How often?

[haydn'smommy]

I know, I know...feed on demand or on cue. That's what we do, BUT. Truly how often should a 4 wk old eat? At first, his very favorite place to be was on my boob. I bet we nursed 17 times/day for the first 2 wks. Now, at 4 wks he's going every 2-3hrs. Sometimes more often, sometimes less often. We co-sleep and I hold him for most naps (and nap with him alot . Heck, I hold him most of the day. I try to wake him if he's gone longer than 3 hrs but sometimes it's hard to get him awake and he'll only suck a few times and then back to sleep. And, now if he doesn't want to nurse, he gets pissed off if I try to get him to. He will scream, kick, push away and generally get very very upset if he doesn't want to but I think it's time.
He's been gaining weight well at 1-2oz per day. And he has 8-10wets and 8 poops per day. I am just nervous about killing my supply and then failing at what I've worked really hard for.

[Llyra]

It sounds like you're doing fine!

The information I've seen says that a baby should nurse at least 8 times a day, and 10 is better. More than that is also great, too. Those are minimums. And at least one of those nursings should be in the wee hours of the night, when your prolactin levels are highest.

I think that at 4 weeks, with a healthy baby who's established a pattern of weight gain, you can safely stop waking him to eat, unless he goes more than six hours or so, or unless he shoes other signs of trouble, or you have painful engorgement or plugged ducts. He can be depended on to know when he needs to nurse, as long as you're offering nothing else besides the breast-- no water, no bottles, no juice, etc, and it's best to avoid the pacifier too. If you notice weight gain falling off, or pees decreasing, then you simply start nursing more, and your supply will rebound.

Just offer often when he's awake, take his word for it if he refuses, so that you don't make nursing into a struggle, and keep him close to you at night, and it'll work out just fine!

[LindsC]

I agree with the PP. As long as he is gaining weight and having enough wet/poopy diapers, just keep doing what you are doing, but don't worry about waking him up for a feed.

My DD is 3 months old and still eats that often, sometimes more frequently.