by Sondra Gomez

Created on: February 14, 2009

Being the mother of eight children, all of whom were breast-fed with supplemented bottle feeding when needed, I can tell you that feeding a baby on demand will almost always result in a most predictable schedule all by its self. And that will almost always fall somewhere between a three to four-hour feeding schedule.

When a new baby is set on a timed feeding schedule, you will find there will be a lot of crying when your baby is hungry and the clock is telling you that it's not time to feed your baby yet, Your baby's tummy and the clock are not attuned with one another. The hunger pangs that your baby feels are very real, you may find the anxiety you may experience due to your baby's hunger cry to be uncomfortable for you.

In the early weeks of life a baby will have something of an unpredictable eating and sleeping habit, and understandably so after all life outside the womb is quite a transition. For your baby's digestive system to learn to digest breast milk, and if choose to, or need to use baby formula will take a little while. You may find that during some feedings that your baby is satisfied with a small amount of formula, or a seemingly short time at the breast, and though you try you simply can't get you your little one to take any more of their feeding, and that's fine, all that it means is that your baby will probably wake a little sooner for the next feeding, and then you will find that sometime your little one will nurse at the breast a little longer, or maybe drink an ounce more of formula for another feeding, and may be sleeping a little longer before the next feeding.

As the days and weeks pass you will find that your baby's feeding times have began to set a predicable feeding schedule naturally, and your baby's appetite has increased with each passing week, if you have made the transition to just breast feed your baby without baby formula, you will find that you now you are making a lot more breast milk, and your breast become full with milk right around feeding time, which usually is around every three or four hours. After a few months of the feedings falling around every four hours or so you may find that your growing baby is satisfied with nursing early morning, and before naps, and then again at bed time. You will find a similar feeding schedule if you have chosen formula feeding for your baby.

As your little one grows you will be introducing baby cereal, and then baby foods at a steady rate, and you will find that your little one now pretty much eats on a schedule that the family enjoys together. You may find yourself wondering where has the time gone. All to soon those early weeks and months have passed, it's a very special and loving time in your life, enjoy each and every day, the memories will live forever in your heart

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