Which is better. . . nursing my baby on demand or schedule feeding? The best way is to feed on cue. This advice is supported by much medical evidence, by La Leche League and lactation experts, by the American Academy of Pediatrics, and by many breastfeeding mothers.
Newborns should have frequent and unrestricted access to the breast. Here are some of the many benefits...
- The more often you nurse your baby, the sooner your milk will "come in."
- It can help alleviate or prevent engorgement. (I can vouch for this information being true... I nursed my daughter often, and when my milk "came in," I did not get engorged!)
- "The baby who nurses early and frequently will be less likely to display exaggerated levels of jaundice because frequent feeding causes the meconium (the stool present in the baby's intestine at the time of birth and rich in bilirubin) to be excreted quickly and lessens the amount of bilirubin necessary for the baby to process." See Breastfeeding Answers: Jaundice
- If a baby nurses often, his mother's milk will be higher in fat content.
- Milk is made on a supply and demand basis... the more your baby nurses, the more milk there will be.
- Babies who are getting sick may nurse more often... the antibodies in his mother's milk help him fight the sickness.
- Babies go through growth spurts and will increase the frequency of nursing accordingly in order to increase the milk supply.
- It's good to watch for pre-cry cues because crying can cause your baby to have an uncoordinated suck, making it more difficult to initiate feeding.
- Sucking stimulates prolactin. The frequency of sucking has a greater effect on prolactin levels than the intensity of sucking, so frequent nursing builds up your prolactin.
Prolactin, often called "mothering hormone," relaxes you and increases your milk supply. According to Dr. Sears, "Prolactin is probably the chemical basis of mother's intuition and may be one reason mothers have a more intuitive nurturing response to cries than fathers" (The Fussy Baby p. 54).
What does feed on demand mean?
Feed your baby whenever he seems to want it--in other words, follow his cues. According to Dr. William and Martha Sears, RN, IBCLC, "Babies will demonstrate feeding cues for up to 30 minutes before they start crying." How will you know he is hungry? What are his cues? The following list shows some ways your baby will let you know he needs to nurse:
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