How do you know when your baby is hungry? Or full? In this article, we explain how to identify hunger cues and responsive feeding.
Responsive feeding is the practice of responding to your baby’s hunger cues. This is also known as baby-led feeding, breastfeeding on demand, and feeding on cue. It is important for mothers to nourish their babies until he or she is satisfied.
This means that you don’t have to impose any time limits or a schedule. Although responsive feeding is opposing the idea of scheduled feeding, it is still important to apply.
Observed even in earlier days, clinical research highly advises that babies must be fed according to their own cues. This is because responsive feeding comes with significant benefits.
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What are the benefits of Responsive Feeding?
- Keeps your milk production synced with your baby’s needs
- Helps you ensure that your baby gets enough milk
- Prevents chronic illnesses such as obesity
Milk Production
Responsive feeding can help you control lactation. As your baby feeds, your mammary glands will respond by making more milk. If your baby feeds less often, your milk production will slow down. And if your baby feeds more frequently, the opposite thing happens.
If you want to learn how to increase your milk supply, read How to Establish and Maintain Milk Supply
Getting Enough Milk
Unlike scheduled breastfeeding, responsive feeding doesn’t have a particular time limit. This means that your baby will only stop feeding when he or she is satisfied.
And of course, bigger babies are more likely to feed more frequently than smaller ones. Some babies feed faster and more efficiently, which is good for you because you will finish the session quickly.
However, for those babies who feed slower, this could mean that it might take a while for both of you to finish a session.
Preventing Obesity
When a child is on responsive feeding, he or she will learn to eat only when she is hungry, and this is a good way to prevent obesity.
During breastfeeding on demand, your baby will only feed whenever she wants, and then stop only when she’s satisfied.
Another option is using feeding bottles, as sometimes parents tend to have their babies finish the bottle or finish on schedule.
How do I Know if my Baby is Hungry?
Early hunger cues include:
- Increased attentiveness
- Licking the lips
- Moving hands and feet
- “Mouthing” or simply opening and closing the mouth
- Putting hands on the belly
- Sucking hands
When these hunger cues are ignored, your baby’s hunger will intensify. Your baby is most likely to move around more and will try to reach for your chest, trying to initiate feeding. Late hunger cues include crying and fussing.
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How do I Know if my Baby is Already Satisfied with Feeding?
Signs of fullness include:
- Slowing down of sucking rhythm
- Frequent stops in feeding
- Ignoring your breast or feeding bottle
- Turning the head away from the food source
- Falling asleep
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How can I Improve Responsive Feeding?
Responsive feeding isn’t just all about feeding your baby, building a stronger bond can be a part of it too.
It is important for your baby to feel that you’ll be there for them to take care of their needs. Aside from responding to your baby’s cues, you might want to do some strategies to enhance responsive feeding.
These strategies include:
- Keeping eye contact with your baby
- Making a conversation with your baby
- Providing a calm environment for nursing
- Being patient with your baby’s feeding
How do I Deal with Nighttime Feedings?
The main problem in responsive feeding is that mothers find it difficult to deal with nighttime feedings.
As your baby feeds on 1/3 of your milk supply every night, sleeping right away won’t be easy for you. This is why you must work a routine by pumping and bottle-feeding your baby.
If you have your partner with you, you may exchange turns every night. It is important that you’re close to the baby, so you might consider sleeping in the same room with your baby during the early months.
Here are some tips for coping with responsive feeding:
Taking Naps
Lack of sleep will result in fatigue which isn’t good for both you and the baby.
Fortunately, our brains can tweak our sleep cycles which allows us to sleep more when we have been sleep-deprived. In that case, a thirty-minute nap may be good for you.
Exposing Yourself to Sunlight
Vitamin D is one of the benefits that we can get from the sun, but aside from that, it also helps our brain to determine the real-time. Avoid using artificial lights and other light sources that have blue light. Artificial lights can deceive our brains and confuse us whether it’s still daytime or if it is nighttime already. This is why we often feel awake while we use our gadgets at nighttime.
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Get Help
Consider consulting your doctor if you’re having a problem or difficulties in responsive feeding. You may also consider approaching your family or friends who have experience regarding this matter. If you really find it hard to do responsive feeding on your own, you should ask for their assistance. Connecting yourself with organizations that support this kind of feeding will be a great help.
Sleeping with your Baby
Sharing a room with your baby in the early months will make responsive feeding more efficient as you’ll always be beside the baby. It is also important to let your baby know that you’re there to provide for his or her needs.
You and your baby will surely benefit a lot from responsive feeding. Although you might really find it challenging, it will be worth it. Responsive feeding will not only help your baby grow healthier but will also build a stronger bond between you and your baby.
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