Feeding babies can stress out new moms! They always have questions like, ‘Is my baby hungry?’, ‘How often should I feed him?’ and so on. The best one to answer all these questions is your little one! Yes, do not be surprised! Your little prince lets you know whether he is hungry or content through many cues. Even, infants can regulate their energy intake and send subtle cues.
Instead of calculating the time spent on feeding or the quantity fed, feed your baby when he is hungry. Pay attention to your baby’s behavior and his simple cues. Wondering how to identify those signals? Read our post at MomJunction to learn about typical baby hunger cues.
Most parents think that crying is a hunger signal. But it is a late hunger cue. The baby shows many more cues early on. If you can pick those early hunger cues (1), it will be easier for you to feed the little one.
Calm down the crying baby before feeding. Offer skin-to-skin contact, wear him or allow him to snuggle up to your breasts.
Relying on cry to feed a baby can cause feeding problems, besides stressing him as well as you.
In her book Sleeping Like A Baby, International Board Certified lactation consultant Pinky McKay says, “Notice where your baby’s tongue is when she is yelling — a baby can’t latch on to feed when her tongue is up against the roof of her mouth, and if you do manage to calm her enough to latch on and feed, her suck is likely to be disorganized, or she may be exhausted from crying and only take a small feed before falling asleep. This, of course, means that she will probably sleep for a very short time then wake for another feed as her tiny tummy quickly empties.”
Instead of feeding your child randomly based on time gaps, it is always good to look for the cues he gives. It will benefit you in more than one of these ways:
Once your baby is full and satisfied, he sends signs that it is done. Fullness cues include: closing lips, turning the head away from the food source, stopping or slowing down sucking (if the baby is breastfeeding), falling asleep, looking calm and relaxed, and spits out the nipple or food. A baby older than four months may start looking around and seems distracted.
Moms, try to figure out the subtle hunger cues of your little angels and ensure they are well-fed and content. It is equally important to understand fullness cues too. If the cues from the babies are neglected, they are likely to get confused about their hunger and fullness. It may lead to preferences for unhealthy diet and further, childhood obesity.
Do not worry if you miss the cues at times. It is unavoidable! Remember, each baby is different and has different ways of letting their mothers know what they want. As you get to know your little bundle of joy more, you can recognize the unique hunger cues better! Skin-to-skin contact helps you learn your baby’s feeding cues quickly.
Hand sucking need not always be a hunger cue once the baby crosses the newborn period. From around six to eight weeks, an infant begins to explore things through his hands and mouth. He gradually gets more control over his hands. Sucking on hands is also common in babies before or during teething.
If you suspect one, yet not sure about your baby’s hunger, offer him a feed. It can help both you and your baby in more than one ways:
If your baby has regularly been nursing, yet seems fussy, check for other problems like discomfort from gas or tummy ache, etc.
It is normal for babies to have feeds between short time gaps. It is called cluster feeding that is more common during the afternoon or late evening.
Babies also tend to feed more during growth spurts, which last for two to three days. Growth spurt happens at around two to three weeks, six weeks, three months and six months.
Babies are very sleepy during early days of birth. If the little one is less than four weeks old, wake him once every four hours during nights and once every two hours during the day to nurse. Practice this as long as he is gaining good weight, showing normal parameters, pooping, and peeing.
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Article written by Sumana Maheswari
