Cluster Feedings

Each baby grows at their own pace, so you're baby probably is going through a growth spurt. Or maybe she's going through some emotional growth and wants to reconnect with you more often for a while. Your best bet is just to feed her on demand because then, no matter what the cause, she'll be getting what she needs, even if you're not quite sure why! My first baby wasn't much of a napper either. His first year, he only took a few cat naps a day (a couple of 5-15 min naps). He didn't take a "real" nap till he was 12 mo and started walking. Then I think he was worn out enough that he took a 2 hr nap every day. Not all babies do the 2hr morning/2 hr afternoon nap, even as little ones. Your baby knows how much sleep she needs and will regulate herself. It may change after her growth spurt, but may not. With both my kiddos, it seemed like just when I figured out a pattern to their eating or sleeping, they changed it on me. Being a mama, especially early, is time to just go with the flow!

Yes, yes and yes. I BF three and worked FT and PT from the age of 6 weeks on depending on the child and they continue to do these spurts whenever their bodies get ready for a growth spurt. Just go with it and feed on demand while you can. Your body will make more. Also, this was always a good time to pump for me too. Nurse one side, pump the other and store for when you go back to work. Good luck and enjoy, this time passes so quickly.

Actually, every two hours is not an unusual span of time for a bf baby to need to eat. I know that is how my son was at that age....a growth spurt was more like wanting to eat every hour or more. At this age it is still a little hard to put a baby to a schedule, so I would just go with the flow.

Some good info on growth spurts http://www.kellymom.com/bf/normal/growth-spurt.html

***Also wanted to add...PLEASE don't supplement formula unless you want to go to formula or are planning to go to formula. Every time you supplement, your breasts are not receiving the stimulation and thus are not getting the message that they need to make more milk. Thus, you end up sabotaging your BF.

Absolutely normal. And yes, generally speaking breastfed babies do feed more often since it's easier for them to digest breastmilk than it is formula. She'll go through spurts where she'll wake during the night so get used to that! If it's not feedings, it's teethings or a cold or the discovery that when she calls you she'll be taken out of her crib and rocked, so watch out! :)

What I did w/ my girls is definately let them feed when they wanted but at night if they fell asleep on the breast I tried to wake them and really get them to eat as much as they could since I knew they'd still be hungry in a couple of hours. During the day try to keep her entertained and awake so she's sleepier at night. However, this could backfire...if she's OVERstimulated or OVERtired, she'll have trouble sleeping at night. You will find after her pediatrician clears her for solids and she consumes more and more solids during the day/evening that she'll start sleeping more. Not only b/c of the heavier foods in her belly but b/c she'll simply be growing older...tired from playing and being more active, not needing the feedings at night developmentally, etc.

And remember, there's a reason new parents are absolutely exhausted... we just don't sleep for a while! :)

GOOD LUCK and CONGRATS!

Well, with my first son every time he had a growth spurt he would eat every hour!!! It would last anywhere from 1 to 2 days. Those days I just wanted to die; would not get a break at all and no sleep. I think he went through at least 3 growth spurts where he would "cluster" feed before going back to normal in his first year. Second son however has really yet to have any "cluster" feedings. But again he is having no problems feeding since he's in the 97th percentile for weight at 4 months. But the cluster feedings are normal and just your baby's way of telling your body to make more milk.

So sorry to hear that you are going back to work next week. It is the worse feeling in the world; I just dreaded it. I just went through it a couple months ago. But when you go back it's actually not as bad as you dread it would be. A hint, if you're the emotional type, is not to have a picture of your baby the first week. Otherwise you will be in tears just missing your baby that first week.

After reading a few comments, I wanted to add:

You CANNOT tell how much you are producing by pumping. Pumps are artificial and not nearly as effective as a baby.

My sone nursed every 2 - 2.5 hours until he was 7 months, so that is very normal.

The best way to tell if your LO is eating enough is to count diapers and to observe them after nursing... are they content and happy?

All children are different. If you follow her lead and meet her needs on demand, she will be totally fine!!

Hi there. Some are nappers and some just aren't. As for the increased feedings, try an ounce or two more. Or if you are breast feeding try supplementing with formula. My second was a healthy eater and as she grew she was at the breast almost every hour! I started giving her formula inbetween feedings and she seemd more satisfied. Best of luck :)

Hi C.,

It actually does sound like a growth spurt. And yes, growth spurts can happen at different times. Most babies have them at 2 months, 3 months & 6 months. Every baby is different...so your's could have it earlier or later than the average time. I will agree with the other response. My daughter is now 4 months old. And she was eating every 2-3 hours for the first 3 months. She just recently moved it out to 4 hours. So I wouldn't be to alarmed by this. you'll know if it's a growth spurt because she will sleep for 48 hours straight after it's done with. She's trying to catch up on all the lack of sleep from feeding all the time.
Good Luck,
ak

your baby sounds like my newest gr. daughter but you didnt say how much she is eating at a time, sometimes babies need a lil more to eat then normal so see if she will drink more then what she is drinking, and altho the drs say not to feed them food yet you might try a little cereal in there milk in a bottle not much at all tho.
just enough to satisfy that hungry feeling. try swaddling your baby tightly when it is nap time and rocking her, my gr daughter still likes to be very warm
when going to sleep. remember they came from a place that was 98.6 all the time. so its not uncommon that they want that still. remember as they grow they dont need as much sleep so there is that chance your baby is one that dont require as much sleep. i had one of those myself. and he is fine and 26 yr old now. so hang in there and it will even its self out . ty J.

