Are you wondering when it’s okay to stop waking your newborn for night feedings? Should you alternate breasts when breastfeeding? How often should you burp your baby? And so much more?! Don’t worry, mama, I got you!
I would have hugely benefitted from this breastfeeding guide when I was a new mama, so I made it just for you!
0-1 Month Old
Newborn babies breastfeed 8-12 times per day. Breastmilk is easily and quickly digested; therefore, that’s why newborns are hungry often and need to be woken up to feed if they sleep for more extended periods.
You should wake your newborn every 3-4 hours to feed to ensure they meet and surpass their birth weight.
Once your baby shows good weight gain patterns (about 4 oz per week, for babies under 4 months old), you can stop waking your baby to nurse and start letting them set their own nursing patterns during the day! Therefore, as long as your baby meets this weight gain pattern, your baby will probably be 1-2 months old when you can stop waking them for night feedings.
But this doesn’t mean you should expect your baby to sleep through the night at 1-2 months old. Most likely, your baby will continue to wake up often to feed, and they need the nutrition to continue growing healthily, so I don’t recommend trying to train them to sleep through the night.
Experts recommend that breastfeeding and formula feeding should be “on-demand,” meaning whenever your baby is hungry, which can be every 1 ½ – 3 hours when they’re a newborn (0-3 months old)
Later on, when you do begin to gently night wean your baby, or your baby starts to night wean themselves (by starting to sleep through the night), it’s important to learn how to maintain your milk supply throughout this transition!
1-2 Months Old
When your baby is 1-2 months old, they will probably be nursing 7-9 times per day.
As newborns grow and get older, they’ll nurse less often, and they usually get a more predictable schedule. Some may feed every 90 minutes, and some may feed every 2-3 hours!
Your baby should still not go more than 3-4 hours without feeding, including overnight!
3-4 Months Old
Once your baby reaches 3-4 months old, they will most likely have a more predictable feeding schedule.
This more predictable schedule helps create daily routines, but don’t assume this is how feeding will stay from now on. Babies are constantly growing, and their needs will frequently change to support their health.
It’s normal for your baby’s food intake to vary by about 20% each day. Your baby is still a little person; some days, people are hungrier than others, so it’s crucial to watch for your baby’s hunger and fullness cues.
6-12 Months Old
During these months, breastfed babies’ feeding patterns (how often and how long they feed) will vary and continue to change as they start eating more solids.
I recommend continuing to follow your baby’s hunger and fullness cues and breastfeeding on demand when you notice signs of hunger.
If your baby is becoming less interested in breastfeeding after introducing solid foods, I recommend breastfeeding before offering any solids. Your breastmilk is still the most critical nutrition source, even after your baby is starting to eat more solids!
If you’d like to learn more about introducing solids check out The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Introducing Solids.
12-24 Months Old
The number of times a day a toddler breastfeeds will vary!
Some toddlers may only want to breastfeed only before bed and in the morning. In contrast, other toddlers may continue to drink breastmilk as a more significant portion of their diet. Either way is perfectly healthy as long as they’re getting enough calories and nutrition from your breastmilk and the food they eat!
I recommend continuing to follow your child’s cues to decide when they’re hungry and want to breastfeed. And if you’re interested in continuing to breastfeed beyond infancy, click here!
How Long Should Your Baby Breastfeed?
Newborns may nurse for 20 minutes or longer on one or both breasts. But as babies get older, they become more skilled at breastfeeding, and they may only take 5-10 minutes breastfeeding on each side.
How long it takes to breastfeed depends on you and your baby. So if they still take longer, that’s okay! Different circumstances will vary this time, such as:
- If your milk supply has come in (this usually happens 2–5 days after birth)
- your letdown reflex (which causes milk to flow from the nipple) occurs right away or after a few minutes into a feeding
- your milk flow is slow or fast
- the baby has a good latch, taking in as much as possible of your areola (the dark circle of skin around your nipple)
- If your baby begins gulping right away or takes it slow
- your baby is sleepy or distracted
Call your pediatrician or OB/GYN if you’re worried that your baby’s feedings seem too short or too long.
