With a newborn baby, it can feel like all you do is breastfeed. So how often should you breastfeed a newborn baby? And can you breastfeed too much? Do you need to breastfeed on both breasts? We clear up all the confusion!

How often should you breastfeed a newborn baby?

In the early days, you can expect your baby to want to suckle often. This is to get milk production going. Milk is demand-driven - the more your baby sucks, the more milk is produced. Therefore, if your baby sleeps for long periods of time, it may be good to wake them up to feed. We usually talk about feeding every three hours or so, but if your baby wants to eat more often, that's perfectly normal.

Breastfeeding is also an opportunity for your baby to be comforted and nurtured, so it's not always about hunger when your baby wants to suckle on the breast. You're bound to come across lots of different advice on how often your baby should breastfeed, which can be confusing at first. Sometimes it can be helpful to put all the good advice aside and try to decipher your baby's signals and needs.

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Can you breastfeed too much?

The first milk that comes out of the breast when the baby starts to suckle is more diluted and thirst-quenching, then comes the slightly fattier milk. If your baby eats little and often, they may get more of the diluted milk rather than the fuller milk - hence the increased need to breastfeed and be properly fed. You could try extending each feeding and breastfeeding on both breasts. It is common for babies to have a favorite breast!

Of course, it may also be that your baby is breastfeeding for a long time and still wants to eat often, which is perfectly normal. If you find that you have to sit and breastfeed all the time, try waking your baby up and feeding them in their sleep, so that they eat properly and you get a break between feedings (if that's what you want).

Should you breastfeed on both or one breast at the same time?

Yes and no. If you set up two glasses of milk from the first and second half of the breastfeeding session, you will see the difference. The first milk is more diluted and quenches the baby's thirst, while the second milk is more fatty to make the baby full. For this reason, you may want to offer the same breast until the baby lets go of the breast or falls asleep. If the baby still seems to be hungry, you should of course offer the other breast as well.

How long should you breastfeed on each side?

There is no set time, only you can sense and try to interpret your baby on when it is time to switch sides. It may be enough to breastfeed on one side only. Before your breasts have had time to adjust, you may feel like you are walking around with one empty and one full breast. This will sort itself out over time, even if your baby develops a favorite breast, which is very common.

If you feel tension and pain in the breast you are not breastfeeding on, you can gently handmaiden the worst pressure. However, don't sit down and pump on that breast to compensate, because then you'll produce even more milk (unless that's what you want) and your breasts won't adjust.

Finally, don't forget to take care of yourself when breastfeeding - make sure you are comfortable, relaxed, eating and drinking, because breastfeeding requires some extra energy.

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