Breastfeeding on demand or on schedule?

shalhevet

Thu, May 11 2006, 5:21 pm

Uh... I don't think you're baby has read the baby books yet. He doesn't know when he's supposed to be hungry. When you're hungry or thirsty do you say, "you know I had a drink and a piece of cake three hours ago, so I'll wait an hour." Babies have tiny stomachs and digest breast milk very quickly, so breastfed babies certainly need to eat more often than every 4 hours.
The Pele Yoetz writes that mothers will have to answer for it if they left their baby crying unneccesarily.
Of course, as the baby gets older, you can distract them or do something else with them if they have recently fed.
I'll add another advantage - with my first daughter I clocked watched much more as she got older and nursed clean for 7 months. With my other children I had no idea how often I nursed them (although if it was inconvenient at the time I used a pacifier etc) and I nursed clean for over a year each time.

Thu, May 11 2006, 5:22 pm

I have done both. usually a combinations of the two - a basic schedule, following the baby's cues.

The important theing to remember when scheduling is not to be rigid. No baby's schedule can be exact, and sometimes you have to feed a little earlier or later etc.

The important thing to remember when feeding on demand is to not use nursing as a solution to EVERYTHING. Sometimes there are other things that the baby wants/needs. That said, I do enjoy nursing on demand!

Secbeb

Thu, May 11 2006, 5:26 pm

It all depends on your own schedule. I was able to devote everything to my first child who nursed on demand because I wasn't working. My SIL, who does work however, put her children on schedules as soon as they were born and swears by it. She insists that it makes life so much easier. My own dd nursed at least every ten minutes for the first year of her life - and I was the happiest mother in the world (no social life however).

Meema2Kids

Thu, May 11 2006, 5:46 pm

I also do a combination. For sure the first month or so it's totally on demand. Then, try to get on a schedule (esp as my kids are getting older and have to take them to school etc). But will nurse outside of the schedule if baby needs it. I also try to nurse immediately upon waking, I've done this with all my babies and it seems to help them distinguish between wake time and sleep time.

chavamom

Thu, May 11 2006, 6:05 pm

I think there is a big difference between trying to get them to eat at a similar time every day based on the needs of the child and those that say 'he can't eat now! he has to wait another hour until it is "time".' The later CAN cause failure to thrive from the child not getting enough nutrition, not to mention the effect of a hungry baby crying and not getting his or her needs met.

JRKmommy

Fri, May 12 2006, 1:55 am

I always nursed on demand - my first indicated hunger by screaming at the top of her lungs so delaying was never an option.

However, I also tried a version of scheduling which involved feeding the baby BEFORE the baby was hungry enough to cry. For example, I would wake the baby to feed before doing carpool, knowing that if I didn't, the baby would get hungry while I was driving and unable to do anything about it. Made for very round and happy babies.

By the way - stretching feeds doesn't work. Feeding more often caused increased milk production, feeding less reduces the amoutn of milk made.

PinkandYellow

Fri, May 12 2006, 4:09 am

I work full time and nurse my 9 mth old full time, around the clock, on demand. (although he is my 1st). Just this week I started a new thing where I try not to feed him more often then every 2 hrs. he is doing ok with it bec anyways I was nursing him for every little thing b/4 (its so convenient Very Happy

).
one of the reasons that nursing babies have less chance of obesity as adults, than formula babies, is that bfing babies regulate the amount they eat and will only actually eat however much they need to be full. they are more used to following the cues of their tummies and eating only when hungry (bec baby can be at the breast and suck and not actually be eating).

Hashem_Yaazor

Fri, May 12 2006, 10:16 am

I basically feed on demand, but do clock watch a drop too. For instance, if I feed hi mat 2 AM, and go back to sleep, and now he's crying at 3:15, I know he's not hungry (not talking about a newborn here...) and he needs something else (sometimes I will nurse just ot calm him down, but not a full feeding(. But if it's after 2 hours, and he cries, I will nurse. (He's 10 months old already, and I still have this shitta...he usually goes 3-4, perhaps even 5-6 hours without nursing, but it could be he's hungry after 2, and if he doesn't want to nurse, believe me, he won't!)

amother

Mon, May 15 2006, 2:08 pm

Taken from a “:Twelve Hours’ Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old written by Suzy Giordano” –Great book it really really works .

"Babies who are the right weight and age eat four times during the day with no night feedings. Each feeding time should last about 30 minutes."

She believes the first six weeks
1. Babies need to eat every three hours
2. It is important not to feed your baby more frequently than every two and a half hours during the first six weeks unless there is a medical reason.” Your baby's digestive system need time to process the food. Feeding every 1.5 -2 hours will lead your baby to snack instead of eating complete meals because there is still unprocessed food from the last feeding in his stomach. It is important to let your baby eat as much as she wants especially during the day-until she is satisfied. At night also they should every 2.5-3 hrs.
Do not get caught up with how much your baby eats at any one feeding. Instead look at how much your baby eats during a24 hour period.
By week six
your baby should eat every three hours, eliminate the 2.5 hrs and at night let your baby wake up naturally on his own to eat during the night.

Once the baby is
A: nine lbs,
B: eats at least 24 oz by day
C: and at least 4 weeks old they can be trained to eat every four hours during the day and sleep 12 hours at night

This really works wonders my baby eats every 3-4 hours and is gaining jus enough weight and was sleeping 7 hours a night by 2 month KA”H
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amother

Mon, May 15 2006, 2:15 pm

amother wrote:

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so how did you get the baby to sleep thru the nite by 2 months? sounds a little foreign, unless you let him cio.

chavamom

Mon, May 15 2006, 2:21 pm

Gee - would work great UNTIL YOUR BABY HAS A GROWTH SPURT! The mechanism by which your baby increases milk production is by nursing more often. AND 4x/day is NOT enough for a young baby. Even bottle babies eat more often than that. This system MIGHT work for a bottlefed baby, but would not be viable over the duration for a breastfed baby.

amother

Mon, May 15 2006, 3:07 pm

[so how did you get the baby to sleep thru the nite by 2 months? sounds a little foreign, unless you let him cio.[/quote]

not Through the whole night 7 hours a night usually and his night only beginn at around 12 or 1
I actually was worried when he slept so much so I asked my Dr if I shoudl wake him he said as long as the baby is gaining enough weight than he;'s fine
about decreasing milk supply-I usually have enough milk but once in a while I dont have enough so I just pump to pick up the milk level I cant say forsure why it decreases if its because I nurse every 3-4 hours or if its becaus I give her a bottle from time to time usually once a day before he goes to sleep
another thing I wanna point out is obviously if he is hungry erlier I wont deprive him but ill always first check if theres something else bothering himr unlike other people I know who at sooound of a cry will feed baby

MommyLuv

Mon, May 15 2006, 6:37 pm

if it works for you that's great..but not my cup of tea.

amother, I am directing this to the discussion at large, so please dont take offense....as a cautionary note, overscheduling your baby and possibly missing out on feeding cues can damage your milk supply, if you are nursing. a good milk supply comes from constant nursing...the less you nurse (esp.at night) the less millk your body will produce.

oh, by the way... I wonder how the author of this book just KNOWS how much babies need to eat, and how often they are "supposed" to be hungry? Rolling Eyes

all I know from the research that I have done is that responding to your baby by breastfeeding on demand, keeping her close by, and knowing your child leads you to trusting your baby's cues. Babies are very wise and aware, and have an inborn way of getting their needs met, if adults try their best to listen in.

basicallly I am describing the attachment parentiing philosophy..(although without doing it justice...).Everybody has their own way and this is mine. Smile

And BH I see the results!!!