Feeding tip!: If your baby is a sleepy or distracted feeder, clip (or put over your shoulder) a baby toy that will keep your baby entertained with one thing in front of them while breastfeeding. This will also help keep them awake if they’re a sleepy feeder!
Should You Alternate Breasts While Breastfeeding?
There are a few options when it comes to alternating breasts during nursing sessions.
One option is to alternate breasts halfway through your baby’s feeding to reduce engorgement throughout the day between feedings. But if you pump both breasts after your baby breastfeeds to continue building a milk storage supply, then it’s completely optional.
I personally liked to alternate breasts halfway through the nursing session because my daughter had colic. It felt beneficial to burp her halfway through her feedings, and switching breasts halfway helped me make it an easy routine to follow!
And if you only want to nurse on one side each time you feed, you can still stop halfway to burp your baby!
Whether you chose to alternate breasts or stick to one breast at a time during feedings, I highly recommend purchasing the Haakaa.
I’m so excited to use the Haakaa with my next baby! I predict that I won’t alternate breasts (during one feeding) for my next child so that it’s easier to use the Haakaa and not having to alternate both the baby and the Haakaa!
The Haakaa is an excellent silicone breast pump that works just by correctly attaching it to your breast!
By putting the Haakaa on correctly, it uses suction to pull milk from your nipple.
If you’re interested in learning how to place and use the Haakaa correctly, check this out!
When you are nursing your baby, put the Haakaa on the other breast. Once your letdown is triggered, it can basically collect and suck out all of the milk from that breast!
Luckily it works very quickly too! It usually only takes about 10 minutes to collect all the milk from the letdown.
You have the option to purchase a Haakaa that holds either 4 oz of milk, or there’s one that can hold 5 oz!
If you’re nursing on one side at a time, I highly recommend downloading this baby feeding log to keep track of which breast you last nursed on! You can also log your pumping, bottle feeding, and diaper changes on this log as well!
When Should You Burp Your Baby?
I recommend always burping your baby halfway through feeding and also immediately after breastfeeding.
Some babies need more burping than others, depending on if they have reflux, gas, or colic.
If your baby spits up a lot, try burping more often. It’s normal for infants to spit up a small amount after feeding or during burping. Still, a baby shouldn’t vomit after feeding.
If your baby throws up all or most of a feeding, call their pediatrician.
Wondering Why Your Baby is Breastfeeding More Than Usual?
Babies will go through growth spurts, causing them to be hungrier than usual. To stimulate your breasts to increase supply to meet their needs, your baby will cluster feed,, causing them to feed very often.
A cluster feeding baby will feed even more often in the evening and night (as most babies do anyway), but this is good since your prolactin levels will increase in this middle of the night, which will help your breastmilk supply to catch up faster.
And remember, cluster feeding is normal and healthy! This does not mean your baby isn’t getting enough breastmilk!
Every baby is different but common times for growth spurts include:
- 7–14 days old
- 2 months old
- 4 months old
- 6 months old
Just continue feeding on demand by responding to their hunger cues to ensure your baby is getting enough breastmilk!
Check out How to Survive Cluster Feeding!
How Long Should You Breastfeed Your Baby?
This is a personal choice! Experts recommend that babies breastfeed exclusively (no juice, water, food, or formula) for at least the first 6 months. And you can continue for the next 6 months and beyond if it’s working for you and your baby!
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends continuing breastfeeding with complementary foods for up to 1 year or longer.
And the WHO takes it a step further, recommending to continue breastfeeding with complementary foods for up to 2 years of age or beyond.
If you’re interested in breastfeeding beyond 12 months, check out: The Powerful Benefits of Extended Breastfeeding!
It’s important to figure out what works best for you and your baby, mama. This is your breastfeeding experience!
I recommend to do your research until you come to a conclusion you feel happy with! Or you can simply breastfeed until your baby self weans.
It’s your choice, mama. You got this!
You are encouraged, educated, and empowered!
Sources
WHO Breastfeeding Recommendations
AAP Breastfeeding Recommendations
DISCLAIMER: This post is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding you or your baby’s health. Please read my Medical Disclaimer for more info
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