How to Manage Clusterfeeding

What is Clusterfeeding

Clusterfeeding is a phenomenon during which newly born babies or sometimes older babies too, nurse or feed for a longer period. During clusterfeeding it is very common for a baby to nurse for an hour straight and asks for breast after just 10 minutes. At times it’s difficult to manage clusterfeeding, but a little information can help.

Why do Babies Clusterfeed?

If we say that babies clusterfeed because they are hungry, that is not entirely wrong, but there are many other reasons for a baby to ask for breast.

When babies are born, there is an enormous change in their environment. They are in the world in which they

• have to open eyes,
• listen to different sounds,
• get hungry,
• poop,
• Cry

And a lot more due to which it is difficult to adjust because a baby is just accustomed to mommy’s cozy womb. The closest they are to womb is when they are nursing on their mothers, so it’s just that a baby feels protected while nursing.

Babies also clusterfeed because they are afraid of the sudden changes happening to them. They just want to remain close to the mother and nothing else. Due to this very reason, clusterfeeding is also known as comfort feeding.

Imagine, you are tired from giving birth. Keeping a baby within yourself and birthing it is itself a very intensive process. While it has affected you both physically and mentally, you must take care of a baby. And added bonus is that the baby wants you every now and then to fulfill his/her needs. It’s really not easy to manage clusterfeeding (Read More: https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/cluster-feeding).

Facts About Clusterfeeding

A few important things to know about clusterfeeding include:

1. It usually happens during the first 3 months of a baby’s birth. That is one of the reasons that this period is known as the fourth trimester.
2. Baby’s routine is not set and so is mommy’s, due to which it gets very overwhelming.
3. Most babies clusterfeed during the evening hours, but your baby can do it any time of the day and you have to manage clusterfeeding.
4. Clusterfeeding time periods last from 3 hours to 14 hours a day, and it’s very normal of a baby to keep sucking continuously and just give the mommy bathroom breaks.
5. After the baby finishes his/her clusterfeeding session, he/she sleeps for a longer period of time.
6. Clusterfeeding doesn’t mean that the babies are nursing, sometimes they just keep the nipple in their mouth and get comfortable with it.
7. If a baby asks for breast every 10 minutes, it does not mean that he/she is hungry.
8. While clusterfeeding help develops your supply, it never means that the milk supply is low in any case. Although due to excessive feeding sessions, most of the mothers start thinking that their supply might be low. Remember if your baby is gaining weight and is wetting 6 plus diapers a day, he/she is getting enough and is thriving.

When does it get better?

Believe me, mommies, it gets better. During this time period, we mostly think of letting go of nursing and shifting to formula, but clusterfeeding behaviors get better with time. Most babies grow out of clusterfeeding by the time they turn 10 weeks old. But these 10 weeks are very tiring and overwhelming for mothers, who have to nurse every now and then to meet up with the demands of the baby.

To mommies who are going through this right now, I want to say keep yourself hydrated and well rested, eat healthily, and stay strong so that you are able to manage clusterfeeding. This time will pass and soon your babies will be sleeping for whole nights. Remember breast milk is the best thing you are giving to your baby, hang on there and your breastfeeding journey will become a breeze in a few months.