What is the best feed - on demand or by the hour

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In short, you need to choose the method of feeding that is more convenient for you. If you want to know more, read our article.

Probably, every lactating mother faces a dilemma: apply crumbs to her breasts strictly according to the clock and work out a regimen, or let the child eat when he wants to? Both options have both advantages and disadvantages.

On-demand feeding

In this case, the baby is applied to the chest as soon as it begins to cry, show a sucking reflex, show other signs of anxiety and hunger. Grandmothers still usually grumble at such mothers: “He almost whimpered, and you immediately bosom to him!”

Nevertheless, this feeding method has many advantages:

According to statistics, children who are given breasts on demand are more balanced, calm, and confident in the future. Mom, after all, listens to the child, allowing him to fully satisfy her needs;
This feeding option is an excellent prevention of milk congestion, mastitis and other problems. All this is due to the timely emptying of the breast, despite the fact that milk is formed exactly in the volume that the child needs;
When access to the chest is not limited, the sucking reflex of the baby is fully satisfied. Therefore, there is no need for a dummy, because of which problems with speech or improper bite formation are possible;
When feeding on demand, the baby is up to six months of age don't need water and complementary foods (unless the pediatrician gave other recommendations). Both that, and another child receives with mother's milk. “Front” milk is light and quenches thirst well. “Back” is nutritious, it nourishes and provides the growing organism with all the vitamins and minerals it needs. That's just to get it, you need to suck for a long time;
On-demand feeding allows you to establish lactation and continue to breastfeed the baby for as long as you want;
Breastfeeding at night is most beneficial. At night, the mammary glands produce the greatest amount of prolactin, so a long and successful lactation is ensured as a result (benefits of breastfeeding at night).

There are also disadvantages. They are expressed only in inconvenience for mom, but these inconveniences are very significant:

A child can ask for breasts 30 times a day, so you need to prepare for the fact that you will have to minimize your social life;
It is extremely difficult for mother to plan something and observe some kind of regimen. Everything in her life, even the ability to carry out a banal hygiene procedure, depends on whether the baby will tolerate more or require a breast right now.

Clock feeding

In Russia, this method gained popularity in the post-war period. Women were then forced to return to work shortly after childbirth.Labor legislation at the time introduced mandatory breaks during which young mothers could feed their children. They took place every 3 hours and lasted up to 20 minutes. At night, the interval between feedings was increased to 6 hours.

The option of breastfeeding by the hour is primarily convenient for mom:

Having a clear feeding schedule, you can go away on business and even work.
When the baby gets used to the regime, the nights will become more or less calm.

There are still significantly more minuses:

Since feeding is rare at night, lactation can quickly fade away.
It is impossible for a baby to explain why he is not applied to his chest, and because of this he cries and cries between feedings. Not every mom has enough nerves to withstand this.
If the breast does not empty on time, milk stagnation can occur, against the background of which inflammation and mastitis often develop.
When feeding by the hour, the sucking reflex is not satisfied. Therefore, the baby appears habit of sucking your finger or cam.
The appetite of the crumbs can increase and decrease depending on the time of day, so 20 minutes. not always enough for him to saturate. This is fraught with underweight and forced transition to the mixture.

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If there is a medical condition, a doctor may recommend feeding by the hour. For example, this allows you to avoid overeating, adjust the weight of the child and prevent obesity in the event that he began to recover more than normal.

It is recommended to feed according to the regimen when the baby is on IV. The mixtures have high nutritional value, and the child can overeat, trying to satisfy not only the need for food, but also the sucking reflex. Pediatricians believe that feeding for 20 minutes. at intervals of 2.5-3 hours - the best way to dose the mixture so that the child does not eat too much and receives all the necessary substances for its growth and development.

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Nina Zaichenko: Breastfeeding by the hour or on demand

Veronica 11/27/2017 at 19:15

On-demand feeding is more suitable at the initial stage, when lactation has not yet been established and mother and baby are not used to each other. And then I fed both kids adhering to the approximate schedule, otherwise it is simply impossible to take walks without yelling a hungry baby.
Svetlana 11/27/2017 at 19:17

I fed my son on demand, but I was originally a supporter of this method. At first it was very hard for me (I could not go anywhere, I asked for breasts every hour), but after a month he developed a regimen for himself (he ate every 2.5-3 hours). As a result, GV finished after a year. So I have a positive impression of this type of feeding.