CONTENTS :
What's the difference between breastfeeding at set times and breastfeeding on demand, and which is best for you and your baby?
How do I breastfeed on demand?
The principle of breastfeeding on demand is simple: just give your baby the breast every time and for as long as he or she wants it. But that's the principle
In practice, to breastfeed on demand and avoid being "phagocyted" by your baby, learning to recognize hunger signals is a good place to start. But this is also where things get complicated. Hunger, tiredness, infant colic or first teeth, dirty diapers or the need for cuddles - in the first few months, it's not always easy to find your way around.
According to his rhythm, a baby up to 6 months suckles an average of 8 times a day. So many opportunities for you to ask yourself if your child is hungry and if it's time to give him the breast.
Moreover, to make himself understood baby will have sent you a multitude of signals more or less clear, more or less direct and more or less easy to spot, to express his need.
Recognizing when your baby is hungry
Even if he doesn't speak, baby is capable of letting you know he's hungry. All physical, the indications they send you, also known as "signs of arousal", are gradual, right up to the most imperative of them all, crying.
- It all starts at . Whether baby is awake or asleep, he moves, turns his head, perhaps opens his mouth and makes little noises.
- After this - this time baby is fully awake - the sucking movements become clearer. He reaches for the breast, brings his hands to his mouth and may even try to suck his skin, his hands or a cloth.
- It's only afterwards that baby starts to cry, when hunger becomes intolerable for him.
Getting organized so you can breastfeed "all the time
Day, night and at home, but also outdoors, if you choose exclusive, on-demand breastfeeding for your baby, be prepared to be able to breastfeed anywhere, anytime.
Home is the easiest place to do this. Choose one or several comfortable, quiet places (the bed, a rocking chair...) where you can settle down with your child without the risk of being too disturbed. Some feeds can last 30 minutes or more, if baby takes his time to drink.
Here, put down all your small breastfeeding equipment. Diaper, pads, bib, diaper, book, pillows, water bottle, cookies, blankets, anti-crevasse cream... whatever you need. Keep them handyin a basket, bag or basket.
The rest of the time, if your baby's rhythm allows it and if the organization of the day fits in with this solution, give a feed before you leave and another on the way home, for example.
Otherwise, when out and about, running errands, visiting friends... as soon as you arrive, find places that are a little out of the way, comfortable enough and that allow you to sit comfortably with your baby.
Breastfeeding on demand for the first month
Breastfeeding on demand is a real adventure. However, it's especially during the first month that your attention to your baby and patience with yourself will be in greatest demand. Lactation can be established very quickly, but it can also be a tiring and disconcerting learning curve.
During the day, your baby feedsevery two or three hours . It's this high rhythm that initiates and regulates your milk production, giving you the opportunity to spot your baby's first signs of hunger and sort out any latching problems.
After the first 4 to 6 weeks, your baby's feeds become stronger and more efficient. You can continue to breastfeed on demand, while slowly introducing a rhythm that's perhaps a little more in tune with your needs.
Breastfed on demand, can baby drink too much or too little?
To be sure that baby is drinking his fill,let him feed as much as he wants. Then offer him the other breast to see if he still needs to drink. That's all!
We'd like to take this opportunity to give you a few tips to prevent engorgement and pain. To alternate right and left breasts at every feed, download a breastfeeding monitoring application (Baby Manager, Mon bébé : allaitement maternel...) or :
- attach a safety pin on the right side of your bra strap,
- use a breastfeeding pillow that you change sides with each feed,
- make one of your rings a breastfeeding ring worn on the side of the last breast given.
Follow baby's needs and find the right rhythm
Once the first few weeks are over and feeding is well established, try to observe your child more closely. The aim? So that baby no longer needs to ask for his milk meal, so that you can get organized more easily, and so that your little one begins to find his own rhythm.
To help him along, you can (in addition to other feeds) offer himthe breast at regular times, in the same way that you prepare the meal every day at the same time for older children.
The magic and uniqueness of every breastfeed is unique. However,breastfeeding on demand is recommended during the first month because it allows the baby to regulate his or her own nutritional needs, to establish lactation and to create that unique bond between a mother and her breastfed baby.
From around 6 weeks onwards, but especially when you feel the time is right, when your instinct as a mother encourages you to do so - trust it, it's the most powerful - you can gently slip into a more regular feeding rhythm.
