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Babies are pure little balls of instinct, especially as newborns. As such, we cannot expect them to eat, sleep, and play according to an arbitrary external schedule.

A newborn should be nursing at LEAST 8 to 12 times per 24-hour period. That is a minimum. If the baby needs to nurse more frequently, then by all means, let her. Frequent nursing in the first 4 to 8 weeks of life is crucial to establishing the mother's milk supply, and will set the tone for the breastfeeding relationship. Trying to force the newborn into a schedule will likely sabotage the mother's supply, because if the baby is not allowed to nurse when she needs, the body will not get the signal that it needs to make milk for that feeding. Breastmilk is created on demand... if the baby is not nursing when she's hungry, the breasts will not know that there is a demand, so the milk will not be supplied.

In addition, babies will need more milk when they are going through a growth spurt, and during these times it is essential to allow them to nurse as frequently as they need, ignoring the clock. Growth spurts tend to happen at 3, 6, and 9 weeks, and again at 3, 6, and 9 months... but it varies from baby to baby. Some babies will have growth spurts earlier, and some much later. If your child is not allowed to nurse on demand, he may not get all the nutrition he needs during this critical period of growth.

I know that at times, it may seem as though all you're doing is nursing constantly. That's completely normal. Rest assured that it will not last forever, and in the meantime, nursing on demand is the absolute BEST thing you can do for your child.

Learn more about this author, Amy Weekley.
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