One of the important actions needed for a baby’s growth and development is Breastfeeding. At the same time, nursing mothers encounter quite a lot of problems and worries during the period of breastfeeding. An example is “Baby nursing for an hour and still hungry”. Most mothers do wonder how a tiny little stomach seems to feed every moment but is never satisfied.
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In addition, some mothers still don’t know how a baby nursing for an hour and still hungry does it. “Is there something I’m not doing? Why is my own baby so different?” Some mothers will lament. However, it should be noted that babies are not the same and they shouldn’t be compared to each other. Your baby nursing for an hour and still hungry shouldn’t be compared to another baby that is always full after nursing for 2 minutes. There are various reasons why a baby will nurse for an hour and will still be hungry.
5 Reasons Why A Baby Will Nurse For An Hour And Still Be Hungry
1) Your Milk Storage Capacity
Is your baby never satisfied after breastfeeding? This may be due to the small storage capacity of breast milk. Let me explain. Mothers have different milk storage capacities. So, if you’ve got a large milk storage capacity, then there shouldn’t be any problem. However, when your storage capacity is small and can’t store enough milk, you won’t be able to give your baby the needed milk at once. This makes them want to breastfeed some minutes or hours after feeding.
2) Tiredness
Studies have shown that there’s a hormone in breast milk that causes your baby to get tired and fall asleep. Therefore, if your baby feeds some hour and falls asleep, he or she might still want more milk after waking up. This is another reason your breastfed baby never seems full.
3) Pain
Another reason while you are breastfeeding but your baby is still hungry can be because of pain. Whenever your baby is in any discomfort or pain, he or she tends to turn to the breast for ease. This is because feeding will help to lessen the pain and gives comfort for some minutes. So, your baby might have nursed for an hour and might still be hungry if he’s in any discomfort.
4) Feeding patterns
The next reason why a baby is always hungry and never satisfied is because of feeding patterns. Babies have different feeding patterns and it is important for you as a mother to understand your baby. Some babies might take a small amount of milk every moment and still come back for another small amount. These kinds of babies can’t feed at once so they tend to feed bit by bit.
5) Comfort
Sometimes, your baby might feed for an hour and still turn back to the breast after some minutes because he or she wants comfort. There are some babies that use the breast as a pacifier instead of feeding. So, this might actually look like feeding in the real sense but your baby is just feeding for comfort.
Signs that your baby is still hungry after breastfeeding
It should be known that even though babies have a little stomach, their capacity to feed increases as they grow. Babies can’t talk like adults do, so it is necessary nursing mothers are familiar with body language that will tell them their baby is hungry. There are quite a number of signs that show that your baby is still hungry after breastfeeding. They include:
- Crying
- Nuzzling against breast
- Opened mouths
- Sticking out tongues
- Places hands and fists to mouth
- Pucker lips
When these actions are shown by a baby, then you should know it is time to feed him or her again. However, most mothers complain about having low milk supply and are unable to feed their babies before running out of milk. Having a low milk supply is caused by some factors and it can be fixed when you take note of these factors and avoid them.
Causes of Low Milk Supply
1) You don’t get enough milk to feed your baby when he or she is not latching onto your nipple very well. Studies have shown that one of the ways you can increase your milk supply is to make sure your baby latch on very well and suck enough so that more milk will be produced.
2) Your milk supply will definitely reduce if you have a fixed time for feeding your baby. You should breastfeed your baby every moment he or she wants it not that you’ll fix a time saying “Okay, I’ve fed you this morning, the next time will be in the noon”. Infrequent feeding will lead to low milk supply because your baby’s feeding won’t be often and no more milk would be produced.
3) Whenever you think you’ve got low milk supply, your baby might be going through a growth spurt. It is perfectly normal for you to have low milk supply at this stage of your baby’s life even though your baby will ask for milk almost every minute.
Now that you’ve seen the causes of low milk supply, let’s talk about how you can increase your milk supply naturally
Tips for Increasing Breastmilk supply naturally
1) Pump Breast milk Regularly
Even though breastfeeding is not an easy task, you must endure it for the growth and development of your baby. After breastfeeding your baby, it is advisable you still pump about 5-10 times a day. This is because your baby might not get all the milk in your breast, and any remainder will hinder the production of new milk.
2) Drink water
To increase your breast milk flow, drink water every day and every moment. If the water becomes ordinary for your taste buds, add a little bit of fruit and drink to stay hydrated.
3) Consume Oats
Research has shown that large consumption of Oatmeal will increase your milk production. So, make it a habit to eat Oats.
4) Take supplements
Make sure you take all your prescribed supplements at the right time. They’ll help to trigger milk production and you won’t have low milk supply.
5) Lastly, Nurse your baby skin to skin.
Nursing your baby will help to stimulate the hormones responsible for milk production.
Conclusion
Breastfeeding is an important aspect of the growth and development of a baby. It contains all the nutrients a baby might need during the first few years of birth. At the same time, nursing mothers encounter some challenges during this period and it is essential they know how to overcome these challenges.
One of the challenges is “Baby nursing for an hour and still hungry“, sure quite a list of breastfeeding mothers will have encountered this one way or the other, to know the reasons why your baby undergoes this phase, read the above article and you’ll understand your baby better.
