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Breastfeeding/breastfeeding too often and too short
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Question
My 4 month old son is nursing every hour to hour and a half. I feel that this is because he does not nurse long enough during each feeding. When he nurses, he takes one breast only about 5 minutes (he sucks vigorously), then does not seem to be interested in continuing. He starts either playfully babbling or starts sucking his finger. He takes only one side per feeding, and if I try to switch him to the other side, he is not interested.
I breastfeed exclusively, and I don't think this is a supply problem since I've always had abundant milk supply, and often need to pump to relieve engorgement. I've tried to nurse in a quiet, dark environment to take any distractions away. I've tried to space out the feedings, but he seems to get hungry and cranky every hour. At night, I give him bottles of pumped breastmilk, and he is able to last longer, about 3-4 hours.
Is this usual for his age? He is growing and pooping/peeing well, and always have been on the higher side of the growth chart. I love breastfeeding him directly and I would like to try to avoid pumping all the time, but this pattern is really limiting my activities during the day, and I don't think I can continue this too long. Are there any ways to space out his feeding schedule a little bit and/or trying to get him to eat a little more per feeding? Thank you.
Dear Erica,
I spoke to Dr. Marks, who suggested that you try to hold off some of your son's feeding sessions. Nursing as often as he does really amounts to snacking for some of these feedings. If you can distract him and entertain him in some other way when you think he's showing signs of wanting to nurse, this may let you postpone a feeding for a while, and then when he does nurse again, he may stay longer at the breast. Some possible alternate activities might be taking him for a walk in the stroller or a ride in the car, or giving him a bath, or just taking him outside in your arms. Feeling the outside air was a lifesaver for one of my granddaughters when she was a baby -- no matter how much she was crying in the house, she stopped immediately when I would take her out the door.
Good luck!
Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with Laura M. Marks, M.D.
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Expertise
What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.
Experience
I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.
Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.
Other points of interest
I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding.
To find out more about me, go to
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