Should I feed my newborn baby when he is hungry?

Many parents think that babies should not be spoiled and should not be fed when they are hungry. Instead, they should have three meals a day like normal people, so that the baby will not cry. In fact, this idea is wrong, because the baby's body is different from that of an adult. The baby spends most of his time sleeping, and what the baby needs most is small and frequent meals. Because babies grow and digest food quickly and get hungry easily, should we feed newborns when they are hungry?

For a long time, people have emphasized that babies should be breastfed on time, that is, newborns should be fed once every 2 to 3 hours, and older children should be fed once every 3 to 4 hours. Due to the excessive emphasis on being on time, mothers often feed their babies based on the time. Even if the baby is crying because of hunger, they will not feed him before the time. In fact, it is unscientific to do so, especially for newborns. During the neonatal period, breastfeeding is required on demand, which means that the newborn can be fed anytime and anywhere. When they cry because they are hungry, you can breastfeed them; when they sleep for more than 3 hours, you can wake them up to breastfeed them.

The “feeding on a schedule” approach is long outdated. More and more experts believe that the "feeding on demand" method, where the baby is in charge, is more scientific. Breastfeeding on demand is more in line with the baby's physiological needs. Feeding strictly at a fixed time will only make the baby hungry or force the baby to eat, making him irritable.

Generally speaking, babies have small appetites and breast milk is easier to digest than formula, so they feed more often. Babies under 4 months old need more calories due to their rapid growth and development, so breastfeeding on demand is more frequent. After 4 months, the baby's internal needs such as the digestive system are stable, and the breastfeeding schedule will gradually become regular.

Normal newborns, especially premature babies, often have mild or obvious abdominal bulge after feeding, and sometimes milk regurgitation, but the baby is quiet, the abdomen is soft, no lumps can be felt, the bowel movements are normal, and the growth and development are good. This is normal and is caused by the thin abdominal wall muscles of the newborn, low tension, and more gas production in the digestive tract. Newborns are fed on demand. They don't eat much at a time. They eat for a while and stop eating when they are full.