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As an International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), I'm committed to helping moms achieve their breastfeeding goals. I know it's not always easy, but I can support you along the way. I'm here to help with all things breastfeeding, be it day 1 or day 365.
My baby is a month old and still wants to sleep all day and eat all night. I'm exhausted. I don't think I can keep this up much longer.
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Dana C.
Hang in there mama! Most of the moms I work with (if not all!) can certainly relate. I promise it gets easier and this works itself out over time. To speed the process up, I would recommend waking babe during the day to feed every 3 hours. This will help baby start differentiating day from night. The hope is that baby will begin nursing more frequently during the day (get those calories in) and be able to stretch longer during the night. Also, make sure to differentiate the day feeds versus the night feeds too -- during day the lights are on, people are talking, you are engaging with baby, etc. During the nighttime feeds try to keep the lights dim and voices very low + no tv, no playing...keep it boring and get babe back to bed as soon as you can :) |
My baby is only a few days old. So far I've only been breastfeeding. Some feeds go better than others. I feel like sometimes he eats for 30 plus minutes but sometimes it's only 5 minutes and he falls asleep. Then of course, he wants to eat again half hour later. What am I doing wrong?
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Dana C.
You're not doing anything wrong! Sounds like you are doing awesome, mama. This is very normal newborn behavior. Nursing sessions won't always be the same length of time. Sometimes our baby is hungrier than other times, sometimes are breasts are fuller than other times so baby takes one side instead of 2, etc. There are no strict time rules. That being said, 5 minutes is probably too short. There are a lot of helpful tricks to keep baby more awake during a feed: undress babe down to diaper so babe is more alert and easier to tickle/stimulate during feed. You can also take a quick break and burp babe (not just to get a burp but to wake babe up!). My favorite trick is to squeeze or compress breast while babe is still latched -- you will notice with the increase of milk flow, babe will start drinking again. Using your hands to help babe get a good, full feed is a great strategy no matter how old baby is! |
I am concerned that my baby isn’t latching properly. The hospital gave me a nipple guard due to the fact that my nipple are flat. My baby is 5 weeks old today and we are still using the nipple guard and I would like to feed him without it, but don’t know how to get him to latch properly. All the videos I have watched show moms who have protruding nipples. And I believe his latch is affecting my milk supply I can only pump an ounce total after pumping 30 to 60 minutes.
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Dana C.
The nipple shield can be a great tool to help enable baby to latch at breast in beginning but you’re wise to try and transition off. At your next feed start the session as usual with the shield. Halfway through the first side see if you can slip off and latch babe without. Often when milk is flowing + nipple has everted during the feed baby has easier time latching directly (plus baby’s not starving anymore and is more relaxed). Let me know how’s it goes! |
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Aubrey I will definitely give that a try! Thank you! |
How long do breastfed babies nurse 8-12 times a day? When will the amount of times they eat start to decrease?
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Dana C.
At eight weeks most babies are eating every 2-3 hours during the day and stretching a bit longer during night. The length of time babies nurse at breast varies tremendously and may be impacted by mom’s milk supply. I’ve seen babies be done in ten minutes and others nurse for 40+. The length of nursing time may also vary depending on time of day. Are you concerned about the number/length of your baby’s feeds? |
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Courtney Thanks Dana, I’m not concerned about her feeding just curious to know how long I can expect it to be so frequent.... |
My baby will not latch, or take the breast , instead she gets very anxious and cry all the time
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Dana C.
Hi Karina - that’s very stressful! Is this new all of a sudden today or has latching been an issue from day 1? |
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Karina Thank you i will do that |
Hi there!!
I have a three week old baby girl! She is my first and I am very lost!! Dont have any family members here!
Shes is not sleeping much at night and lots during the day. So at night all I do is nurse, burp, and put down but she does not like to be put down! So i pick her up again, nurse her, but she falls asleep on the nipple. When Input her down again she cries, so I pick her up again. Then so on and so forth. I do this routin for like 2 or three hours so I think she is really using my nipple as a pacifier... one cracked so im pumping it and the other one is on process if I keep giving it to her so much.... what am I doing wronggg!!!!
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Dana C.
Hi! So sorry to hear you are in pain. Usually a painful latch and cracked nipples = a shallow latch. Check out this resource on positioning and latching from Stanford University’s Dr. Jane Morton - it has great pictures and descriptions of how to achieve a deeper more comfortable latch. Enhancing the latch will also help baby get more milk at each feed and then hopefully let you get a little more rest between feedings! Pumping to give yourself a break is a great strategy! This allows your nipples to heal + gets milk for babe + protects your milk supply. https://med.stanford.edu/newborns/professional-education/breastfeeding/abcs-of-breastfeeding/getting-started---position-and-latch.html |
My baby is five weeks old and breast-fed. I feel like I’m getting a cold and know that zinc is good for helping to fight off a cold but I’m not sure how much is safe to take. How much would zinc can I take per day?
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Dana C.
My understanding is that the jury is still out if zinc really helps fight the common cold...there are a few differing studies out there. That being said, the recommended daily dose for adults is 12-15 mg. Most supplements are 25-50 mg. Dr Thomas Hale rates zinc as an L2 (on breastfeeding compatibility scale of L1-L5) which is, “probably compatible.” Per Hale 25-50 mg a Day is probably safe but excessive doses are discouraged. For more information you can consult the InfantRisk.com website or hotline. They are the experts on medication safety and breastfeeding. Feel better! |
I was told you can never over feed a breastfed baby because we never really know how much they are getting from the breast. Well, if I am pumping and leave my little one with grandma for a couple hours how much breast milk should she be given for one feeding and is it possible to overfeed with breast milk at that point?
My son is 5 months now and up until now everything was going so well. Now I’m seeing a decrease in my milk supply when I’m pumping it out. I also feel like he’s eating more. I’m getting concerned that what if I can’t keep up with how much he wants to eat. I tried the tea called mothers milk but nothing is working. Could stress have an effect on supply? What should I do about my milk supply?
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Dana C.
Hi Dajah - usually the best way to boost supply is to add in a couple extra pumping sessions or do some hand expressing after baby finishes nursing or after the pump stops dripping. You can usually get more out with your hands! The more we empty the more we make! |
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Dajah Yeah I should add in more pumping sessions throughout the day when I am home. |
What Can I do to produce more I want to keep feeding my baby Breast milk I hate formula.