Can you over-feed a breastfed baby?
Sometimes those supporting a breastfeeding mother might suggest her baby is feeding too much and her baby shouldn’t be at the breast so much.
Research has shown that babies breastfeed around 8-12 times in 24 hours. HOWEVER, the same research showed some babies feed as many as 17 times in 24 hours!!! Let’s unpack what this might look like:
24 divided by 8 equals 3 and 24 divided by 12 equals 2: which might suggest babies feed every 2-3 hourly. However, that’s not how things work. Its not like setting a timer on your phone to tell you when to eat!
Your real day will look more random. Sometimes feeds are really close together - which we call cluster feeding. Other times, longer sleep periods mean it might be 4 hours from the start of one feed to the start of the next. In the early months, a feed session might take up to an hour (which could include a cat nap at the breast halfway through). A day might look a bit like this:
Midnight: Mother and baby are breastsleeping, with the nipple in or near the baby’s mouth even when not actively feeding.
2.15 am: The baby stirs enough to wake their mother, who draws them closer to her body. The baby latches and mother dozes back to sleep while the baby breastfeeds for 40 minutes before coming off in a deep sleep.
4.00 am: The mother is woken by a noisy possum on the roof. Her baby is also in a light sleep stage and stirs. Mum offers the other breast and stays awake until the baby comes off and she pops them into the bedside bassinet. She gets up to use the bathroom, returns to bed and falls asleep quickly.
6.00 am: The alarm goes off for the baby’s father to get up for work. Mum is still asleep but the baby is lying awake. He picks them up, changes their nappy and brings the baby back to Mum in bed and she wakes just enough to latch them on. Dad goes to put the kettle on for tea and makes them both breakfast.
6.45 am: Baby is fed but still awake so Mum eats some toast while rocking the baby as she walks around the kitchen. The baby falls asleep and Mum successfully transfers them into the bassinet and heads to the shower.
7.00 am: Mum hurries her shower, convinced her baby is crying. She returns to the bedroom, where the baby is fast asleep. Their mother gets dressed and throws some washing in the machine. She makes coffee and sits down to scroll her phone.
8.30 am: Baby wakes and has one breast. Mum changes their nappy and dresses them for the day and sits down to offer the second breast. Baby latches and, minutes later, issues a significant sound and poo begins to seep out of the nappy.
9.15 am: Mother changes baby into clean nappy and outfit, changes her own outfit and sits down to feed and the baby settles back to sleep. Mum holds her sleeping baby on her lap and catches up on messages and social media.
10.30 am: Mother needs to wee and carefully transfers her baby into the bassinet in the living room and makes a quick dash before they wake.
10.40 am: Quick feed on one breast and into the baby carrier to walk the dog. Pick up bread at the bakery and catch up with a friend from mum’s group.
12.00 pm: Back home and baby wakes when taken out of the carrier to change very wet nappy. Mum offers the other breast and pops baby on the floor for tummy time while she makes lunch.
12.20 pm: Baby does not want to have tummy time so mother makes lunch while holding baby. Mum eats lunch with baby asleep on her chest.
1.00 pm: Baby stirs, so time for a nappy change and then both lie down in bed for a feed and nap together.
2.45 pm: Mums phone buzzes with a reminder the online shopping delivery is due. Baby is still asleep. Quick toilet break and switch the washing into the dryer. Put the kettle on and almost get a hot cup of tea but baby is awake.
3.15 pm: Baby has another nappy and outfit change as they are soaked through. Back to the couch in the living room for both breasts and a cat nap. Successful transfer into the bassinet and the kettle is switched back on. Delivery arrives. Dog barks. Baby wakes crying.
4. 00 pm: Baby is on the second breast. Shopping is still on doorstep. Mum is watching her shows, sipping cold tea.
5.10 pm: Baby is asleep at the breast but stirs each time mum moves. Dad messages to ask what she wants to have for dinner. Shopping is still on the doorstep.
6.15 pm: Dad arrives and brings shopping in. Mum hands him the waking baby and dashes to the toilet. Baby shrieks. Dad changes nappy and rocks the baby until Mum returns. Baby goes back to the breast and has both sides, then back for a third. Dad searches through grocery bags and starts organising dinner.
7.05 pm: Dad eats dinner while rocking baby in bouncer with his foot. Baby grizzles and is not settling. Mum eats dinner with baby back on the breast.
8.15 pm: Baby wakes and dad changes their nappy and dresses them for bed. Mum has a quick shower and gets into her pajamas. She hops into bed with the baby and her phone. Baby breastsleeps and mum falls asleep before Dad comes to bed half an hour later after loading the dishwasher. Baby comes off the breast but remains close.
10.30 pm: Baby latches on to the breast but mum doesn’t wake. Baby feeds back to sleep.
Can you count the breastfeeds? How many sides equal a feed? How long is a sleep between feeds compared to a catnap between sides? Does it matter?
Clearly this baby is thriving on their mother’s milk. She is following their feeding cues and responding. Her baby has plenty of wet nappies and poo and they do spend time after most feeds content or sleeping.
Clocks and volumes and times and quantities are pretty meaningless when it comes to breastfed babies. Responsive feeding means they are fed when when they seek the breast, regardless of why they seek the breast. Across a day or a week, they might have vaguely recognisable patterns by six months but there is always variation in a rapidly growing baby.
Can you breastfeed too often? Not really. If a baby doesn’t want the breast, you cannot make them take it, You cannot force the milk into their mouth. Breastfeeding is something the baby does. We don’t really do it to them.
Can you underfeed a breastfed baby? Absolutely. By imposing schedules and routines which limit the baby’s access to the breast, using a dummy to stretch out the time between feeds or ignoring feeding cues, you can reduce your baby’s intake of breastmilk AND reduce your milk supply.
As babies grow and mature, they breastfeed more efficiently and can take more milk per feed. However, breastfeeding is about much more than food and babies breastfeed for all sorts of valid reasons.
