is it really impossible to overfeed a breastfed baby?

[Kirky12]

my ds is 6 weeks old and gaining a lot of weight - from 7ilb 2 at birth to 10lb 7! this is great but he's feeding a lot in the day, some of which i'm sure is more comfort than need. i'm reluctant to refuse him as so young but am i creating more problems down the line by feeding on his demands?

sounds about right to me my ds is titchy even at 8months but he did 2lb in 10 days when he was 4/5 weeks. no worries keep feeding

No, feeding on demand is what you ought to be doig at this stage. Esp at 6 weeks when they often have a growth spurt.

It is impossible. Don't worry about it. He's obviously thriving.

Wow. He's doing really well. So are you!

His feeding will get less urgent and less frequent.

Bear with him and don't refuse him. It's unlikely it's for comfort at this very very young age. Even if it were, there's nothing wrong with giving comfort.

You're both brilliant!

He will, in his own time, feed less as he gets more efficient and can take on larger quantities. At the moment you sound like you're doing all the right things.

He's getting what he needs & bf on demand enables this.

Yes it is impossible. It's all about demand and supply so when your baby feeds and feeds, he's making your body make more milk, forcing you to up your supply to match his growing demand, so that in future he can feed more efficiently. Does that make sense?

Bodies are awesome when you think about the way they work!

He sounds great to me You can't overfeed them so try to relax. Congratulations on his arrival.

I think you can over bfeed a little baby who is comfort sucking. But you'll know about it because they'll chuck the excess back up all over you!

From a weight gain point of view, I remember DD2 gaining a lot around this point - jumping right off her centile curve. But she went back down to her birth centile curve a few months later.

I wouldn't worry about it myself, keep doing what you are doing..

It depends on what you mean by overfeed I think - my DD screams her lungs out at the breast sometimes and I am certain it is because she's really full, but she then goes back to the breast for comfort which increases the screams. I've got used to sticking a dummy in now and she is much better. As the above poster suggested, she used to throw up as a large amount as well.

You must still BF to demand though especially if there is no signs that your baby is uncomfortable.