No adult eats a meal in exactly the same amount of time as all other adults. Nor do adults enjoy having their meals regulated by a clock. The same is true with babies.
Babies have the ability to self-regulate their feedings to meet their individual needs for optimal growth. Imposing spacing and length of feedings may lead to frustration for everyone. Such restrictions impose an unnecessary burden at a time when the mother is becoming acquainted with her new baby.
If you won’t deny yourself a snack, why deny your baby who is working off instincts?
Risks of Timed Feedings
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Restricting feeding sessions will lower supply. Breast milk production is a supply and demand situation. The more you nurse, the more milk your body makes.
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Imposing time restrictions on feedings can lead to engorgement for the mother and underfeeding for the baby.
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Failing to base feedings on hunger cues overrides the baby’s natural ability to self-regulate feedings.
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Such interference can lead to negative reactions and behaviors, including breast refusal.
Watch your baby for cues—not the clock. Infants cannot tell time. They just know that they are unhappy when they are hungry and content when they are full.
The baby is equally able to let the mother know when a feeding is finished on a breast.
Begin a feeding on the side that received the least stimulation at the previous feeding and to continue nursing on that breast until the baby releases it.
Mothers do not need to use both breasts at every feeding. In the early days of nursing, however, it is good to stimulate both breasts equally to ensure optimal milk production in both breasts.
Remember: Breast milk supply is about supply and demand
Exceptions to baby-led feedings
There are some instances when parents do need to be diligent in monitoring the time between feedings rather than relying on their baby to determine frequency.
- Medicated Birth Babies born after long medicated labors may exhibit sleepiness and feeding challenges.
- Preterm Birth (babies both early and late preterm)
- Babies with Birth Trauma
- Babies with neurological or congenital issues such as Down syndrome, Turner syndrome, or cerebral palsy.
Babies with these conditions are sleepy, difficult to rouse, and ineffective at the breast. They may appear “content to starve.” They frequently develop jaundice, which increases the sleepiness even further. These babies need a lot of stimulation to nurse. They need frequent feedings and often require supplementation with alternative feeding methods.
Parents of these babies need to “watch the clock” temporarily and be vigilant about getting calories into them. They do not always demonstrate strong hunger cues and often go home without competent breastfeeding skills.