Dear Helen

My daughter recently turned three months old, she is a big girl at 7.5 kg (birth weight 3.6 kg). She is thriving but breastfeeds very frequently.

We have not established a regular daily routine, and my daughter has a breast feed every 1½ hour. My breasts are often sore in the evening where she eats for about 2 hours, and I am not sure that her milk intake is covered. I only give her from one breast at each feed. Instead of a dummy she uses me, and although it is rather hard we are so lucky that she sleeps through the night, i.e. between 7 and 10 hours without having a feed.

Herdis

Answer

Dear Herdis

When sleeping 7-10 hours in the night without having a breast feed your daughter needs to eat frequently in the daytime. This is the only way the milk intake can be covered. Alternatively, if the intervals between the breast feeds are longer, you have to breastfeed her in the night ...

However, I would also recommend that you sometimes offer her both breasts at the same feed. Start giving her from one breast until you are sure that she has eaten was she needs. Change her nappy and then offer her the other breast. This way you will be sure that she eats a little extra, and perhaps she will sleep a little longer. Stimulating both breasts also increases the milk production, and at next feed make sure to offer her the breast where she ended at the last feed, make sure she empties it, change her nappy, and offer her the other breast.

I also suggest that you offer her a dummy after the breastfeeding, in case you need to stimulate her sucking need, now that you are sure that she has had enough milk.

I hope this is helpful.

Kind regards,

Helen Hansen