How often do newborns feed??

[justanotheryoungmother]

Hi everyone,

I'm pregnant with my first (24 weeks) and I'm planing to breastfeed (or at least try) but I was just wondering how often I'm going to be whipping my breast out for the first few weeks and when they start to feed a little less often?

Thanks for any insight

[PoloZolo]

2-3 hours, sometimes stretching to 4. In the daytime you'd be probably be feeding every 3 hours ish until you wean them at 6 months

[Flowersonthewall]

Every hour, 2 or 3 hours if you feed on demand they cab feed very often especially in the first few weeks and in my experience the first 12 weeks is unpredictable and usually have cluster feeds in the evening where they are feeding pretty much non stop....it does get more regular though And you'll find baby will find their own pattern x

[OhBoobles]

My baby is 12 weeks and during the day he looks to be fed exactly every two hours (you could set your watch by him!) but then at night time he can go anywhere from four to seven hours between feeds. This can all change for a day or two when he's poorly or having a growth spurt, but it always comes back to this routine.

He's been like this since quite early on, although the first couple of weeks were just constant feeding with no routine, while we established breastfeeding and got the hang of things.

Best of luck with everything! The first weeks of feeding will be hard but it gets so much better ( you'll even stop feeling awkward about whipping your boobs out )

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

Congratulations!

For about the first 3 weeks DD was BFing like mad all the time. And each feed took an age, often upwards of an hour. I spent around 6-7 hours out of 24 feeding her. By a month we were down to about 4-5 hours a day. Then it just gradually reduced (apart from times when she was having a growth spurt and feeds dramatically increased). She's 7 months old now and still breasfeeds around every 2 hours as well as eating solids but this is usually a quick 5-10 minutes.

I absolutely love BFing and especially in the very early days it was a great excuse to leave all the dozens of visitors downstairs and go for a cuddle and a Bf in bed by ourselves. It wasn't easy, it took us a long time to perfect our latch and it was agony at times but I definitely look back fondly nonetheless because I didn't realise how insanely quickly the newborn stage is over and I'm glad we spent all that time cuddled up alone. I think if I'd formula fed then I wouldn't have gone upstairs for privacy and I'd have missed out. So my biggest advice is however you feed your baby, make sure you steal them back from your visitors often and whisk them away for lots of one-on-one cuddles because honestly they are only tiny newborns for a matter of weeks. Enjoy it!!

[melonribena]

Congratulations.
Honestly it's about every hour to start with with constant feeding for a few hours in the evening.
My 16 week old goes 2-2.5 hours between feeds now and sleeps 5/6 hour stretches at night.
I rarely look at the clock, just feed him when he looks hungry!
It's actually not that bad and it makes me sit down!!

[Daytona79]

Hourly I've found with mine

[TheresABluebirdOnMyShoulder]

And like boobles says, you won't care about getting your boobs out. I was shy at first but I feed DD everywhere now. I've got an Udder Cover (you should get a voucher for a free one I think in your Bounty pack) which is ace, but I'm usually confident enough to go without it.

[Artandco]

I always fed mine every 1-2 hrs daytime from newborn to weaning. Meant less wakings for feeds overnight (both slept 11pm-8am from 6 ish weeks old)

[MoreBushThanMoss]

I feed on demand... DS is 16 weeks and can be anything from 6-10 times in 24 hours, from a few mins to half an hour each time. He's teething atm and a bit off his milk,(despite being offered hourly) ... But tomorrow he might want to sit on the boob all day.

short answer- a lot. And probably from around 12 weeks it will even out.

[MyMrKnightley]

How long is a piece of string? Lots. Every hour to hour and half for the first 3 weeks day and night. Now at 10 weeks 2 1/2-3 hours day time and done the last 4 night with a 6 hour gap.

[Itsjustaphase2016]

Every 45 mins to an hour initially, the stretching to every 2 hours, then every 3 or 4. Biggest breastfeeding error is thinking you don't have enough milk because they are feeding constantly.

[SasBel]

Congratulations! Honestly, feed on demand, they have a massive growth spurt around day 10, so have a slave friend of partner to hand who will bring you food and drink when you need it. And you will need it enjoy, relax, find your rhythm. Good luck.

[Itsjustaphase2016]

I did the same as artandco

[WellErrr]

Mine were every 3-4 hours, then every 2-3 weeks they'd have a growth spurt where they'd cluster feed for a day or two.

The constant feeding passes so quickly though. It's such a lovely time, and it's natures way of making you sit down and rest.

[WellErrr]

Mine slept through from 8 weeks too.

[whirliebird]

My 3rd baby fed every hour for the first year, ha ha! I'm wondering if no.4 will let me have a little more sleep

[chloechloe]

About a zillion times a day. My 5wo feeds every hour or so when awake. My first was the same, both were quite small babies. Some BF babies do manage to go a bit longer but I think 3-4 hourly feeding is the exception with most feeding every 1-2 hours.

Also some are quick feeders - my second is done in 5-10 Min whereas the first needed 45-60 min for a feed (I read soooo many books!)

Good that your asking these questions in advance as otherwise it can be quite a shock when you are in the midst of it, thinking "surely you can't be hungry AGAIN!"

[chloechloe]

you're not your in the last paragraph ....

[Lalunya85]

Oh my first only fed twice. Morning to evening non-stop and then throughout the night.

My second fed every 3 hours, more or less. But more if she was teething or unwell or just a little grumpy...

Honestly it depends so much on the baby, the day, the time of year...?!

[riddles26]

It varies but be prepared for them to feed every hour in the first few weeks. It most likely will be 2-3 hours but I know of babies who fed every hour. Also, it takes longer as both they and you are learning how to breastfeed and they get tired while feeding.

My daughter fed every 2-3 hours for the first couple of weeks and also cluster fed for whole days in that period. Be prepared to spend whole days on the sofa just feeding. It was completely worth it as she is 12 weeks and has been doing 6-7 hour stretches at night from 7 weeks old. It is also so convenient not having to take anything with me when we go out :)

Be prepared for it to be tough and to have to persevere through the pain, it is so rewarding once established :) Good luck!

[primaryboodle]

honestly - some breastfed babies might last 2-3 hours but that is not at all my experience

for the first 2 months it was mainly hourly if not more than hourly with cluster feeds in the evenings. Took til about 4 months to get regular 2-3 hours between feeds!

dont let it put you off though, i didnt mind.. i just wish id been more prepared. If youre breastfeeding you feed on demand, if you formula feed you space it out.. go with your baby

[toomuchtimereadingthreads2016]

Depends on a lot of different factors, my DD fed every 3h but during growth spurts it felt constant! Pregnant with number 2 cant wait to do it all again! Good luck, and dont let horror stories put you off everyone's experience is different xxx

[MrsPringles]

I formula fed so possibly different to BF. However, I fed all the time he would only take a little at a time so it was pretty relentless

[passingthrough1]

All the time. It took until 3 months plus I think to go down to every 3 hours. I never understood why people say three hourly, is that really how it works for some people? If so, it sounds amazing. Mine is 6m and still feeds every 2 hours minimum over night.
You'll also notice differences depending on time of day. So cluster feeding ends to be an evening thing, you'll feed a lot during afternoon, evening and night. Mornings I found more spaced out feeding, maybe every two hours. Enough that my partner could take the baby and just bring to me for feeds and whip him away again as soon as he stopped and I would sleep on and off all morning.
By 6-8 weeks your milk supply is stable though and then breast feeding is easier.

[user1484565872]

I find it best to feed my newborn whenever he wants to feed.