Scheduled Feeding VS. Feeding on Cue

**First off, I will say I am not a medical doctor, nor do I have anything to do with the medical field. The information you are about to read are things I have learned from *my own* experiences and through various sources.**

There are many arguments about whether we should schedule our babies feedings (*remember, I am speaking exclusively of *breastfed* babies) or allow them to nurse on demand - I preffer it to be called "feeding on cue".

Some say we should put "order" in our children's lives, therefore, a schedule must be used (usually every 3 hours). I've heard people talk of scheduling a child to let them know who's in charge, to make sure they don't try and "manipulate" mom. We are talking about infants here, INFANTS. Next, you will here these same people talk of having to supplement with artificial baby milk (a.k.a. formula) because their breasts simply "aren't producing enough milk", therefore causing baby to wean from the breast at an early age (usually around 4 months). The key here is *DEMAND AND SUPPLY*. The more your baby DEMANDS to be fed, the more your body will SUPPLY the milk for your child to thrive. Plain and simple. Isn't God amazing? HE created a woman's breasts to be able to comfort, and nourish a child. Why would you deprive a baby of these things that are *natural* (of nature)?

You can clearly see why a woman who is scheduling and/or supplementing with artificial baby milk would have a problem with her milk drying up, there is less of a demand, so the body won't make the proper amount of milk.
I've heard of this sort of thing alot, a new mother had to stop nursing because her "milk simply wouldn't come in" or "I couldn't make enough milk to nourish the baby, he wanted to eat every hour" or even "My milk was no good, my baby would cry after each feeding". Most of the time, the cause of the problem is scheduled feedings that are too far apart, or even confusion between how often a breastfed baby needs to eat and a bottle fed baby needs to eat.
Artificial milk digests so much slower, therefore, baby's tummy doesn't empty as quickly (this is why their bowel movements are very smelly). Breastmilk digests very fast, sometimes as fast as 15 minutes (therefore leving baby's bowel movement *almost* odor free)!
Next, the question of how long should you allow a baby to nurse at each breast? Some "experts" will tell you no longer than 8 - 15 minutes at each breast. I've even heard of someone recommending 5 minutes at each breast! The best answer for this is LET YOUR CHILD TELL *YOU* WHEN HE'S DONE! When baby has had enough, naturally, he will let go of the breast. Believe it or not, a baby's body does have the ability to let him know when he's full. An average feeding at one breast could be anywhere from 5 minutes to 35 minutes, this depends on the child, your milk, the time of day, and age of the child. It could be different every time. Let baby signal *you* when he's done. A baby needs to recieve the rich hindmilk that comes in near the end of a feeding, this is what helps them to put on the proper weight.

In my experience, my children have both preferred only one breast at each feeding for about 5 minutes (this is after about 2 months of age). BUT, they both have nursed *several* times a day. Sometimes even a few times an hour! There's nothing wrong with this (as *I* was always told by peers that this shouldn't be done). I'd rather have them use *me* as a pacifier than some artificial piece of plastic. Plus, this stimulates my breasts to keep an abundant milk supply for my babies.

To learn more facts on this subject, click here: Thoughts on Breastfeeding by Katherine Dettwiyler