Question for BF mamas

[Courtniko]

I try to wait on her cues, but once she starts reaching the 2.5 hour mark I often assume every little thing is a hunger cue.
If we are going out I will sometimes try and feed her even if she is not hungry yet just to make life easier on me since NIP is still nerve wracking for me.

[yogini kiki]

Feb 4, 2015 12:47:06 GMT -5 RedBean84 said:

Do you wait for your LO's cues before feeding them?  DD eats about every 3 hours during the day, and I just realized that I've kind of been on autopilot feeding her every three hours and I haven't been looking for her cues. She eats every time I feed her, but I think she may eat more if I wait for her cues.  My only issue is that she is still waking twice at night to eat, so I'm not sure if I should let her eat less often during the day.  Thoughts?

Doing what you do would require me to:
1. Have any idea of what time it is
2. Know when the last time I fed was

I am soooo not organized enough.  I wait for cues --- he tells me plainly though

[blckroses]

I usually will feed her when she cries. If it's been like 4 hours and she's not upset or crying, I'll usually still feed her. She always eats when I offer. She'll typically go 3 to 4 hours between nursing.

[daisylola11]

I almost think he is so use to me offering every 3 hours that he rarely gives me cues anymore unless we've been busy out and about and it's been a while. He's also good at rejecting if he's not hungry so I'm not worried about over feeding.

[weeklyplanner]

I offer every 2-2.5 or before we leave the house. Usually around 2 he's whining because he's hungry or tired. I squeeze 6 sessions into 12 hours and he sleeps for 12 at night. He's never turned it down and seems to genuinely want it at the 2 hr mark.

[daisylola11]

@redbean is she emptying both boobs? Mine rarely does, I offer both and he usually empties one and then only a bit of the other.

[daisylola11]

Feb 4, 2015 13:18:20 GMT -5 RedBean84 said:

Feb 4, 2015 13:15:28 GMT -5 daisylola11 said:

@redbean is she emptying both boobs? Mine rarely does, I offer both and he usually empties one and then only a bit of the other.

She empties like one and a half.  I guess I don't know if I should be concerned with this or not.  Our little routine works for me, but I want to make sure it's working for her too. KWIM?

They're smart, It sounds like she's eating a good amount. Sometimes I worry when he seems so distracted while eating, but he'll then overcompensate later by eating a ton.

[cdseno]

I wait for him to tell me by staring at my chest and pulling my shirt off

[puffandstuff]

I wait for cues. She typically goes 3-4 hours.

[yogini kiki]

Feb 4, 2015 13:31:58 GMT -5 cdseno said:

I wait for him to tell me by staring at my chest and pulling my shirt off

Our babies speak the same language

[annapunkalunka]

Mine eats every 1.5 hours. I usually wait for cues. She gets fussy around 1.5 hours. To the point where I think she can tell time. I can usually tell she's hungry because she starts panting and flailing as soon as I adjust my shirt and grab the boppy.

[Aaemommy]

Feb 4, 2015 13:31:58 GMT -5 cdseno said:

I wait for him to tell me by staring at my chest and pulling my shirt off

This! Completely! Only instead of staring he tries to eat through the shirt while attempting to rip it off. Always makes me laugh!

[harleyquinn]

I wait for her cues. If i don't then she gets distracted and tries to rip my nipples off while she looks around. I know she's hungry when she yells at me, usually she talks but it's at a quieter level when she's hungry she yells. She also gets excited and kicks and smiles when i lay her on the nursing pillow on her side and when she sees the boob she's like. >D (so happy lol)

[sweeetp812]

Feb 4, 2015 12:59:56 GMT -5 Courtniko said:

I try to wait on her cues, but once she starts reaching the 2.5 hour mark I often assume every little thing is a hunger cue.
If we are going out I will sometimes try and feed her even if she is not hungry yet just to make life easier on me since NIP is still nerve wracking for me.

Exactly this

[bobloblaw]

Feb 4, 2015 13:01:07 GMT -5 yogini kiki said:

Feb 4, 2015 12:47:06 GMT -5 RedBean84 said:

Do you wait for your LO's cues before feeding them?  DD eats about every 3 hours during the day, and I just realized that I've kind of been on autopilot feeding her every three hours and I haven't been looking for her cues. She eats every time I feed her, but I think she may eat more if I wait for her cues.  My only issue is that she is still waking twice at night to eat, so I'm not sure if I should let her eat less often during the day.  Thoughts?

Doing what you do would require me to:
1. Have any idea of what time it is
2. Know when the last time I fed was

I am soooo not organized enough.  I wait for cues --- he tells me plainly though

This. Soooo this. I'm sure this is why DCP hates me. I am not a scheduled person. It's been SO incredibly hard for me to get my ass in gear. 

[mrsnorris]

I'm impressed that so many of you seem to know when LO last ate! When she's fussy or trying to get at them through my shirt, it's time to eat. Also before car trips of more than a few minutes, etc. The only time I have a set time is when she's getting ready for bed we always nurse. Other than that, I play it by ear. She's definitely not subtle about what she wants.

[weeklyplanner]

Does anything think it's detrimental in some way that my LO only goes 2 hrs and I sometimes offer it at 1.5 hr? We pretty much do on demand with a "hey your grumpy...or we're going out so here's the boob" approach. A friend this morning made a comment that "wow, he still eats every two hours. That seems like a lot, especially since you started solids." Honestly, I know she has some regret for stopping bf when her DD was 2 months, so I try to ignore her comments. But, now this post got me thinking...

