how strict should i be on brestfeed schedule?

i searched a bit in this newsgroup and found :
"A newborn needs to feed a minimum of 8 times
per day, with 10-12 feedings being the norm and 15 being not unheard "

thats 1 feed every 3 hours for my newborn.this is really restricting
getting any form of sleep.

my question is to how strict do you or your friends stick to the
clock?
also why every 3 hrs?i heard its related to blood sugar levels but i
dont fully understand?

also in nature, did ancient cave women feed every 3 hrs around the
clock?

thx

wrote:
i searched a bit in this newsgroup and found :
"A newborn needs to feed a minimum of 8 times
per day, with 10-12 feedings being the norm and 15 being not unheard "

thats 1 feed every 3 hours for my newborn.this is really restricting
getting any form of sleep.

That's why they call it Baby bootcamp ;-)

Sam fed half an hour per side, going: left, right, left. Then slept
approximately half an hour and the repeated the whole thing.

Yes it's hard, but after a bit you get practice in latching baby on even
while you're mostly asleep. Plus, they don't go by that "scedule" for ever.

Also: you won't have to worry about when to clean that sterilizer of
yours in the first few weeks, so that's a bonus, isn't it?

my question is to how strict do you or your friends stick to the
clock?
also why every 3 hrs?i heard its related to blood sugar levels but i
dont fully understand?

Well, a babies belly isn't exactly the biggest container on this planet,
so it only fits a very limited ammount of food, and there's really
nothing you can do about that.
Also: Babies let you know when they're hungry, it's easiest to just feed
them when they're hungry without watching the clock.

also in nature, did ancient cave women feed every 3 hrs around the
clock?

No, they were probably not using timing devices back then. And it's kind
of hard to tell in what intervalls they were feeding their offspring.

cu
nicole

skrev:
i searched a bit in this newsgroup and found :
"A newborn needs to feed a minimum of 8 times
per day, with 10-12 feedings being the norm and 15 being not unheard "

thats 1 feed every 3 hours for my newborn.this is really restricting
getting any form of sleep.

my question is to how strict do you or your friends stick to the
clock?
also why every 3 hrs?i heard its related to blood sugar levels but i
dont fully understand?

also in nature, did ancient cave women feed every 3 hrs around the
clock?

thx


8 times a day isn't necessarily every 3 hours. After some time you may
stretch the night time feeding a bit and feed more often in the daytime.

But don't expect to get much done in the house with a newborn there -
it's a full time occupation.

After some time you learn to get your sleep in 3 or 4 times 2 hours. The
first time I got 4 hours in a row I felt immensely rested.

A lot of people benefit from co-sleeping. That way they don't have to
get up to feed. As soon as mine were a month or so I could BF lying down
on my side with my lower arm under my head. I slept naked so I could
just turn when the baby woke up and latch the baby on and then I just
slept again while the baby ate.

You don't always have to burp them during the night time feeding, and
unless they poo you don't have to change the diaper either.

The above advice is all meant to get you some sleep. And remember - lie
down and sleep when the baby does - also during the daytime. That way
you MIGHT even get 8 hours in a full day :-)

Tine, Denmark

In article om,
says...
i searched a bit in this newsgroup and found :
"A newborn needs to feed a minimum of 8 times
per day, with 10-12 feedings being the norm and 15 being not unheard "

thats 1 feed every 3 hours for my newborn.this is really restricting
getting any form of sleep.

my question is to how strict do you or your friends stick to the
clock?
also why every 3 hrs?i heard its related to blood sugar levels but i
dont fully understand?

also in nature, did ancient cave women feed every 3 hrs around the
clock?

thx


Remember that you have a newborn. He (she?) has a small stomach and
needs to eat frequently. Also, it takes several (4 to 8) weeks for
your body to produce enough milk so that the baby can go longer
without nursing.

A couple of suggestions:

1. Don't look at the clock. I was somewhat taken aback by the word
"strict" in your subject line. Don't be "strict." Be responsive.
When the baby starts to root around feed him/her. Don't wait for the
baby to start crying.

2. Remember it gets easier as you get more accustomed to it. For the
first 4 weeks, and maybe the first 8, breastfeeding can be harder than
formula feeding. However that soon turns around, and by 12 weeks
breastfeeding is generally *much* easier. Don't give in and give a
bottle now, just because you are having trouble.

3. Learn to nurse lying down. Learn to co-sleep, and learn
(eventually) to nurse while you sleep. It takes some practice, but
it is well worth it.

4. Stick around this newsgroup. There are a lot of breastfeeding moms
who can give both support and advice for all sorts of situations.

Good luck,
Larry

Larry Mcmahan skrev:
4. Stick around this newsgroup. There are a lot of breastfeeding moms
who can give both support and advice for all sorts of situations.

