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<h1>Breastfeeding - www.breastfeeding.org.nz</h1>

Hungry baby


My baby is always hungry, what can I do?


The first thing to remember is that a breastfeeding baby will not be feeding like a bottle-feeding baby so it may seem as if a baby is giving feeding cues very frequently.

If a mother is breastfeeding for the first time her baby’s behaviour may cause her to have doubts about her breastfeeding and this may be the time when exclusive breastfeeding is most at risk.

Some mothers introduce infant formula during the first six weeks because they are worried that their baby is too hungry and they do not have enough breastmilk. If the Lead Maternity Carer (LMC) midwife is still visiting the baby will be weighed and her/his urine and bowel motions noted. In the absence of problems with baby weight and output (urine and bowel motions) it is possible that baby may be having normal breastfeeding cluster feeds (breastfeeds close together) or experiencing a feeding frequency time due to a growth spurt. Mothers can talk about their concerns with their LMC midwife, a Well Child Health worker, a lactation consultant or a La Leche League counselor.

When a baby breastfeeds frequently and removes milk from the breasts this helps to increase and/or maintain milk supply robustly. Ask for advice before starting to use infant formula as introducing anything other than breastmilk in the first six months will cause a breastmilk supply to reduce as the baby feels full and then removes less from the breasts.

Some of the infant formula products on the New Zealand market are advertised as being for babies who are very hungry or to give a feeling of fullness to the baby. It may be tempting to try and settle a baby (for the night) by using one of these products but these formula products often have a very large amount of a more difficult to digest milk protein so a baby may become more unsettled. Exclusive breastfeeding without infant formula is recommended as optimal for the first six months of a baby’s life.



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Page last reviewed: 31 July 2008


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