Is it normal for a newborn to breastfeed so often?

Many young mothers know that breastfeeding has many benefits. Babies who are breastfed develop more healthily. The effects include enhancing immunity, improving intelligence, reducing the occurrence of sudden infant death syndrome, reducing childhood obesity, and reducing the risk of allergic diseases. However, there are always doubts about how many times a newborn baby should breastfeed. Is it normal for a newborn baby to breastfeed so often? Let’s take a look at the following content to find out.

It is currently advocated to breastfeed immediately after birth. Normal full-term newborns can be breastfed by their mothers within half an hour after birth. This can prevent neonatal hypoglycemia and promote breast milk secretion. The baby's sucking on the nipple can also stimulate the mother's milk secretion, which is a good start for breastfeeding. Early breastfeeding can reduce postpartum hemorrhage in mothers.

The correct breastfeeding method is to place the thumb and the other four fingers of one hand on the upper and lower parts of the breast respectively, and lift the breast into a straight cone shape. The baby must be closely attached to the breast with the head and shoulders facing the breast. When breastfeeding, the mother must relax her body, lean forward slightly, support the baby's neck and back with the base of her palm, and support the baby's head with four fingers. When breastfeeding, you should hold your baby up and feed him/her both during the day and at night. The empty side of the breast will drain the juice to better stimulate the mammary gland to secrete more. Wash the nipple before feeding, squeeze out a few drops, and then let the baby feed.

Through repeated comparative studies in recent years, it has been found that "breastfeeding on demand" is a breastfeeding method that is in line with nature, takes advantage of the situation, saves effort, and best meets the physiological needs of the human body. According to this method, the baby can be fed anytime he wants to eat. If the mother's milk comes and the baby is willing to eat, he can be fed, regardless of whether it is the "scheduled time". Practice has shown that this method of breastfeeding on demand can not only empty the milk in time, but also stimulate the pituitary gland to secrete more prolactin through frequent sucking, thereby increasing the amount of milk. At the same time, it can also avoid unnecessary tension and anxiety for the mother (excessive tension and anxiety can inhibit breast secretion through reflex mechanisms). In addition, practice has shown that after 3 to 4 months, babies will gradually and automatically lengthen the intervals between feedings, that is, they will only need to feed every 2 to 4 hours.

The stomach capacity of a newborn baby is only 30 ml, and the amount of milk it can suck each time is only about 20 ml. The amount of milk is small and the time it stays in the stomach is short, so naturally the child will be hungry again soon. So, it is normal to feed once every one or two hours. We recommend breastfeeding at least 8 to 12 times a day in the first two weeks after birth. It is generally not until the second or third month that the feeding frequency is gradually extended to 2-3 hours. At this time, the stomach capacity has reached more than 100 ml, and the milk can stay in the stomach longer.

Although the intervals between feedings will automatically lengthen, many babies still need to feed every hour or so. However, this is no longer for the purpose of filling their stomachs, but because they have a stronger "sucking need" and need to relieve tension, anxiety, boredom and other emotions through the sucking action of breast milk. Mothers should try their best to meet the baby's needs while enriching the ways of comforting the baby and enriching the baby's life. For example, singing to the baby, dancing with the baby while holding him, going out for a walk, showing the baby the paintings on the wall at home, fiddling with daily necessities, etc.

If you need to change your baby's position, switch to another breast, or stop breastfeeding for some reason, you can gently put your finger into the corner of your baby's mouth. When your baby's mouth makes a gentle "pop", it means he has stopped breastfeeding and you can take him away.

The ideal state is that when your baby has finished the milk from one or both breasts, he will know whether he is full and will take his mouth away from your nipple.

Is it normal for a newborn to breastfeed so often? The above content has given us the answer. Therefore, young mothers should not worry too much about how many times a newborn baby should breastfeed, as every mother and child has their own characteristics. Some people have plenty of breast milk from the beginning, while some mothers have to go through a painful period of struggle to achieve a "supply and demand" balance with their children. Children will eat more if they need it and less if they don’t. Breastfeeding on demand is the most natural and scientific way.