I nurse on demand but it seems like they get fussy around the two hour mark since the beginning of the last feeding. I put them on the boob and they eat. Do you think they really are hungry or just fussy? They are almost 12 weeks.
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LO is 9 weeks and still mostly eats every 2 hours. But I keep reading kids his age typically eat every 2.5-3 hours. He didn't get that memo lol.
Are you sure they're getting full feedings? Could they be sleepy?
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My LO is only two weeks but nurses every 45 minutes sometimes.
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Breastfeeding is about so much more than just nutrition.
But yes, LO didn't start stretching out his feedings until 5?6? Months.
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@ladyfingers: I think sometimes it might be that they are comfort nursing to help them nap? That doesn't seem like a good habit for them to develop
huh?
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@WALLAROO: There are worse habits! And really, they are too young for *bad* habits.
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@MsLipGloss: thanks! That makes me feel better that I am not doing something colossally wrong
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How long do they eat for?
I feel like LO ate every 2.5 / 3 hours at 12 weeks but he was also bottle fed w/ breastmilk so I knew how much he was getting and could stretch him out a little longer.
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I agree with sera_87! Nursing is about soooo much more than just nutrition & it's all just as important! Nursing is designed to be calming, comforting, and even help bebes sleep and our milk even changes composition to do this! Nursing on demand for a long term period of time is how we were biologically & physiologically designed so while *yes* it would seem like a bad habit with our current cultural norms, it's not out of the norm for our species and is very much exactly how we're supposed to nurse.
On a personal note, we still sometimes nurse in 2 hour increments at 12 months.... usually more like 3.5+ hours between, but depending on the day, previous nights sleep, teething, etc, P may nurse pretty constant.
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We're at 4 months and she still nurses every 2 or 2.5 hours...she was (and is) a small baby, so that might contribute!
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If your baby is fussy, and you put it on the breast, and they eat, then yes, they are hungry. And you have the magical solution! My baby was, literally, never fussy. I just put her on the breast.
Now, the hours of my life spent breastfeeding we won't talk about. But no fussy baby! Win! Lose! Win!
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eh I figure if the baby is eating then they must have been hungry/wanted a snack (much like me
)
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@winniebee: on average they usually eat for 20 minutes.
Thanks everyone! I'll just continue to follow their lead. They were small and premature so they are probably still trying to catch up.
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@sarac: @runsyellowlites: yep, totally agree!
My LO is six months and feeds roughly two hourly on days we're home but can stretch it out on days when we're busy and away from home.
Something else to remember is that La Leche recommends 8-10 feedings per day so if your LO's feed every two hours plus a night waking and cluster feeding then they'll easily be nursing 8-10 times per day (which is great for supply!).
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@Kemma: thanks! They have reduced to 1-2 night feedings so that does make sense.
huh?
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