On average, babies need about 25oz of (human or artificial) milk in a day. How much you are going to give per feed depends on how often you feed your baby.
Bottle-feeding help: how often should I feed my baby?
Fed or Breast is Best? Neither.
Feeding on-demand or not?
When I say "on demand,” I want you to understand that you should feed your baby when they want, not on a set schedule. You should expect your baby to be hungry every 2 to 3 hours during the first 6-8 weeks after birth. If your baby sometimes needs to feed before 2h, that's ok. If that's the case always, that is a yellow flag that things might not be going super smoothly.
Feedings are too frequent
If you find yourself feeding your baby 14-20 times a day, your nipples are not sore, you are happy with extra cuddling time with your little one, you are not feeling deprived (of sleep or time for yourself), and your baby is growing well (not too little, not too much)... it's all good! If that's not the case, you could seek help from a lactation consultant. Frequent feeds might sign your baby isn't getting as much milk as they could per feeding session. A lactation consultant can help you understand the case, what is causing this, and what to do about it.
Feedings too spaced out
If your baby sleeps way too well - meaning they nurse only a few times a day and give you long stretches between feeds, take a second to analyze this. Things might go well in the first few weeks, but you might have issues soon. So, see a lactation consultant, even if the baby is gaining weight. As I mentioned before, the human body was designed to feed every couple of hours or so in the first few weeks after delivery. That helps your body understand how many babies you had, and how much milk they need, so you are not producing too little or too much. If your baby isn't nursing frequently enough and you are not significantly emptying your breasts at least 8 times a day, your supply might dip and not be enough to keep up with the baby's caloric demand in a few weeks.
Not too little, not too much...
Yes. It is a balanced and flexible act. If you understand that, at times, your baby might need to nurse more or less frequently, but the average number of feeds from birth to 6 months remains more or less the same 8 to 12 times a day, you're ahead in the game! If you notice something deviating from the norm, it might be an excellent time to seek professional help.
Do you have questions or comments about this post? Comment below or send me an e-mail!
Hunger cues
*Throughout this and all posts, I use the term "parent" instead of father/mother and use they/them/their when talking about the baby.
Newborns do not speak, but they try to signal us when they are hungry. Well, no, that's not exactly true. They are not signaling us anything; they are just using their instincts to look for food. Different babies might have slightly different subtleties, but those are the general cues your baby might be ready to eat:
1. Hand/arms movement
When they are first born, babies don't see well and must rely on their sense of smell. The instinct (that kicks off as soon as the baby is born) is to follow the smell of the amniotic fluid (that is the smell/taste they know). Interestingly enough, have you noticed those little bumps around your nipple on the areola (the darker circle around your nipple)? These are Montgomery glands that secret a liquid to maintain your nipple hydrated. That liquid smells like... yeah, you guessed it—amniotic fluid. Babies cannot quickly move towards the nipple because they can't see it (and they don't have the motor ability to do so), so they use their hands to guide them. They touch the breast, the nipple, and taste: "Am I getting closer?".
Even if we are not talking about breastfeeding immediately after birth, the instinct is the same: when it's time to eat, babies use their hands to look for food. They don't quite have refined motor skills, so movements are a bit jerky.
2. Hands to mouth
They are trying to "taste" the amniotic fluid/milk, so they bring their hands to mouth after some air fist-fight.
3. Licking hands
Once they bring their hands to their mouths, they will lick and try to taste amniotic fluid/milk.
4. Leg kicks
As babies smell, touch, and taste the parent’s body immediately after birth, they attempt to adjust their position to be able to latch onto the nipple and nurse. Guided by their hands/mouth directions, they adjust their position on top of their parent’s bodies. Once their (cute) feet find balance on the parent's body and know the direction they need to move towards, they kick themselves up.
When they are not on their parent's bodies, they use the same movement. They kick their legs, hoping to find a stable place to push them in any direction to find food.
5. Open mouth
Gaping. It means babies will open their mouths wide and hope to find the food source. If they are close to the (artificial or parent's) nipple, they will latch and nurse. If not, they will keep trying.
These hunger cues are relatively subtle. A half-asleep baby can be doing that, so these signs are easy to miss. Eventually, if the baby is hungry and didn't find the food source, they will cry - and that's when we usually notice we should feed the baby. If they are crying, they are now hangry. You will need to calm them before they accept the milk. You might be more frazzled in this situation, so it's better to feed the baby before the crying part beings.
The secret sauce?
Keep an eye on the baby. You know your baby will likely be hungry every 2 to 3 hours, so keep an eye on the baby and pick up those early cues.
How about rooting?
Rooting is a primitive reflex, not a hunger cue - that means the baby has zero control over this movement.
Rooting is the automatic movement of a newborn turning in the direction of something that strokes their cheeks. When anything (hands, fingers, breast, nipple) strokes their faces, they turn towards the touch source and try to suck on it - allowing for breast/chest-feeding. This reflex disappears at around 3-4 months.
This is a classic situation: your baby just ate and is almost falling asleep after feeding. Your partner is holding them. The baby changes sides and their cheek touches your partner shirt. Baby "tries to latch.” "They are hungry”, you both think. No. Your baby just ate and this is the rooting reflex. Help the baby relax and fall back asleep…
What about crying?
Sure, crying can be a sign of hunger. It can also be a sign of discomfort - we all know babies cry when they have a dirty diaper. Babies cry for several reasons, hunger being only one of them. If your baby is crying, you often need a little bit of detective work to know why.
If it's been at least 2h since the last time they ate, assume it is hunger. If it's been less than 2h, it could be something else. Check the diaper, the temperature, noises, constrictive clothes, gas, sleepiness... try something for 5-10 minutes. If the baby doesn't calm down, you can always comfort-feed them.
My baby doesn’t do any of this...
It is possible since there is no one-size-fits-all hunger cue. Observe, however, if your baby can physically display such signs. If you swaddle your baby to sleep, with their arms, hands, and legs wrapped, they won't have the freedom to perform these movements, and you will have a harder time identifying if your baby is hungry before they cry.
Try to let your baby move freely, and you'll get to know them even more!
Do you have questions or comments about this post? Comment below or send me an e-mail!
