Common breastfeeding questions: how often, how long, waking baby (2024)

FAQs

Common breastfeeding questions: how often, how long, waking baby? ›

In the first few weeks of life, breastfeeding should be "on demand" (when your baby is hungry), which is about every 1-1/2 to 3 hours. As newborns get older, they'll nurse less often, and may have a more predictable schedule. Some might feed every 90 minutes, whereas others might go 2–3 hours between feedings.

As a rough guide, babies need to feed at least eight to 12 times (sometimes more) over 24 hours during the first few weeks (NHS, 2019a; UNICEF, 2010). That means they'll probably need to feed every two to three hours. Watch our video for tips on how often and how long to breastfeed your baby for.

Most babies are able to sleep through the night – or sleep for at least six hours without waking up to eat – sometime between 3 to 6 months of age. Healthy babies who are born full-term are generally able to sleep through the night without a feeding starting at 3 months of age or when they weigh 12 to 13 pounds.

Many newborns breastfeed for 10 to 15 minutes on each breast, but they can also nurse for much longer, even up to an hour. Talk to your doctor or lactation consultant if your newborn is regularly nursing for longer than 50 minutes, though. This may indicate that they aren't getting enough milk.

Each breastfeeding session could last between 12 and 67 minutes, and during that time the infants consumed, on average, 54 mL to 234 mL of milk.

Most newborns need eight to 12 feedings a day — about one feeding every two to three hours. While waking up a sleeping baby might seem like a bad idea, frequent feedings early on are important for a couple of reasons: Crying is a late sign of hunger.

Most babies usually feel hungry every 3 hours until about 2 months of age and need 4-5 ounces per feeding. As the capacity of their abdomen increases, they go longer between feedings. At 4 months, babies may take up to 6 ounces per feeding and at 6 months, babies might need 8 ounces every 4-5 hours.

Most doctors will agree that you can stop intentionally waking your baby for night feedings around 3-4 months as long as they're showing stable weight gain and staying on their growth curve. However, some babies won't be able to sleep through the night without any feedings until closer to 9 months.

There's no hurry to phase out night feeds. You can choose what works best for you and your child. For breastfed children, night weaning might be an option from 12 months. For formula-fed children, you can consider phasing out night feeds from 6 months.

In most cases healthy, thriving newborns will wake when they need to feed and so get enough milk. Feeding your baby when they show early hunger signs can help them to attach and feed more effectively.

How quickly do breasts refill? ›

Your body is always making milk. That means there's no need to wait for the supply to “replenish” between feedings. In fact, waiting a long time between feeding your baby can actually reduce your milk supply. That's because your body does an amazing job of producing the right amount of milk to keep your baby happy.

For many babies, being close to mom is a comfort and the motion of sucking is soothing, so they may not unlatch when the breast is empty. If they're comfortable, they may even fall asleep. If that happens, mom can put a clean finger gently inside the baby's mouth to break the suction before pulling them away.

The average mom exclusively breastfeeds for the baby's first 6 months and then gradually introduces other food while continuing to breastfeed for 2 years or longer. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months after birth.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization also recommend exclusive breastfeeding for about the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods for up to 2 years of age or older.

If he remains on the breast until fast asleep, he might not wake up to take the second side, not being particularly hungry at that point. The baby should be offered the second breast when he is not drinking much any longer even with breast compression, not when he's asleep.

For babies aged 6 months to a year, night feeds may no longer be necessary and some babies will sleep for up to 12 hours at night.

It's not until they're closer to three months of age that many start sleeping for longer periods overnight. However, the general timeframe between overnight feeds is still around 5-6 hours.

Letting your baby sleep for longer periods (usually at around 3 months of age) isn't going to hurt your breastfeeding efforts. Your body readjusts your milk supply based on when you nurse and how much your baby needs.

It categorizes “short sleep duration” as less than 6 hours of sleep per night and “normal sleep duration” as 6 hours per night. This leads us to believe that shooting for 6 hours per night as a breastfeeding mom is a good goal.

Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to eat until he or she shows good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it's OK to let your baby sleep for longer periods of time at night.