by Rhianna Suttie-Gunson

Created on: September 19, 2007

One fear that is commonly held by new parents is how often to nurse their new baby. I would like to take this opportunity to assure all parents that they need not worry. Help is at hand.

I believe that the answer to this, and many other parental concerns is simple, trust your instincts. Parents of today need to develop their confidence and listen to not only their baby but also themselves.

While to some, parenting may not seem very natural, the bulk of it is. New parents need to trust in their own judgment. By all means research learn about different current thoughts and practices, but then parents need to make their own decision based on the circumstances relevant to their family's situation. Knowing when to nurse is no exception. Listen to your baby and your body and you will always know what is right. This is particularly true for breastfeeding mothers. On many occasions the mothers body will tell her that feeding time is coming near as the breasts fill with milk.

Before I proceed to much further I would just like to briefly discuss the differences, yet similarities between nursing and feeding. The term 'to nurse' brings to mind one of two thoughts, it is either taken as meaning to feed or to cuddle. Naturally the two may occur simultaneously, and both are equally important to a new born baby.

When it comes to feeding a baby there are a range of thoughts on how often this occurs. Some experts say babies should be fed every four to five hours, with newborns having a higher frequency in the first two months. Of course how often you nurse will depend on whether you are demand or schedule feeding.

In my opinion, children and in particular young babies, should be nursed whenever they are upset, be it a cuddle or a feed. Babies are intensely complex individuals, there is so much that we as adults don't know about early childhood. There is no evidence stating that every time a new born cries it is because they are experiencing pain, or discomfort, however there is none to say this isn't the case either. As a result I just think it is a big chance to take. If your young baby cries and it's nappy is clean then chances are it needs to be nursed

There are a few studies around that claim babies who are left to cry less in the first twelve months are less likely to get upset as toddlers and above. Both my children were rarely left to cry. By that I mean I attended to their every need, almost before they needed it. If they cried, I picked them up and nursed them in either sense of the word. At this stage they are both fairly happy and well adjusted children, giving me all the evidence I need to say quite confidently, that as a mother you will always know when to nurse.

Be it in the sense of feeding or a simple cuddle, it doesn't matter, a nurse can fix a lot of things. I believe babies should be nursed whenever they want it. This is not suitable for everyone, and that is fine. I embrace differences in all facets of life. Just remember that as a parent your instincts and intuition are all your children will ever need.

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