Dear Is This Normal,
My SIX month old still wants to breastfeed every two hours. . .is this normal?! I was prepared for the non-stop feeding in the beginning, but I guess I figured it would have calmed a bit by now. Don’t get me wrong, I love that I’ve been able to breastfeed for this long. But I would really like to not be chained to my baby by my boobs anymore.
Dear Non-Stop Nurser:
When I was breastfeeding my oldest, I remember feeling like the human equivalent of a twenty-four hour diner. The boobs never closed! That kid wanted to eat all the time and I didn’t really know that there was another option.
It was a rough and tiring nine-ish months, let me tell you. But, the good news is that your twenty-four hour chest diner is not NOT normal. Meaning that as long as your baby is hitting growth milestones, it’s not necessarily a cause for concern.
However, when your baby wants to breastfeed constantly it’s also incredibly draining and exhausting for you, so let’s try to get that babe to give your boobs break.
When babies are brand new and you’re following the newborn feeding chart, feeding on demand is the standard, especially as you establish your milk supply. As your baby grows, their feedings will start to space out, and by 4-6 months old, many babies have started on solids and nursing should space out to ~four to five times a day. You didn’t mention whether or not you’ve started your little one on solids, but it might be time to talk to your pediatrician about coming up with a solid solids plan! Not only is it an important developmental milestone, but it’s also freaking adorable and can be so much fun—just check out some of these Little Spoon babes!
In the meantime, it sounds like it’s time to start turning the patron away at the door when they come a-knockin’ after closing time. That can be so hard when your baby wants to breastfeed constantly! But it’s important to begin to establish a schedule for eating and sleeping. Of course, I hear you, this will probably be difficult (babies are famously known to scoff at schedules).
I will say this, it won’t be like this forever! Even though I understand that it totally feels that way right now. A few tweaks to how you nurse can get you both on a workable schedule that will keep your growing babe thriving and give you the break you need.
Time to Give Your Boobs a Break,