I guess I offer it so frequently because I worry he doesn't get enough and also he always takes it, so he must be interested.

[inaya]

I think we do close to every 2 hours. It's tough to gauge because she wants to nurse to sleep, even for naps (this is our biggest nap challenge right now), whether or not she's really hungry, I think. She rejects it if she's not interested, so I'm not worried I'm overfeeding her. She only does one side at a time, but based on pumping output, she should be getting plenty that way. Every once in a while she still seems hungry and will take the other side, but that's rare.

As with everything, I think it's just that every kid is different. And every 2 hours doesn't seem like an insane short time period - that's like 6 times/day during a 12 hour day, so 3 meals & 3 snacks or 6 mini meals... that seems fine, right? And breastmilk digests quickly. I think some babies can/will tolerate more hunger between feedings or maybe feel full longer than other babies, but it passes through their systems fairly quickly.

[mrsnorris]

Since my kid still eats eleventy billion times a day I'm sure it's at least every two hours. It's always my first thought when she's fussy because 90% of the time that's what she wants.

[daisylola11]

weeklyplanner DS only recently has been going longer than 2 hours. He'll be 6 months on the 12th and we haven't started solids. Although he still cluster feeds every once in a while too (eats every 1.5-2 hours)

[jules1614]

We're pretty close to 2hrs. I do watch for clues and can guesstimate when I fed him last. And we do not STTN. At least 2 night feeds- emptying both sides every time. He will tell me when he's not hungry by refusing so I'm not terribly worried. Plus when he gets bottles his night sleep is no better so I think he's just a hungry kid!

[cdseno]

Feb 4, 2015 17:31:56 GMT -5 mrsnorris said:

Since my kid still eats eleventy billion times a day I'm sure it's at least every two hours. It's always my first thought when she's fussy because 90% of the time that's what she wants.

This

[bobloblaw]

Feb 4, 2015 18:11:30 GMT -5 messica said:

Feb 4, 2015 17:31:56 GMT -5 mrsnorris said:

Since my kid still eats eleventy billion times a day I'm sure it's at least every two hours. It's always my first thought when she's fussy because 90% of the time that's what she wants.

This. I also nurse her to sleep for naps. My kid likes to eat.

OH totally. It makes friends giggle that every time LO sits on my lap, he's craning his neck to latch on through my shirt. Kid is a nursing fiend. 

I know it sounds crazy but he's really starting to respond to words we repeat. The word "nurse" makes him perk up every time. He totally knows what it is. 

[HazyGrey]

Feb 4, 2015 16:14:56 GMT -5 weeklyplanner said:

Does anything think it's detrimental in some way that my LO only goes 2 hrs and I sometimes offer it at 1.5 hr? We pretty much do on demand with a "hey your grumpy...or we're going out so here's the boob" approach. A friend this morning made a comment that "wow, he still eats every two hours. That seems like a lot, especially since you started solids." Honestly, I know she has some regret for stopping bf when her DD was 2 months, so I try to ignore her comments. But, now this post got me thinking...

I guess I offer it so frequently because I worry he doesn't get enough and also he always takes it, so he must be interested.

My 6 month old eats about every 2 as well. There was a time when she ate every 3-4 hrs actually around 3-4 months. I wouldn't worry about what your friend says, every babe is different. If they're not hungry they won't eat!

[HazyGrey]

Feb 4, 2015 16:14:56 GMT -5 weeklyplanner said:

Does anything think it's detrimental in some way that my LO only goes 2 hrs and I sometimes offer it at 1.5 hr? We pretty much do on demand with a "hey your grumpy...or we're going out so here's the boob" approach. A friend this morning made a comment that "wow, he still eats every two hours. That seems like a lot, especially since you started solids." Honestly, I know she has some regret for stopping bf when her DD was 2 months, so I try to ignore her comments. But, now this post got me thinking...

I guess I offer it so frequently because I worry he doesn't get enough and also he always takes it, so he must be interested.

Plus solids are just supplemental now. They should still be getting their calories from breast milk.

[withsilverwings]

I generally offer every 2-3 hours (especially if he's fussy). He's very good at letting me know when he's not interested yet, so I usually just give him another 30 min and try again. He just turned 6 months so we "started" solids (aka he gums and plays with food)

Every baby is different and smaller babies are going to have smaller stomachs and not be able to go as long.

[weeklyplanner]

Feb 5, 2015 2:56:25 GMT -5 withsilverwings said:

I generally offer every 2-3 hours (especially if he's fussy). He's very good at letting me know when he's not interested yet, so I usually just give him another 30 min and try again. He just turned 6 months so we "started" solids (aka he gums and plays with food)

Every baby is different and smaller babies are going to have smaller stomachs and not be able to go as long.

I never thought about that. We have a little peanut, so that makes sense. My friends baby is 9 months and in 18 mo clothing. We've got room in 3-6 mo stuff. So, I'm no longer going to "take her advice."

[sosayweall]

I have a habit of just feeding him every time he gets up from a nap. It could be anywhere from 2-3 hours between feedings. I wouldn't say he really gives me any cues necessarily, but I can tell by the way he eats if he is really hungry(if not he just kind of messes around and keeps latching/unlatching). DC feeds him every 1.5-2 hours and I think sometimes when they feed him he's actually sleepy not hungry. He's difficult to put down for a nap though and is a short napper.