Expert: Sally Wendkos Olds - 9/4/2007

Question
QUESTION: I need help.  I have an 8 week old that wants to nurse every hour or sooner during the day.  I am exclusively breastfeeding her.  Her stools are green as well.  She sleeps at night between 5 and 7 hours at a time and averages about 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night so I know that she can go without eating for longer periods of time.  She refuses pacificers and bottles.  Some of the feeding is for comfort because she wants to go to sleep, but since she doesn't have a definate schedule, I can never tell when she is actually hungry.  My questions are as follows:

1)  Should she be eating this often...I can't go anywhere because she is always wanting to eat and won't take a bottle.

2)  Should I allow her to nurse to go back to sleep or is this starting a really bad habit?  If not, how do I pacify her since she won't go to sleep by rocking or won't take a pacifier.  (We have tried letting her cry to sleep, but she screams for 40 minutes or more with no signs of slowing down...it breaks my heart.)

3)  Is her nursing 12 to 13 times in 13 hours necessary since she sleeps so long at night...getting up only once or twice to eat?  Is there a way to spread these feeedings out a little bit?

4)  How do you help an infant accept an occasional bottle of breasmilk?

Any help or advice you could offer would be greatly appreciated!


ANSWER: Dear Irene,

First, congratulations for giving your daughter the best start in life by breastfeeding her!

For your questions:

1) No, an 8-week-old baby does not need to nurse every hour. You put your finger on this yourself when you wrote that she can sleep 5 to 7 hours at a time without nursing.

2) Yes, allowing her to nurse to go to sleep is starting a bad habit. Have you tried holding her closely in a rocking chair and singing softly to her to put her to sleep? On a personal note, that's how I got my grandchildren to go to sleep although they were used to being nursed to sleep. I hate to hear a baby cry myself, but if you can't get your daughter to sleep using any method like the above, you might decide to let her cry for a couple of nights -- meanwhile, going in often to check on her, maybe to pat her on the back and speak to her, but not to pick her up. This sometimes works.

3) As far as spreading out your baby's feedings: if she starts to cry within a couple of hours of her last feeding, try giving her sips of water from a cup, or walk around with her, or push her in a stroller, or take her for a drive in the car, or give her a bath. In other words, take care of her and don't ignore her crying, but don't nurse her every hour.

4) Very often babies who absolutely will not take a bottle from their mothers will accept it from someone else. So if the baby's father or grandparent or a friend can help you out with this, it might work. Best results will be obtained if you are nowhere near the baby -- so that she cannot see or hear you.

Good luck!

Sally

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.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thank you for such a quick response.  She actually goes to sleep easily at night...it is the daytime that she wants the comfort nursing.  How long do I let her cry?  We have done that and she has cried for 40 minutes each time before we give in after doing all of your listed suggestions.  

Also, how long should I "put her off" between feedings?  Thanks again for your help!

Answer
Dear Irene,

Your daughter is very smart! She khas apparently learned that if she keeps crying long enough (40 minutes) that you will "give in" as you say, and then nurse her. I suggest that you pick her up, carry her around, comfort her in any other way you can think of -- but she should not need to nurse any oftener than every three hours. This is, of course, provided your doctor has seen your baby and she/he considers her healthy and developing well.

Good luck!

Sally

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.