4 month old is eating MORE! HELP!

[selahsmommie]

So, I am EBFing and my 4 month old DD has never really gone 2 hours or more between feedings unless sleeping (she only really stayed at the breast for 5-7 minutes at a time). She recently (about a month ago) started going a good 2 hours between, but NOW she's back to eating about every hour again and nursing for long periods of time (at least 15 minutes) and then she BITES! Now, this little girl does not have teeth yet, but I'm sure you mamas know that those gums HURT!

She's been fighting sleep lately, too (when she feels herself drifting at the breast, she fights to be let up, but then goes back to the breast right away only to do the same thing until I basically say let's have a break to play or walk or whatever).

She hasn't had any tummy issues that I've noticed and she hasn't been any more fussy than usual except for being overtired. Also, we co-sleep and she will NOT stay sleep unless nursing continuously for at LEAST 2 hours or so (this has been happening for naps, as well. She used to go down fine in her crib for a nap for at least 2 hours, but now wakes after 15 minutes so I started lying down with her and side-lying for feeds and she eats and stay asleep).

Let me know if I am doing something wrong or missing something here. I read that her belly is bigger now (18 weeks today) and she should be feeding a bit less.

Thanks for your help mamas!

[Erin77]

My son is now almost 8 months old and 3-4 months was an all-time high for nursing for us, in terms of how much and how often he was eating. So maybe it's just a growth spurt? The really lengthy nursing time makes me wonder if you have low supply, though. Have you seen a lactation consultant?

Also, he went through a biting thing around 5 months old and on the advice of either MDC or Kellymom, can't remember which, whenever he would do it I would pull him in closer to my boob and it would kind of smoosh his nose and he would stop. I tried not to react in any other way (even though it HURT) lest he keep doing it because he found it funny. After a couple weeks he stopped and hasn't done it since. (FYI, he has no teeth yet, either but his little gums are HARD.) So, good luck! Hope it gets better soon!

[PatioGardener]

4 months is a very common time for baby to have a more wakeful night (try a search for four month sleep regression). It is also a time when baby's nursing habits change, and sometimes moms panic that they may not have enough milk. But most often mom has plenty of milk - it's just normal developmental changes in baby. And it does get better!

You'll know that baby is getting enough milk when she has plenty of wet diapers and is gaining weight well.

Hang in there, Mama!

[Llyra]

I am moving this out to the main forum, as per the forum guidelines. This is a very common situation, and I think you'll find more responses there.

OP: it's very common for babies to go through phases of feeding more frequently, and four months is a common age for this to happen. This is the natural way that your supply is regulated as baby grows-- baby wants to eat more frequently, to stimulate a bigger supply of milk, because baby's needs have increased. The patterns you're maybe thinking of-- where feedings space themselves as baby grows-- are not really typical of most breastfed babies. These are feeding patterns usually seen with bottle-fed babies, and while some breastfed babies will have similar eating patterns, most will not. What you are describing sounds normal to me, and it sounds like you're responding to baby's cues.

As far as the biting-- I always broke the latch with my finger, every time they bit, and then set them down and walked away briefly. They seemed to get the point after a few days of that. However, it is common for babies to bite when the flow slows down, in an effort to stimulate another letdown-- unfortunately for our tender nipples, it sometimes works, which only encourages them to do it again. It can help if you switch sides once baby stops swallowing often-- even if you've already used the other side, baby will often find a faster flow on the other side. This is called switch- nursing, and it is a classic supply-increasing technique-- which means it's useful in a situation where baby suddenly seems hungrier.