Good luck,
Larry

And at least one dad who gives exellent advice :-)

Tine, Denmark

Remember that you have a newborn. He (she?) has a small stomach and
needs to eat frequently. Also, it takes several (4 to 8) weeks for
your body to produce enough milk so that the baby can go longer
without nursing.

where did you get that piece of info from? ever heard of engorgement? do you
mean it takes time for the milk to become mature milk, rather than a mix of
milk and colostrum. Even first time, when I had trouble with supply in the
longer term, early on I had plenty, 2nd time around, I could have fed an
entire street of babies - long distance, just shooting it into their mouths
from across the street!. Extending the gap between nursing is a whole mix of
things, the baby get's a larger tummy, they learn to sleep longer, even
though if they woke up, they would be hungry.

Anne

Don't use a schedule. Don't count feedings. Feed the baby when he is
hungry. Learn to nurse lying down so that you can sleep at night
while he nurses. If you learn how to do this, it makes nursing easy.
With five babies, as long as I have been sleeping with them, I have
never suffered sleep deprivation.

It seems hard, it IS hard, but it's for a short time.

As for the cavemen, I would assume their practices were like those of
today's "primitive" societies, in which babies are carried everywhere,
sleep with their mothers, and nurse quite frequently for short times
throughout the day and night.

Leslie

"Leslie" wrote in message
ups.com...
Don't use a schedule. Don't count feedings. Feed the baby when he is
hungry. Learn to nurse lying down so that you can sleep at night
while he nurses. If you learn how to do this, it makes nursing easy.
With five babies, as long as I have been sleeping with them, I have
never suffered sleep deprivation.

It seems hard, it IS hard, but it's for a short time.

As for the cavemen, I would assume their practices were like those of
today's "primitive" societies, in which babies are carried everywhere,
sleep with their mothers, and nurse quite frequently for short times
throughout the day and night.

Oh yikes... I now totally feel like one of those cavemen in today's
"primitive" society, although I've never looked at it like that lol
I think DD2 just about lives on my back in the mei tai or on my front in the
wrap, if I don't have her in my arms
She often sleeps in our bed right beside me, and for me, it's whatever makes
life easier. I seem to have to be within her sight at most times, but
again, it's whatever makes life easier for me.

I also second the laying down to nurse. DD2 is 7 months and still nurses
laying down beside me as often as possible. For me, though, I do remember I
found laying down with the baby to nurse was THE easiest way for me to do
it. DS did it, and right from the start, that just seemed like one of the
best and easiest ways to do it.
I will lay down with DD2 beside me, on my side, her on her side and I kind
of curl my legs up into a bent position at my knees. She's quite a bit
longer now than what she was as a newborn, but I still lay the same way I
always did. She just will often put her legs on top of mine and lay like
that. I know she's done when she starts pulling off to smile and look at me
and starts kicking my legs and scooting across the way

Leslie

On Tue, 22 May 2007 18:39:12 GMT, "xkatx" wrote:
I will lay down with DD2 beside me, on my side, her on her side and I kind
of curl my legs up into a bent position at my knees. She's quite a bit
longer now than what she was as a newborn, but I still lay the same way I
always did. She just will often put her legs on top of mine and lay like
that. I know she's done when she starts pulling off to smile and look at me
and starts kicking my legs and scooting across the way

Oh man, I really miss this part! My "baby" is 4.5yrs now and doesn't
fit curled up with me. I just make do best I can lol.
Marie

On May 21, 3:59�pm, wrote:
i searched a bit in this newsgroup and found :
"A newborn needs to feed a minimum of 8 times
per day, with 10-12 feedings being the norm and 15 being not unheard "

thats 1 feed every 3 hours for my newborn.this is really restricting
getting any form of sleep.

*my question is to how strict do you or your friends stick to the
clock?
also why every 3 hrs?i *heard its related to blood sugar levels but i
dont fully understand?

also in nature, did ancient cave women feed every 3 hrs around the
clock?

thx

That number of times may be applicable to only the usual newborn. Some
babies are more efficient nursers and don't need to. Some become
efficient at it after mom and baby have both mastered the art of
breastfeeding. My last newborn only ate every 5 hours and I couldn't
force him to eat to beat the band. lol. I felt like my first was at
the breast every 10 minutes. That being said, you should follow baby's
cues and offer it at the three-hour mark if some time has passed and
baby is awake, even if not crying. Persoanlly, I found trying to wake
a newborn to eat is futile and only equated to me sitting on a couch
all day with a baby attached who was not sucking at all and really
only sleeping. He didn't eat if he didn't want to. They say that when
a baby is already crying, they've been hungry for a while, just not
agitated enough to verbalize it yet. They can put their fists to their
mouths and root around when being held for that source of nourishment
as signals as well. You should never deny a baby a nursing session
regardless of how much time has passed. Some situations can
necessitate more frequent feedings, but you can deal with those if and
when you need to.