Is it possible to BF too much?

[Nicole915]

This might sound insane, but I just need some confirmation, and have not been able to find an answer in the zillion books on breastfeeding I have.

Is it possible that I am letting my 7 week old feed too often? I was under the impression that you could never feed too often, but my mom swears that when she restricted feeding to at least 1.5 hours between sessions that the latch and supply issues she had went away. I usually just feel Ella when she's hungry, most often that is every 2-3 hours, but sometimes its a couple times per hour. I let her stay on until she breaks the latch or falls asleep.

Thanks!

[PatioGardener]

Sounds like you are giving your baby exactly what she needs! Feeding 'on cue' or 'on demand' is the way to go - it means that baby eats when she is hungry, and doesn't need to over-feed because she is worried about when her next meal may arrive. Plus it keeps your supply up!

Congrats, Mama - you have awesome Mommy Instincts!

Are you having latch issues? If so, don't be shy to post. The Mamas here have great experience to share.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by PatioGardener

Sounds like you are giving your baby exactly what she needs! Feeding 'on cue' or 'on demand' is the way to go - it means that baby eats when she is hungry, and doesn't need to over-feed because she is worried about when her next meal may arrive. Plus it keeps your supply up!

Congrats, Mama - you have awesome Mommy Instincts!

Are you having latch issues? If so, don't be shy to post. The Mamas here have great experience to share.

I remember 6-7 weeks adjusted age, Peepers probably nursed 20x a day. Even as recently as a couple of months ago, she was still nursing about 15x a day, every day. She's sort of a grazer. My son was as well, and he still is at 4.5 years old. He has an amazing metabolism and eats all the time, but he's in the 25th percentile for weight, and perfectly healthy!

Your baby is telling you what she needs, and you are responding. Sounds like a good thing to me!

[RiverSky]

I think your mom is wrong and you are right. I suspect that the latch issues improved coincidentally at the time that she restricted. Your baby instinctually, naturally knows what she needs. It sounds like you have a very happy baby!

[Llyra]

6 to 8 weeks is a trying time. That's the peak of fussy crying, and an age when many babies have trouble settling down to nurse well, and and are still learning to latch properly, and often spit up a lot, and complain a lot like they're starving, even when they're packing on the pounds. It's easy to start to think maybe you're doing something wrong, especially when people close to you say so. But if you just roll with it, and follow baby's cues, it settles down all on its own most of the time. A lot of the time, if we make a change that we think fixed the problem, it might be that the problem would have fixed itself anyway. That may be the case with your mom's experience. Babies this age are just starting to "wake up" from the immediate newborn phase, and oftentimes they're just grouchy about it. They get tired and overstimulated and overwhelmed, and they want to nurse nearly all the time, because your breast is home and comfort and security to them. And that's just how it should be.

Has baby regained birthweight, and begun to gain steadily? That's the best way you have of knowing that baby is nursing often enough. Baby's level of fussiness is often not a good indicator at this young age.

You're doing just exactly right. Keep it up!

[rivkah]

I've had three nurslings, and they all pretty much nursed constantly for the first few weeks. The only "side effect" seemed to be spitting up because their tummies couldn't hold all the milk at first. However,that went away quickly as their digestive systems matured, and they all seemed fine.

[Spiralshell]

Some of the best advice I've received is "Watch the Baby, not the clock". Early on I was worried about feeding enough, and I kept track of the start time and duration of every feeding. I was working myself up for no good reason (and at a time when the sleep deprivation was running me very ragged!)
I decided to stop watching the clock, and just nurse whenever Nate gave me a cue that he wanted to nurse. He has wet diapers all day long, and is gaining weight. Nate is now 13 weeks old. Some days we nurse every hour -- practically constantly all day long. Other days it's more spaced, and he eats every three hours or so, day and night. It works for us!

[claddaghmom]

Well I think IF she had latch problems, reducing the frequency may have lessened the visible symptoms of a latch problem.

That doesn't mean I would ever risk the health of my baby and the risk of a lost nursing relationship to stretch between feeds though.

I also think that time period is when infants and mamas start to get into a good groove. So a latch problem is likely to go away at that time anyways.

[guestmama9971]

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[Rosegin]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Well, that's still no. lol Babies don't always nurse for nourishment. They nurse for comfort. Babies NEED to suck and they prefer to do it at the breast.

[4JMJ]

You are doing a great job giving your baby what she needs when she needs it! Keep on doing what you're doing!

[earthmommy2]

You are right on target mama!! A lot of adjustment is going on with your baby modifying your supply as he/she needs. You are doing good!!