Is Demand Feeding Right For You?

What Is Demand Feeding?

There are many fans of demand feeding, a type of feeding that relies on responding to a baby’s cues for feeding. At its best, it allows parents to be more in tune with their baby’s needs, and more responsive to cues such as rooting, sucking and hunger cries.

However, there are significant pitfalls with demand feeding. Some babies like to suck for comfort, even when hunger is satisfied. In the early days, “rooting” (moving the mouth and lips to find something to suck) is reflexive, and may not be a reliable sign of hunger. And, of course, babies cry for so many reasons. It may be hard for a first time parent to differentiate a hunger cry from a tired cry, an overstimulated cry, a cry for cuddles, or a cry of “sitting in a dirty nappy” discomfort.

How Can Demand Feeding Go Wrong?

I often see exhausted and tearful mommies in my clinic. They are feeding “on demand” as often as every 40 minutes, with each feed lasting only 10 minutes. They come to me emotionally overwrought and convinced they are failing their baby.

Some of these mommies are genuinely struggling to provide enough milk for their babies: weight gain is suboptimal, and their baby isn’t producing many wet or poopy nappies. But frequently I find a healthy, well- thrived baby, who is gaining weight well, and a mother who actually has an abundant supply of milk, due to the frequent stimulation of multiple short feeds.

Signs that demand feeding may not be working for you:

1. Your baby feeds for 10 minutes and then falls off the breast
2. She then appears hungry 30-40 minutes later, and demands to be fed
3. You are constantly exhausted
4. You’re worried you may not have enough milk

Why Does It Matter?

Apart from the sheer exhaustion that feeding a baby every 40 minutes can engender, there are other major considerations.

For the mother:

• Depression: this can be due to a sense of hopelessness, and feelings of failure as a mother. It can also be due a sensation of being trapped- a new mommy may feel she cannot leave the house as her baby requires almost constant feeding
• Anxiety: am I failing my child? Is she not getting enough milk? Is she starving?
• Breast milk oversupply: all this additional stimulation may lead to milk oversupply with a risk of blocked ducts and mastitis. Be careful about pumping to empty an over-full breast, as this may contribute further to oversupply. If you must express due to pain or engorgement, try to hand- express a small amount for comfort, rather than empty the breast fully.

For the baby:

• Poor settling: babies who take short frequent feeds often take only the thin watery “foremilk”, which satisfies their thirst, but not their hunger. After 30 minutes or so, the stomach is empty, and without the thicker, creamy, high-fat “hind-milk”, baby feels hunger again. She then repeats the cycle.
• Increased gassiness: hind-milk is high in fat, and stimulates release of bile acids from the liver. These then aid in digestion. Without the release of bile acids, babies may get indigestion. This then leads to increased crying and fussiness.
• Compromised weight gain over time: in the short term, babies may still continue to gain weight well. However, if this cycle is not reversed, the lack of fat from the hind milk may lead to poorer weight gain in the long term.

What Can You Do?

Firstly, make sure that your baby is receiving enough milk. Make an appointment to see a lactation consultant or your baby’s doctor to check her weight gain and nappy output is adequate. Your lactation consultant (and some doctors) will be able to check your milk supply too.

Once you have established that you have sufficient milk, it is time to regain control of the feeding schedule. I won’t lie to you- this is the painful part! You will need to stretch out the period between feeds- initially to 90 minutes, then two hours, and finally to three hours from the start of one feed to the start of the next feed.

As you stretch out the time between feeds, you should find that your baby becomes more efficient on the breast. She should “play with it” less, and suck more vigorously, and for longer, as she learns that mommy is not a snack dispenser!

If you find that your baby still falls asleep at the breast after 10 minutes despite stretching the time between feeds, you will need to wake her up. Be rude! You can stick you finger in her ear, tickle her toes or her belly; even change her nappy (a cold wet wipe to the bottom usually works well!). Make sure she is not too warm and cosy; don’t feed her swaddled or wrapped in multiple layers of clothes. Feel free to keep her naked for feeds; the skin- to skin contact is helpful for continuing to stimulate a good milk supply.

And Finally…

I would love to hear about your experiences with demand feeding. How did you get on with it? Did it work well for you, or did you experience issues? What did you find worked for you? Feel free to leave your comments below.

If you enjoyed reading this article, don’t forget to fill in your email in the subscription box at the top of the page to receive weekly articles direct into your inbox. Wishing you a great week ahead!