Babies may not be able to talk, but they can still communicate and make demands! The key to a healthy, happy baby is knowing when they want to feed and feeding them before they get upset and cry – you'll soon learn your baby's own signs.
Settling into a feeding pattern
In the early days, you might find that most of the time your baby cries so they can get fed, so feed them as often and for as long as they want. It’s all about getting used to feeding and allowing your body to establish a good milk supply. Don’t worry, you can't overfeed a breastfed baby in these first few days and weeks.
Babies are very good at knowing how much milk they want to have. It’s a good thing if they are enjoying their milk! They will get into a feeding pattern as the months go on which will make it easier to judge when they need to be fed, which will help you plan your days better.
How to spot when your baby is hungry
There are three stages of feeding cues, early, mid and late.
Early cues: these mean ‘I’m hungry’
- Stirring
- Mouth opening
- Turning head.
Mid cues: these mean ‘I’m really hungry’
- Stretching
- Physical movement
- Hand to mouth.
Feed me: these mean ‘I’m really upset’
- Crying
- Agitated
- Turning red.
The image below shows how your baby may look during these stages.
Try to feed your baby before they become upset. But remember, it's easy to miss early and mid-cues, especially if they've been sleeping, so don’t feel bad if they start to cry.
