My 3 week old nurses every hour and is never satisfied. What can I do?

First off, congratulations on the recent delivery of your baby boy. And you mentioned that he's 3 weeks old, he's wanting to eat every hour sometimes, you're wondering if this is normal, if it's a sign that he's not getting enough to eat. And most newborns during the first 4 to 6 weeks of life will want to eat 2 to 3 ounces every 2 to 3 hours, but some babies want to eat every hour, and this is especially common during growth spurts and in the evening hours. And it's important to nurse a baby more frequently when they're going through growth spurts, because this is how your baby gets the nutrients they need to grow and how your body is stimulated to make more milk. So these natural growth spurts (which actually can happen between 2 and 3 weeks of life) are meant to stimulate your body to make more milk, because the more your baby nurses, the more your body gets the message to make more. So you go from making 2 to 3 ounces every 2 to 3 hours in the beginning to making 4 to 6 ounces every 3 to 4 hours when your baby is 5 to 6 months old. So it's really important to feed your baby on demand in the beginning, especially if they're wanting more.

Now there are a couple of other explanations. Maybe he's going through a growth spurt, maybe he's just looking for comfort in between feedings. If you just finished feeding him and he's acting fussy, try soothing him in other ways. And if he's really liking sucking, you can try a pacifier. If you use the right kind and you wait till a baby is well-established on breastfeeding, it's not likely to cause nipple confusion and make it so that they won't breastfeed. Look for the types of binkies that have a long skinny nipple, and that makes it so that he has to work just as hard to keep that in his mouth as he would a real nipple, so he doesn't get confused and have the big bulbous nipple in his mouth that just stays there even if he doesn't work to keep it in his mouth.

Now, it is possible that he needs more to eat, and so you might want to try boosting your milk supply, and there's a lot of different ways to go about this. Basically, you just sneak in extra pumping sessions or nursing sessions, and again, this stimulates your body to make more milk just like a natural growth spurt. And if you choose to pump, then you'll be able to see how much your body is actually producing, and if you're producing enough, that will reassure you that what you're giving him is sufficient.

Ultimately though, the best sign that he's getting enough to eat is that he's having at least 6 wet diapers a day, he's having regular bowel movements, and he's gaining the appropriate amount of weight as determined by your pediatrician. So I do suggest talking to them about it before you supplement with formula. They'll be able to weigh him, make sure he's gaining weight, and if he's not and he's falling behind, then maybe they will recommend supplementation with formula if you're able to naturally boost your own milk supply.

Now keep in mind that if you have to supplement with formula, that's okay. Don't feel bad about it, don't feel guilt. Some moms don't make enough milk, some make skim instead of whole, and thankfully we just have a good alternative to breast milk that can provide the nutrition a baby needs in order to grow and thrive. And if you're still giving your baby some breast milk, then whatever you've given up to this point is giving your baby the benefits of what breast milk has to offer. Good luck with everything, and if you have more questions for me in the future, feel free to ask them on our Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/IntermountainMoms, and recommend us to your friends and family too.

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