My 4-month-old nurses about every 3 hours. At night he sometimes goes 4 or 5 hours between feedings, but it's not consistent. Sometimes he'll wake every hour! I know that technically, a 4-month-old should be able to last a little longer. And I keep telling myself it will get better! What I want to know is how long should I comfort him with singing, patting, rocking, etc, before nursing him.
Hi N.,
It seemed that my two nursed constantly at that age (they are now 22 and 12!) The truth is I really miss nursing now. Sometimes they nursed just for comfort or help in getting back to sleep. Sometimes they were going through growth spurts or teething. Follow your heart.
Good Luck!
D.
Kudos for nursing. Questions like this are good to ask from a La Leche League certified Leader (there is probably one in your area (do a search on http://www.lllusa.org/).
I have breastfed all three of my boys. What I learned is that answering my baby's needs (to nurse or whatever) was important and became my focus. Your son may do better with a crib beside your bed -- some way to make it easier for you to nurse him and lay him back down to sleep with less bother to you. Another idea is that you may need more sleep during the day. Call it your "night job" and check out some Mother's Day out program for your 3-year-old or half-days at a local day care.
Keep in mind that this time in your life is hard but your baby won't be this young forever. Things will get better. The answer to your question "how often should he nurse" is not answerable by anyone other than you! Babies nurse for more than just food. I remember thinking, for what seemed like the longest time, that no binky was acceptable and I was the pacifier! I hope you stay in there and allow him to nurse as much and as often as he wants. That's my opinion and you can see if it fits for you or not.
Good luck.
Mine nursed constantly (it seemed) until he started eating food around 6 months.
At four months I felt like that was all my baby did. I think she nursed constantly. She would also wake up alot at night and I know it is very tiring. Like you said, it will get better. In fact, my little one just turned two and I finally feel like I am able to get a good nights sleep. But having her is soo worth being tired.
Sounds normal to me.
I would nurse first. If he isn't actively nursing and swallowing frequently, and just wants to fall asleep or play you can usually tell the difference pretty quickly.
Most kiddos start "sleeping through the night" at that age but that is only means they sleep for 5 hours at a stretch. Waking every hour could be due to a growth spurt or discomfort.
It does get better, but exactly when is different for different kiddos. Hopefully you will get more of a break soon.
Hey N.,
I nursed my little guy and plan on doing it again with my next one I have due here in a couple months. I just let my little one nurse when ever he wanted. I made sure though that is was at least every three to four hours. Whatever my baby needs, I give to him. If he wants held, I hold him. If he wants sung to, I sing. Take advantage of this bonding time with your little one. It will pay off in the long run.
Babies should nurse when they are hungry and that will vary from baby to baby. Also you may notice an increase in feedings every 7 weeks or so when they experience a growth spurt. Usually growth spurts are also accompanied by more sleeping. This is completely normal. I agree that you should watch the queues, if he just want to nurse to fall asleep then he wasn't really hungry. It's a constant learning experience because just when you think you've figured it out, the baby changes the rules. The good news is as he grows he will sleep more hours at night eventually!
You also want to make sure you are not picking him up right away when he wakes up. Let him fuss a bit. He is getting to the age where he will need to learn how to comfort himself back to sleep. If after a few minutes he is still fussing then go and see if he is hungry. I agree to feed him first, then put him right back down to sleep. The more you sing, rock, pat etc the more he will want to wake up just for that!
Enjoy it while it lasts!
with breast milk they eat all the time and when food comes into play they will back up a little my three childre could not get enough of me and my 4 year old still seems to remember she was there 2 years ago ... it is mostly water remember that Juyst be sure to give your body what it needs and let that baby drink away
