What’s the best breastfeeding routine for my baby?

Becoming a parent and finding your stride can be a period of vast acclimation, because we all want to do well at our new jobs as parents.   A more frustrating facet of early days with a young child include that things are constantly changing.  So, what is the best breastfeeding routine for your baby?

Below are some tricks and tips to help guide you on the best breastfeeding and feeding routine for your baby with a focus on the first three months, three-six months, and beyond.

In the beginning

The first several weeks of your child’s life may seem the hardest.  There are two schools of thought when it comes to feeding your newborn, feeding on demand vs. setting a schedule.  While many mothers may seek a schedule, and attempt to maintain some semblance of sanity and control in the first few weeks of breastfeeding in Dubai, a lot of lactation consultants will suggest letting baby take the lead in terms of hunger and feeding.

During the first month, your little one will generally eat between eight and 12 times per day. The amount of time spent feeding can vary from as little as five to as many as 20, 30 or even 40 minutes on each breast.

Pulling out the day planner

A sample schedule or loose routine that would have you feeding baby at 7AM, 10AM, 1PM, 4PM, 7PM, 10PM (direct back to sleep), 1AM (direct back to sleep) and 4AM (direct back to sleep).  Remember any schedule doesn’t need to be set in stone

On demand

Whether you’re trying to set a schedule or are completely letting baby take the reign of chow time, knowing what cues signify a hungry little one can allow you a little more time to find a calm quiet space to breastfeed, pump, or mix up some formula, dependent on your needs.  Signals from baby that can mean it’s almost meal time include: lip and tongue smacking, opening mouth wide or clenching of fists and arms.  On the dessert course, signs that baby is satisfied and has fed enough include the relaxing of hands and arms and that baby has stopped rooting for milk.

Finding the balance

A good point of reference that will allow for scheduling later on, and some pre-planning as any Dubai nurse will guide you, is to keep a log of what times, for how long or how much, baby eats.  It’s also a good idea to track diaper usage in these logs, as this will allow you to make sure that baby isn’t dehydrated, as well as keeping an inventory on your diapering supplies, laundry schedule etc.