Cluster Feeding: What to Do When Baby Wants to Eat CONSTANTLY

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This is a time when baby wants to nurse constantly. They will literally want to latch onto your breast every 15-20 minutes or even more frequently. It can happen any time of the day but usually in the afternoon into the evening. It can last a day or two, or even a week with small breaks.
When a baby wants to cluster feed, it's usually when they are going through a growth spurt and they are needing more breast milk to support their nutritional demand. It may seem that they will latch nurse for 2 minutes, then pop off with frustration and then relatch 10 minutes later for 2 minutes and then pop off back and forth and back and forth. This is generally ok as long as their diaper output is strong. This is simply baby’s way at stimulating your breast constantly to signal your body to produce more breast milk since milk is on a supply and demand system.
Significant growth spurts and hence, cluster feedings most often occur at these times:
Day 2
weeks 2-3
weeks 4-6
3 months
Now let’s move on to ways to soothe yourself and baby through cluster feeding periods:
Carve out a space for yourself: Set up a dedicated location in your home where you can nurse and relax in peace. Make sure you have a cozy chair, a foot rest, water, snacks and nipple cream ready to go in your nursing station.
Use soothing techniques: Try to keep your baby as relaxed as possible when nursing by swaying, rocking, and using sound machines to keep baby in a calm state. Avoid bright lights, loud sounds or too much stimulation. You can nurse skin-to-skin to help boost your milk supply, support oxytocin production, and keep baby content.
Be flexible: If you can surrender to the cluster feeding rather than fight it, this will help immensely. Sleep when the baby naps during the day. Don’t worry about household chores and see if your partner can take care of mealtimes so that you can rest and replenish.
Take care of your breasts: Frequent nursing can be brutal for your nipples, however some remedies that you may want to try out are:
Using nipple creams
Applying warm compress
Avoiding bras temporarily
Rotating breastfeeding positions

Eat well and stay hydrated: Your body burns upto 500 calories just by breastfeeding during this time period so make sure you eat well! Also keep yourself hydrated and have at least 8-10 cups of Spring water a day.

Get professional help: If you have questions about cluster feeding, have nipple pain, or feeling stressed, find a professional who can help. Lactation consultants and organizations like La Leche League or Breastfeeding USA can offer professional advice as well as support groups for new moms.

Lean on family and friends: Utilize your partner to make cluster feeding more manageable. If you find yourself stuck in an unusually long feeding session, don’t be afraid to ask your partner to bring you a glass of water, readjust your pillows, or even tidy the house while you feed the baby. You may also want someone to cook for you! Or find some healthy takeout places.
Practice babywearing & skin-to-skin: When the baby wants to nurse constantly, put him/her in your baby carrier! Baby can nurse away and you can actually get a few things done around the house. Even better, do it while practicing skin-to-skin contact. This simple practice boosts milk supply, endorphin levels and calms a fussy baby.
Embrace the bonding time: Try to focus on the biggest benefit of frequent nursing sessions: extra snuggles with your beautiful baby, this can help you cope better during this tough time. A positive attitude can do wonders for your baby, too. When you’re more relaxed, baby tends to be more relaxed and nursing sessions will go smoother.

Lastly, if your baby seems to always want to cluster feed, you will want to see if there are other issues going on:
For example, is baby losing weight or not gaining enough weight
Does your baby have fewer wet or dirty diapers?
Does your baby have a fever?
Does your baby have a lip or tongue tie that makes nursing more difficult?
Are you over or under producing milk?

If these signs are present, call your pediatrician or a lactation consultant immediately for help.
During bouts of cluster feeding, the baby should be gaining weight and maintaining strong diaper output, so these symptoms could indicate another issue.

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