On Demand: Why baby should lead breastfeeding

I remember when I had my first baby, it was pretty terrifying.  Everything was new, there were a million different points of view on EVERYTHING, and I was utterly confused.  My brand new daughter would NEVER stop crying and wanted to be on the boob constantly.

While still in hospital, I had the standard pediatrician visit where he told me I needed to ignore my daughter’s cries, put her on a schedule, and time feedings at 20 minutes or less.  What an IDIOT. Thank God I listened to my mama heart and not that ‘professional’ who clearly hadn’t read one piece of research on breastfeeding since 1970.

Later I would discover the multiple issues my daughter was facing and that listening to her cues was the absolute best thing I could have done for her.  Listening to that doctor instead would have caused her to be underweight, stressed, and in constant pain. But, even if you have a totally healthy baby, it is important for your milk supply, and for your baby’s development, to feed on demand.  Responsive feeding sets your child up for healthy weight throughout their life, improves attachment for baby and mum, and is the biological norm.

But don’t just take my word for it, read this awesome article by Dr. Amy Brown on what the science says about listening to your baby’s opinion on when and how much to feed: Importance of Responsive Feeding.