Cues That Tell the Baby Is Hungry
turn their head toward your breast. Calm and wide-eyed after a nap. Rooting with a strong, nutritive suck. Continuous crying after comforting them with cradling, rocking, or a diaper change (this is a late hunger cue)
If your baby seems satisfied after breastfeeding, they're likely getting enough milk. But if they always want to nurse, it may be a sign that baby is still hungry after breastfeeding – especially if they appear sluggish or they're losing weight.
Your brain recognizes hunger as a priority and will stay alert until the need is met, or until you're exhausted enough that the need to sleep overrides the need to eat. So if your baby really is hungry, they usually won't go back to sleep very easily until they've been fed.
Babies know (and will let their parents know) when they're hungry and when they've had enough. Watch for signs that your baby is full (slowing down, spitting out the bottle or unlatching from breast, closing the mouth, turning away from the breast or bottle) and stop the feeding when these signs appear.
Some babies are snackers – they nurse for a minute or two, take a break, and then go back. Other babies can drain the breast in two minutes and be satisfied for a few hours. It depends on how much milk you're making and your let down, too.
Despite views to the contrary, breasts are never truly empty. Milk is actually produced nonstop—before, during, and after feedings—so there's no need to wait between feedings for your breasts to refill.
Newborns. A newborn should be put to the breast at least every 2 to 3 hours and nurse for 10 to 15 minutes on each side. But rather than worry about duration, it's important to know that the best way to ensure that the baby is getting enough breast milk is by feeding frequency, wet and dirty diapers, and weight gain.
If your baby wants to suck beyond what nursing or bottle-feeding provides, a pacifier may satisfy that need. Before offering a pacifier, keep the following tips in mind: Offer a pacifier at nap time and bedtime. This helps to reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
Pacifiers may mask feeding cues or signs of hunger. Pacifiers may reduce the number of feedings at the breast, which may delay or decrease a mother's milk supply. Babies position their mouths and tongues differently on the breast than on the pacifier.
Signs your baby is getting enough milk
Your baby starts feeds with a few rapid sucks followed by long, rhythmic sucks and swallows with occasional pauses. You can hear and see your baby swallowing. Your baby's cheeks stay rounded, not hollow, during sucking. They seem calm and relaxed during feeds.
If your baby is having a lot of short feeds close together over a few hours, you are cluster feeding. If you are cluster feeding, you might also find that your baby: has short rests or sleeps between these feeds. feeds for a few minutes then pulls off and on the breast.
If your baby's swallowing has slowed, they have started to fall asleep, and/or they seem frustrated at the breast, it's time to switch sides. Sometimes switching breasts multiple times per feeding can be useful, especially in cases of sleepy babies or low milk supply.
Adequate hydration also is important for breast milk production. The amount of liquid you put into your body affects how much breast milk you can produce. I encourage women to carry a bottle of water for themselves in their diaper bag.
These sessions don't need to be evenly spaced, but you should be nursing/pumping at least once during the night in the first few months or anytime you notice a decrease in supply. Avoid going longer than 5-6 hours without pumping during the first few months.
If your baby is healthy, gaining weight, and seems content after most breastfeeds, they're getting what they need. Babies who are feeding well can take anywhere between five minutes and 40 minutes at each feed.
Falling asleep at the breast is a normal behaviour and is mostly due to a hormone called cholecystokinin or CCK. CCK makes your baby feel full and sleepy and it is released in your babies gut as soon as they start sucking.
Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to eat until he or she shows good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it's OK to let your baby sleep for longer periods of time at night.
If your baby doesn't burp after a few minutes, change the baby's position and try burping for another few minutes before feeding again. Always burp your baby when feeding time is over.
What are signs that a baby is overfed? Gassiness, burping, gagging or choking, fussiness, irritability or vomiting (a forceful flow that shoots out inches rather than dribbling out of the mouth like spit up) right after finishing a bottle could be indications that your baby is being overfed.
Beginning to nurse or feed your baby while they're still calm will facilitate the most successful breastfeeding results. Once crying begins, it can be harder to properly latch.