Breastfeeding/frequent feeding!

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Expert: - 4/12/2005


Question
hi!
I have a 1 week old daughter,she is full term 3.45 kgs and 52cms,normal.Every time she is breast fed she falls asleep after 7-9 mins...when she is put back in her crib..she wakes up in 5-8 mins..crying...sucking her hand therby indicating that she needs to be fed.
I am told the gap between breast feeds shud be something like 2.5-3 hrs or the baby gets 'addicted to breast sucking' more than feeding.How do i cope up with this situation.
She needs to be feed in 4-5 frequent installments before she dozes off to sleep for 1-2 hrs.
Is that ok?
kapila

Answer
Dear Kapila,

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

One week is a very short time to be in this world -- she needs to adjust to so much! Feeding is, of course, one big area. Many moms breastfeed their very young babies at 1- to 2-hour intervals at first. Fairly soon, your baby will go for a longer period between feeds. Bear with her for a little while longer, and I'm sure she'll nurse for longer periods of time, sleep longer, and space her feedings better. In any case, don't worry -- she won't get addicted to sucking!

Meanwhile, get as much rest as you can for those 1-2 hours she is currently sleeping, so you'll feel better.

These first couple of weeks are the hardest. I devote an entire chapter of my book (see below) to getting started, so if you can, you might want to take a look at it.

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.  

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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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