I feel like my baby doesn't get full with my breastmilk.

Question

I have a week old baby and I am breastfeeding but I feel like he does not get full. He is constantly wanting to eat. I know I have milk because it comes out, but I don't know what to do. Well it get better, because I don't want it to be where later I am not able to do anything because I am feeding him all day long.

Answer 1

That's because breastmilk, as good as it is, is much more watery then formula. That combined with a tiny tummy = nonstop feedings. There's nothing wrong with formula feeding. (Despite what some of the zealots on here will tell you) ;) Breastfeed for as long as your comfortable doing it and when you decide enough is enough, switch to formula. It's your choice and don't let anyone make you feel guilty about it.

edit - Just wanted to ask, are you emptying one breast before starting on the other? The less watery stuff is the hindmilk which the baby will only get when he's completely emptied the breast.

Answer 2

Yes, that is normal and little itty babies have little itty bitty stomachs.  There is nothing you can do but feed him because that is what will happen.  And I wouldn't use it as an excuse to switch to formula.  That didn't help him sleep any longer.

Answer 3

It is not unusual for newborns to nurse every 1-2 hours around the clock, sometimes even taking as much as 45 minutes to an hour to accomplish each feeding.  So, it truly can be a 24 hour task to get your baby fed.  In the first few weeks of life, this frequent need to nurse is normal and is actually what is helping your body and your baby's needs work out the supply and demand feature of breast feeding.  As your baby grows and your body regulates how much milk is needed it will get better.  However, growth spurts can send you back to having a baby attached to your breast for seemingly 24 hours a day for a couple days until things even out.  There is a good reason why mom's should take at least 6 weeks after the birth of their baby for recovering, rest, and adjustment.  It can easily take 6-8 weeks for breast feeding to become established plus it is not uncommon for it to take 6-8 weeks for mom's body to feel healed and rested after the birth process.  In a few weeks you should begin to notice things beginning to be easier and you'll be able to do more in between feedings.  For the time being, set up a comfortable nursing spot and sit back and nurse your baby whenever he wants to.

Answer 4

What you describe is completely normal. New babies often want to eat constantly.  It doesn't mean that your milk isn't good enough, or that you don't have enough.  It means that baby has a tiny tummy and can only hold a few teaspoons at a time -- and that nature tells him to nurse often so that your supply will get established.

This won't last forever.  As he gets bigger, he will hold more at a time, and your supply will settle down to meet his needs.  By the time he is 3-4 weeks old he'll probably be nursing about every 2 hours most of the time, with a longer stretch (3-5 hours) at night.  

Answer 5

The first 6 weeks or so, they're going to eat constantly. The stomach is really small, the milk is digested quickly, and they are putting in an order for a good supply for later. Without this frequent feeding going on now, you would run out of milk later.

So, the baby is getting enough milk, but cluster feeding is normal and healthy.  

Answer 6

Funny i just learned this in a class i attended with W.I.C

What i was informed was that breast milk contains the right amount of fat and vitamins which will get the babies full fast but not for a long amount of time which means you can feed your baby about every 1-2 hours for the entire day, their stomachs are small too so they can only intake so much milk. It might seems that he is not getting enough but he is. When the baby lets go of the nipple its because they are full but will quickly be hungry again.

You should also make sure that when the baby is sucking on the nipple half of the areola is covered and that it is sucking and getting milk and not just sucking

If your nipples are sore or feel you just cant breast feed pump your milk and feed the baby your breast milk through a bottle.

If you qualify for W.I.C they will provide you with a free manual breast pump or "lend" you an electric one. Regardless you are making the right choice in breastfeeding keep up the good work you baby will be very healthy.

Just know breastfeeding is very stressful and painful but its worth it.

Good Luck!!!!

Answer 7

I breast fed for 14 months with my baby, and from experience, I can say my baby nursed every half hour for almost the first 3 months. It was crazy. And I felt like she didnt get enough but the nurse and doctor both checked it out and said that first, her tummy was super small and constantly used up the milk and second, that my milk was so healthy that every last drop got used up almost right away by her body.  So it is normal. And eventually it will slow down.

Answer 8

Welcome to motherhood. Who said it was easy being a mom?

Breastmilk is digested fast because it's the ideal food for babies, therefore they get hungry again very soon. Some babies also nurse for comfort, like my son. Hewould not sleep unless he was on my breast & if i took him off, he'd wake & get very mad.

However, it gets better. Be patient. Your baby deserves the best, even if it means the house will be a mess for a couple of wks/months.

God Bless

Answer 9

At first it may seem like your little one is constantly eating. It's normal for younger babies to want to eat every 1-2 hours, especially if breastfed. Their bellies are quite tiny and can only hold a small amount. Also breast milk digests faster making your baby want to eat more.

As your baby grows the time between feedings WILL expand. Just keep up what you're doing.

Answer 10

I breastfed my first for 4 weeks so she got the colostrum but after that I switched to formula. She is a healthy child who has never been sick yet. My point is, feed the baby however your comfortable with.