6 mo old still nurses every 2 hrs (long, sorry!)

[lisamush1]

Hi all, I'm new here, hope you don't mind if I jump in!

My baby boy has nursed every 2 hrs since birth.  I don't know if he is snacking or just a very efficient nurser. I think he had latch issues for the 1st 2-3 mos, but now he latches perfectly.  I have a very forceful letdown, so he gets a lot of milk very fast- he can barely keep up with the gulping He used to nurse for longer, but now he can literally eat for 4 min on one side and be done. He flat-out refuses to eat any more and will throw himself backward and cry if I try to put him back on.  Sometimes if he burps or spits up a bit (he usually swallows a lot of air), he'll then go back on, but if so, it's just for a couple more min.  He rarely eats from both sides anymore. (Oh- and he does eat solids now, 4 tbsp morning and evening.)

I don't think I have a supply issue- I work 2 days/week and those days I pump 4-6 ozs every 2-3 hrs.  I have been told that is a great amount.  Is it possible he just fills up in 4 min?? What about the eating every 2 hrs- do you think it's habit, or actual hunger? (He is a big baby- almost 20 lbs, but not at all fat- just solid.) I belong to another breastfeeding board and many of them have older babies who still eat every 2-3 hrs.  It seems to be common and normal from what they all say, but Tracy in her books seems to think emphatically otherwise.

Oh- he is babysat twice a week, and she swears he doesn't act hungry before 3 hrs, so that is how frequently she feeds him, and he takes 6-8 ozs w/a bottle generally.  Also, when we are out, he will sometimes go up to 3 hrs.  Maybe he just *likes* to nurse a lot when I am there? But it's way more effort to try to hold him off and distract him than to just feed him every 2 hrs!

[annamum]

Welcome!

I think you are right, he just likes to be nursed often . It is not unusual that he is finished with nursing in 4 minutes, actually my dd was like that, too. She was always done in 5 minutes total, since 8 weeks. If we were out, she was entertained or busy discovering the world she never seemed to be hungry before 3 hours and when older she could go longer. So my feeling is that your little one just likes nursing and from what I know about unscheduled breastfeeding sessions, what he is doing is completely normal from that point of view.

The thing is, if you put your baby on a schedule from the very beginning, your baby associated breast with food only and that is what Tracy advocates. The other approach, called Attachement Parenting or Ecological Breastfeeding calls for unscheduled nursings where baby starts associating breast with comfort as well as food. If you were always feeding your little one when he was showing signs of distress, he learnt that breasts were his safety and comfort so it is only natural for him to ask  for it when you are available.

I would say that if you are comfortable with your current situation, let it be. If you think that it is not for you, change it.