C.,

My guess would be that this is going to be your baby's normal schedule, not a growth spurt. My daughter ate every 2 hours on a normal day at that age, when I was around. When she went through her growth spurts it was more like every hour.

My daughter was never a great napper either. She started with 3 naps of about 45 minutes each and quickly switched to 2 naps. When she started walking (10 months) she started moving to one 2 hour nap a day.

As long as your daughter is happy and seems content she is probably getting what she needs.

Good Luck,

D.

I went through that with my 4 month old and I ended up having to supplement him with a little formula to keep him fuller longer. He now eats cereal and is doing better. If your baby will take a bottle I suggest supplementing. not after every feeding but maybe a couple ounces here and there to start. being a BF mother I didn't want to do it at first but I got desparate after while. Good luck.

I have an almost 12-month old baby girl whom I breastfed for 6 months exclusively and she weaned herself at 9 months. The cluster-feeding seems to occur, from my experience around growth spurts. But mine would do that in the evenings, too, for a good stretch of time. I assumed it was so she could get some extra nutrients to help her sleep through the night.
The nutrients from the first milk that was pumped are still good for her. Don't not use them. As I'm sure you've heard, it is liquid gold. Maybe mix them with some that are newer.
On the napping... Maybe there is too much stimulation when she is awake so she won't go to bed. Mine is at daycare and won't nap much there because of all that's going on.
As far as going back to work, it's hard. I'm not going to lie. If you have her at someplace you know and trust (and you know she's getting loved), it really helps with the peace of mind. It does get easier, though, I promise that too. Just make sure to soak her up when you do spend time with her. Hope that helps some. Maybe just knowing someone has gone through it and lived to tell about it will help.

Hi C., my guy is now 9 months old and when he was going through a growth spurt, he was eating every hour and a half and was only sleeping about an hour during the day. Hang in there as it will change, I know it is exhausting but it will change. Also something I wish I had done at that age was put him in the crib even if he stayed awake and got some erands done, at least he would be relaxing....

My son was eating every 1 1/2-2 hours, so the eating sounds about right. The napping, I found out my son couldn't sleep anywhere but his own crib, with it very dark and a humidifier for white noise. It's almost like he would get overstimulated and wanted to make sure he didn't miss anything.
Hang in there, it gets easier

You're lucky she hasn't been nursing that often all along! Probably is a growth spurt which can really come anytime, so try not to follow estimated time lines too closely. Naps could be related or not. Darken her room and make some white noise and that can help lengthen naps.

One thing that concerns me is that she isnt getting enough milk. Even though it seems like she is eating alot, she might not be getting enough with each feeding which will also cause her not to nap because she is still hungry. It is hard to know how much your child is getting when you bf. I would talk to the peds dr on this. Good luck

Dear C.,
Every baby is different but growth spurts usually occur around 6 weeks and 3 months.
BF mothers need to relax and let things happen as they do.
By all means use your frozen milk with no worries.
I nursed my six children through their infancies and each one was a little different.
You might look online for THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING.
It is the breastfeeding manual of La Leche League, and will tell you all you need to know.
Don't forget, your milk is made for your baby.
Sleep schedules can and do change at any time and for a variety of reasons.
You just have to keep trying.
When you return to work things will probably change again.
Just go with the flow (no pun intended)!
And

My daughter was exclusively breastfed until 6 months and always ate every 2 hours or so (even through the night) and she never slept during the day until about 5 months. It takes time for them to get into a routine so don't sweat it, just try to find things that make you comfortable. I found that wearing my baby in sling both to nurse and get things done during the day made my life a lot more bearable. Eventually she started sleeping in a swing during the day and we were able to wean her from that at about 7 months. I would suggest going ahead with nursing her on demand at this point since she is still so young and checking with your ped at the next appointment. Babies go through growth spurts at different ages so chances are things will be different again in a few weeks.

Every 2-2.5 hours is pretty common for breastbed babies to want to eat. It could also be due to a growth spurt (as well as her napping issues). Hang in there.

C. - It's really simple. When your baby is hungry, sit down for a feeding. They know best when they need to eat. This is all very natural - just 'read' your baby and trust that the baby's natural feeding instincts are correct.

This advice is coming from a seasoned Mom with two boys, 24 & 25 years old, both BF for two years and one year respectively for a total of just over 3 years of BF experience. My 24 yr. old just announced that he will be a new Dad in Oct., so the cycle begins again.

Never heard of 'cluster' feedings. Just feed them when they're hungry and everyone will be happy, even if, for a while it's very frequently.

