1 to 3 months: Your baby will feed 7 to 9 times per 24 hours. 3 months: Feedings take place 6 to 8 times in 24 hours. 6 months: Your baby will feed around 6 times a day. 12 months: Nursing may drop to about 4 times a day.
Renee Kam (lactation consultant): Many exclusively breastfed babies feed 8 to 12 times in 24 hours, at least in the early weeks. This usually means feeding your baby every 2 to 3 hours. You might have one longer stretch between feeds, this could be up to 5 hours for a baby under 6 weeks.
First Weeks and Months
On average, most exclusively breastfed babies will feed about every 2 to 4 hours. Some babies may feed as often as every hour at times, often called cluster feeding. Or may have a longer sleep interval of 4 to 5 hours.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers feed their babies only breast milk for six months and continue breastfeeding for at least one year. After that, it really depends on how long the mother and child want to continue.
At about 2 months of age, babies usually take 4 to 5 ounces per feeding every 3 to 4 hours. At 4 months, babies usually take 4 to 6 ounces per feeding. At 6 months, babies may be taking up to 8 ounces every 4 to 5 hours.
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.
As newborns get older, they'll nurse less often and have longer stretches between feedings. Newborn babies who are getting formula will likely take about 2–3 ounces every 2–4 hours. Newborns should not go more than about 4–5 hours without feeding.
Everyone's experiences of breastfeeding will vary, so there is no one single day which is the hardest. However, typically, breastfeeding is most challenging during the first week. This is because you are adjusting to life as a new mum, even if it is your second baby, or even your third or fourth.
Breastfed newborns' longest sleep periods are generally 2–3 hours — this is about how long their small bellies can go between feedings. If newborns do sleep for a while, they'll probably be extra-hungry during the day and may want to nurse more often.
Sometimes your baby will seem to be hungry all the time because he's having a growth spurt (that's when he's growing more quickly so he needs to feed more often). The more milk your baby takes from the breasts, the more milk your breasts will make.
As a rule of thumb, a truly hungry baby will rarely choose sleeping over eating. So, if your baby falls asleep in your arms without taking a full feeding, it's likely he was tired — not hungry.
Breastfed babies feed often, about every 2–3 hours. Bottle-fed babies tend to feed less often, about every 3–4 hours. 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.
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.
“Many, though not all, babies are able to make it through the night without food at 4 months. By 6 months, almost all healthy babies are physically and neurologically able to go 12 hours without food.”
The first few days: Your breast milk coming in
The hormones will get you on track with starting to produce milk. Around day three after your baby's birth, your breast milk 'comes in' and your breasts may start to feel noticeably firmer and fuller.
Your baby will usually be able to sleep through from 7pm to 7am at around 4 months old, weighing around 15-16lb, and you can drop the feed altogether. Bliss!
Bottle-fed babies
Newborn: every 2 to 3 hours. At 2 months: every 3 to 4 hours. At 4 to 6 months: every 4 to 5 hours. At 6+ months: every 4 to 5 hours.
Most babies are able to sleep through the night – or sleep for at least six hours without waking up to eat – sometime between 3 to 6 months of age. Healthy babies who are born full-term are generally able to sleep through the night without a feeding starting at 3 months of age or when they weigh 12 to 13 pounds.
The first hour after birth when a mother has uninterrupted skin-to-skin contact with her newborn is referred to as the “golden hour.” This period of time is critical for a newborn baby who spent the past nine months in a controlled environment.
"The production of breast milk and increased breast size can cause the breast skin and tissue to stretch," Kasper explains. "So after you finish breast feeding, the breasts become less dense and you notice that your breasts have an empty, sagging, or flattened look and feel." Fan-freaking-tastic.
Generally, newborns sleep about 8 to 9 hours in the daytime and about 8 hours at night. But they may not sleep more than 1 to 2 hours at a time. Most babies don't start sleeping through the night (6 to 8 hours) without waking until they are about 3 months old, or until they weigh 12 to 13 pounds.
Newborn babies sleep a lot. During the first few weeks of life, it's normal for a new baby to sleep up to 18 hours in a 24-hour period, but the sleeping will only happen in increments of a few hours – usually three to four.
“Babies can still breastfeed on demand—usually they will want to breastfeed every 2-4 hours at this stage,” she notes. “But sometimes they will want to feed every hour and other times will not eat for 5 hours.” All of this is common, she says.