As the other ladies have said, totally normal. It's mind numbingly exhausting but it doesn't last forever. And while your baby is feeding hopefully he/she isn't crying which is even more exhausting.
I always find it helps to eat lots of good plant fats in the first few months. I eat lots of avocados, nuts and full fat coconut milk with pretty much everything.
It is totally normal, be it a temporary growth spurt or your baby's regular pattern.
The idea that babies should feed every 3-4 hours is based on bottle feeding routines, where they essentially worked out the maximum capacity a baby could possibly take and the minimum feeds required based on that. The truth is that SOME breastfed babies do naturally feed every 3 hours but many others take smaller more frequent feeds which are easier on their tiny tummies and can prevent reflux when a baby is prone. 90 min feeds are (from an anthropological perspective) very normal for a human baby drinking human milk.
Also, although 99.9% of women are capable of making enough milk in a 24 hour period to feed their baby for that period, every woman differs in her "storage capacity" or amount she will deliver each feed, so some will need to feed more frequently than others to deliver the right amount of milk each day. That's why it's not a good idea to try and stretch out feeds, feeding on cue is a much safer way of making sure your supply continues to meet your babies needs. My babies always fed that frequently to be honest, but after the first couple of months the feeds became very quick, so being frequent wasn't a problem. You do feel like a milk factory in the beginning but as yoru baby grows they will get to the milk more effectively I promise!
BTW, don't let anyone freak you out about foremilk vs hindmilk, it totally isn't an issue when feeds are that frequent as milk is made whole and only separates when feeds are far apart.
Absolutely normal - 6 weeks is the time that many moms quit nursing because people assume there is something wrong. It is just a growth spurt. They add formula because they think they don't have enough milk or to help their baby sleep longer.
But if you persevere for a week or two, you'll find everything settles back to normal.
Agree. It's normal. My DD was the same during growth spurts. Just go with it as best you can. Try to eat more and drink lots of water. I wouldn't try to lengthen the time. That said maybe if you have a pump you could pass a feed on to someone to help get some rest. Hang in there and Good Luck!!
Yes, it's normal. Your baby is most probably going through a growth spurt, and by feeding this often, you'll see that your milk supply will increase as well.
Don't try to lengthen the time, but go with the flow. Although it can be very tiring....
Wishing you lots of luck.. And remember, it's temporarily! :-)
Hello,
Is it normal for a 6 week old to breastfeed every 1 & half hours? I am exhausted!!
How do you lengthen the time between feeds? Any ideas?
TIA xx