Traditional breastfeeding back in fashion

Short feeds best for breastfed babies?

Short feeds every three hours might be better for your breastfed baby than letting her feed for longer periods, according to a new UK study that found regular feeds of up to 10 minutes on each breast resulted in better weight gain.

Half the moms taking part in the study were told to use one breast to feed their baby, as and when he wanted a feed, and to only offer the other breast if he was still hungry. The other half offered each breast for a maximum of 10 minutes at a time, every three hours during the day and on demand overnight. The researchers found that babies in the second group were breastfed for longer, and gained more weight from birth to six-to-eight weeks.

Moms have gotten different advice over the years when it comes to breastfeeding but up to the late eighties most were advised to follow the 10 minutes each side, three hours a day routine. However, it was felt that this pattern of feeds could lead to overfeeding or poor growth, and lactose intolerance; so more recent advice has been that breastfeeding moms should follow a baby-led nursing routine: feeding their baby on demand from one breast until he’s had enough and stops feeding, and offering him the second breast only if it appears that he’s still hungry.

The new study indicates that babies whose moms were advised to follow traditional breastfeeding were exclusively breastfed for longer than babies whose moms used baby-led breastfeeding, and also gained more weight at 6-8 weeks of age. However it’s important to keep in mind that the study was small and that information on weight gain was only available for 86% of the babies included. It’s also possible that the length of time the moms continued breastfeeding might have been influenced by other factors, such as her attitude to breastfeeding, how much support she got, and how soon she had to return to work after having her baby.

It’s vital to find a pattern and method of breastfeeding that suits you and your baby but many women are put off nursing for longer periods because they find it difficult to follow the baby-led pattern of feeding. These findings should reassure you that it won’t harm your baby to try the traditional routine as an alternative if baby-led breastfeeding doesn’t suit you.

 

Was this article helpful?