by Sarah Love

Created on: March 04, 2009

Your baby is crying, you just changed her diaper, she has been given some love and attention but she is still in distress!
You finished feeding her less than an hour ago, so how can she be hungry again? Newborns cry for many reasons, but most times their cries are for food. It is challenging, and sometimes painful for the mother, to feed a newborn on demand. Is it the right thing to do? Many pediatricians suggest feeding your newborn on demand until a regular feeding schedule is created. The question is, how much is too much? And, how can you tell if your baby is getting enough nourishment?

When I brought my newborn home I was overwhelmed with the newness of her and the excitement of having her home with me.
I gave into her every demand and feed as often as she seemed to be interested. After a week or two, and some extremely sore breasts, I was ready to start setting a schedule for her feedings. I consulted with my pediatrician and he suggested feeding every 2-3 hours during the day, and on demand at night. It isn't necessary to wake a baby at night to feed it, just make sure to provide a good last night feeding before bed to assist with baby sleeping a good stretch of time, and keep baby satisfied.
Unless your baby is underweight, a newborn can go 4-6 hours without a feeding comfortably at night.

On average, a newborn that is being nourished enough will have 3-4 bowel movements and 5-6 wet diapers each day. A baby will also exhibit an almost "drunken" behavior after a feeding when it has had enough. You should expect to nurse 8-12 times during the day so prepare for sore breasts! A good nipple cream will help ease the soreness and does great double duty as diaper ointment.

Weight gain will also determine if your baby is nourished enough. When you first bring baby home, expect to have some weight loss, sometimes as much as 10% of its birth weight! This is normal, and when your milk comes in, baby should start gaining about 6 ounces a week. Talk with your pediatrician if you have concerns about your baby's weight gain or loss. My daughter lost almost 10% of her birth weight the first week she was home and it caused some concern. I breastfeed her around the clock and we saw a good solid weight gain by the end of her second week.

After your baby has settled into life, and you are feeling more comfortable and confident, you will find a routine starting in your feeding times. Many times it might correlate with different behaviors in your baby.
Your baby might be ready for a feeding right after a nap or some active times. I find that my daughter and I do the same thing between feedings.
She enjoys having some cuddling after a feeding and then activities such as rolling on the floor or lying on her back and kicking. After she tires of that, we spend some time talking and cooing at each other.
A nap is taken, and then she is ready to do it all over again! The whole routine takes a little over 2 hours.

A regular feeding schedule that is right for you and your baby will work itself out and continue until your baby starts growing and adjusting. Before you know it, it will be time for solid food and bottle or breastfeeding will be a thing of the past.

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