Breastfeeding Schedule
Reduce Stress and Boost Your Baby’s Health: 2 Reasons to Use a Breastfeeding Schedule
As a new mom who has chosen to use breastfeeding for your little ones nutritional needs, having a breastfeeding schedule benefits both you and your baby. Between sleepless nights and hectic days, parenting isn’t easy. To help get your baby off to a great start, it’s important to have all the information you need.
Why Breastfeed?
Breast milk is the only known substance scientifically proven to provide an infant with all the nutrients it needs for healthy growth. Besides supplying your child with essential and impossible to replicate enzymes, breast milk also gives him or her a better immune system and increased brain function.
As if giving your baby the best shot at a healthy life wasn’t enough, breastfeeding has its advantages for you, too. Confirmed for its usefulness in postpartum weight loss and reproductive stabilization, breast feeding is an excellent way to get back to normal after giving birth.
How to Breastfeed
Breastfeeding is actually easier than you may think. Many times, a new mother may be reluctant to engage in the practice out of fear or embarrassment. If you are interested in breastfeeding, don’t let anxiety stand in the way of doing what’s best for your little one. Most hospitals offer help to new moms in the form of written information, oral instruction, and by assisting during your first feedings.
If you are expecting, talk to your obstetrician about breastfeeding ahead of time so you can feel comfortable and confident when your newborn begins rooting for food. If you have recently given birth and are still undecided whether to use formula or breast milk, make sure that you begin expressing your milk manually to ensure your supply does not lessen.
The Importance of a Breastfeeding Schedule
Breastfeeding your baby is an exciting opportunity to bond with your little one while providing them with the food they need to survive. As with all humans, babies need to eat on a regular basis. Instituting a breastfeeding schedule may sound like an impossible task in the beginning, but the rewards are worth the effort.
- Feeding on a schedule helps both child and parent to establish a routine. Life is hectic enough with a newborn; knowing when to feed and when not to can eliminate a lot of worry and stress.
- A breastfeeding schedule ensures that your little one will not go hungry. While most infants display clear signs of hunger, many new parents may have yet to understand his or her needs.
- Regular feedings ensure that breast milk supplies will be adequate for your infant’s nutritional needs each time they feed.
How a Breastfeeding Schedule Works
As with all things in life, nothing is guaranteed. Each infant has their own level of hunger and individual nutritional needs. There is, however; specific guidelines that can help new parents to establish a sensible breastfeeding schedule that encompasses most babies.
Newborn to 1 month: During this crucial time of growth and development, your little one will likely need to feed every two hours. While some babies may eat more or less often, most pediatricians suggest offering the breast when an infant displays signs of hunger such as sucking on their fist or rooting for the breast.
3 to 10 Months: As your baby begins to mature, variations in feeding will occur. Likely, your baby will start to stay on the breast for longer periods of time and the time between feedings will increase. Instead of 12 feedings per day for newborns, older infants will typically eat between 2 to 4 hours apart.
At around 4 to 6 months, your baby may begin to show signs that he or she is ready for more substantial foods. You may wish to offer 2 to 3 teaspoonfuls of fortified infant cereal during two of your feeding sessions to satisfy hunger. As they grow, you can begin supplementing larger portions and a better assortment of food.