Q. How often should a newborn be nursed
A. You should nurse a newborn no less than 8 times a day, depending upon
how long he sleeps between feedings at night. If he can go four hours
between feedings, then you will probably feed him twice between 11pm and
7am. If you feed him right before he goes to bed, then you may only
have to get up one time during the night
Q. How often should an older baby be nursed
A. Depending upon the age of your child, you should be feeding him every
3-4 hours during the day. As your child gets older, they will nurse
less, but they will be eating more during each nursing. If you are going
to nurse after your child is over 6 months old, you should not nurse
less than 5 times a day. If your milk supply is decreasing, then you may
need to add a nursing or two to your day to help increase your milk
supply
Q. How do I go about dropping a feeding as my baby gets older
A. The most common change that moms need to make is going from a every 3
hour to every 4 hour routine, dropping a feeding in the middle of the
night, or dropping a late-night feeding
Most of the time you will know when your baby is ready to change their
eating habits by a change in their sleep patterns. A baby that has been
on an every 3 hour routine normally takes 3 naps a day and if they eat
every 3,5 to 4 hours then they may drop the last nap of the nap or
shorten one of the other naps considerably. Babies are usually ready to
do this at around 3 months of age
Most babies drop the feeding in the middle of night by themselves at
around 6-14 weeks old. You will know that they are ready when you awake
in a panic in the morning wondering why your baby did not get you for a
feeding. The baby will require more food during the day though, and if
you are breastfeeding, your breasts may feel full for a few days, but it
is well worth it
The late night feeding is usually the hardest to let go of. Some parents
think that if they do not feed the baby right before bed that the baby
will awake in the middle of the night. If you don’t think your child can
do without the late night feeding, then push it back in 15-minute
increments until you are feeding him at the time you would like to. If
the last two feedings of the day seem too close together, don’t worry.
It will all work itself out and you both will be much happier for it
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