How often should ebf baby feed at 11 weeks

[Jellywellyfish]

Hi. My daughter is 11 weeks tomorrow and I wanted to check - should I be seeing a pattern to feeding by now? She is ebf.
At the moment she is feeding as and when she likes, which is before and after naps and probably every hour to 1.5hrs. She’s a big baby (almost on 98th centile) and hungry so I just feed her when she wants it, and she’ll always want to feed to get herself to sleep.

Am I okay to still do this at 11 weeks? I’m really happy to do it, just don’t know if I should be trying to make her go longer between feeds? I offer both breasts when feeding her but she doesn’t tend to feed for longer than 30 mins at any one time, but most feeds are 15 mins long. Read that babies at her age should only be feeding 5/6 times a day now and having longer feeds. She had 5/6 feeds in the morning alone but they are shorter.

She’s just starting to get into her own little pattern for naps and sleeping, so will her feeding develop into a routine soon do you think?

My youngest fed every two hours during the day until weaning was established at about 8 months then she dramatically reduced until I stopped at 9 months. I was convinced she'd feed two hourly forever! My older two were Four hourly quite quickly. There's no real normal with babies, if they want feeding you feed them!

My ds fed like crazy until about 5 months then it all calmed down. At 11 weeks there was certainly no pattern and things were a bit crazy! Currently feeding my 3 day old baby as I type this so bring on round 2!

It's up and down the first 6 months but in short - feed them as much as they want feeding until you start weaning them, and then you can look at if its for comfort/naps/hunger/thirst ect.

11 weeks is too tiny to think of set amounts and times.

You got this 😁

Nope feed as she wants! Baby doesn't just feed for hunger but for thirst and comfort too. It's really normal in hot weather for baby to want short, frequent feeds so they stay hydrated. Also when they are having growth spurts the amount they feed will increase too, to increase your supply.

Also my daughter never had a set pattern or schedule, I spent ages logging feeds and naps to see if there was one... Such a waste of time! Was just easier to crack on with what I wanted to do that day and feed when she needed it

On demand still. 11 weeks is so tiny.

If she’s starting to get a pattern for naps and sleeping then, in my experience, the feeding was tied to that. I usually fed mine before they slept, so as their ability to be awake stretched a little, so did their time between feeds. But at 11 weeks they’re still finding their pattern and feeding might be because they seem crotchety and then they end up sleeping etc. or they might just want a little comfort. And you’re also around the time that they start to feed far more efficiently. I remember the shift of going from being able to settle down to watch a bit of TV while they fed to them suddenly them being finished in 5-10 minutes happening quite abruptly and being worried at first but checking online and seeing it was normal. But you’re on the cusp of them finding a pattern that will stick for a bit longer than a week or so, which is how it feels in the first few months.

My first was a magnificent hefalump and was feeding every 1-1.5 hours too. My other DC are medium-large size and often fed/feed every 1.5-2 hours in the day. I find it helpful to think of bf more like “nursing” than feeding - it’s not just a meal, it’s comfort, reassurance, a sleep aid, medicine and for mine sometimes even err a laxative. It’s so much more than just satisfying hunger so yeah they do it a lot!

There is rarely a pattern or routine with ebf. Part of why its best to be prepared to bf anytime anywhere in those first 6-7 months. Mine is 10 months now and feeds every couple of hours but rarely at set times. For the first few months it was anywhere between every 5 mins - 2 hrs. Their needs change day by day, so let them lead. Also an ebf baby can't possibly be overfed so its good to let baby tell you when they need it before limiting the amount of feeds... that doesn't really happen until weaning (6 months+)

How you're feeding sounds perfect - on demand. Keep offering and follow her lead. Some days she will want more and you might find around 4-5months her feeding habits change again - such as being distracted and short feeds in day. Longer at night etc. With a ebf there is no set pattern really.

My DD didn’t have a pattern until about 4/5 months and even then there were some days that were all over the place (also a big baby). At 11 weeks just feed whenever she asks.

My DD is 11 weeks and she seems to be constantly on the boob in the mornings and evenings. She'll feed for 20-25 mins, have a 40 minute break then have another good feed. During the afternoon she feeds about every 2 hours, maybe 3 if she has a long nap.

I just feed her when she asks for it. She's growing well and seems happy. Sometimes I think it'd be nice if she went a little longer between feeds in the mornings, so I could get stuff done, but she'll settle into a routine as and when she's ready