Yes, babies NEED a few naps a day. Be sure to allow her to nap and recharge herself. She may cry a bit when you put her down for 'nap time' but she will soon drift off for her much needed sleep. You should consider structured nap times, one in the morning, one in the afternoon as well as a regular, structured, specific bed time at night. She may need to nurse during the night. When the feeding is done, back to bed she goes.

Hope that helps you. Enjoy that little girl!

K.
Nashville, IN

I breastfed 3 kids and you have a different defination of 'cluster feeding' than most moms I know! Feeding every 2-2.5 hours is normal! Cluster feeding usually refers to feeding again within 1-1.5 hours of eating. Anyways... once I fed more often during the day, the baby slept better at night. And therefore they took better naps. The more sleep they get at night, the better they nap becuase if they are overtired they have a very hard time settling down. Does she have a set daytime routine -- the same wake/sleep times? If so, continue it and soon enough she'll go back to sleepign during the day.

Hi C.,
First of all, relax....BF babies can sense tension and it can be passed through your milk. Also, my 2nd baby did that not sleeping thing ~ she may have taken a 10 minute nap all day....I found that the smallest amount of caffeine did that to her....try a process of elimination of things from your diet to see if anything helps...

Oh dear, I can sympathize. My 4 month old has gone through the same stuff. In fact, I have recently realized that these frequent feedings and refusal to nap is more than just a growth spurt. She has been becoming increasingly sleep deprived and overtired. If you haven't done so already, go buy the book "Healthy Sleep Habits; Happy Child" by Marc Weissbluth. I was wary at first, but today is day 3 of our "sleep training" and my God I'm glad I took the chance. I've never been an advocate of letting babies "cry it out" but I'm learning that sleep, like just about everything else in human babies, needs to be taught.
I spent weeks wondering why my little one didn't seem to need much sleep until she finally started to break down and become extremely fussy and agitated. She'd been very easy tempered so the change was alarming. I chalked it all up to growth spurt or teething, but as I read descriptions of over tired children, it was like they were describing my daughter!
Our first night was hard, in fact it was the hardest thing I've done thus far as a new parent, aside from immunizations (which if you haven't endured yet, be glad, it was a heartbreaker for me). We put her down to sleep at 5:30 pm (quite a change from her normal 9-10pm bedtime). She cried for almost an hour then fell blissfully asleep until midnight when she woke up to eat. She then promptly fell back asleep until I woke her up at 7:30 am (wow!!!). Night 2 she also went to sleep at 5:30, cried for about half an hour and slept until 3am, ate then slept again until 7:30am. We are still trying to figure out her best nap schedule, she usually doesn't sleep more than 45 minutes at a time, but today she slept soundly from 12-2:30 pm! (The morning and afternoon naps didn't go quite as well, but progress is progress.) Tonight we laid her down at 5pm, she fell right asleep (NO crying!!!) and has been sleeping soundly since.
I must warn you, if you've been getting up alot at night for feedings, etc, your sleep might get worse before it gets better. We moved our daughter into her own room when we began all this on Sunday and between her no longer being visible in her cradle in our bedroom and having her sleep for such extended periods without awakening, I've been up quite a bit wondering if she's ok and checking in on her. Relax, she's been fine and one of these days, my sleep will return also! (At least I'm hopeful...)
I know, it sounds too good to be true, I thought so too. But it's actually working and the progress is encouraging, to say the least. Our happy easy tempered baby is back and I cannot express how grateful we are for that.
It sounds like you might be getting into an over tired pattern with your little one. It seems like they should know when to sleep, but again, they won't know until we teach them. The whole point of the book is sleep begets sleep and lack of sleep begets lack of sleep. It's true! I'm sure you've had times you were so tired you couldn't fall asleep...
Anyway, I'm blathering on because our success thus far has been incredible and if I can help anyone else avoid the weeks of turmoil, tears, exhaustion and stress we endured, then I'll be happy. Please don't chalk it up to a growth spurt, get the book!!! I'm pretty sure you'll all be grateful for it. (I know this all must seem like a shameless plug, but it has helped beyond my wildest expectations, and it's only been 3 days. Please give it a try;)

Hi, I know that newborns go through many unique phases with breastfeeding. I wonder how much you are producing. Have you pumped to see? It could be that you aren't producing that much. It is EXTREMELY important to eat right and drink A LOT, A LOT, A LOT of water when you are breastfeeding. Not all doctors will emphasize this. My recommendation would be to contact the lactation consultant at the hospital you used and/or get in contact with La Leche League. Regarding the naps...what helped me most was this book called "Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D. It explores the natural sleep routine that most babies have and how you can help them fall asleep by themselves. They can be tired and ready for a nap as soon as an hour or hour and a half after they've gotten up. You just need to watch for the signs. Most 11 week old babies will nap AROUND 9 a.m. (again, could be earlier) around 1 p.m. and around 5 p.m. and then gosh I forget what time bedtime would be. They should be doing a lot of sleeping. Get this book...I discovered it when my baby was 4 months old. It's never too late and it was a total GOD SEND! I used the method and ideas with my second child and she goes to sleep like clock work. It's amazing if you watch for their tired cues. Best of luck to you and congratulations on your most recent reason to smile!