Comfort nursing or hunger?

[MEPride]

I can't really tell the difference. Tonight she nursed from 7:30-8:30 with a diaper change in between breasts. DH took her for cuddles as she was still rooting. By 9:30 I took her since she was still rooting and she nursed for another hour with a diaper change in between. I tried putting her in her bassinet and she kept rooting. Used a binky and she sucked happily until she spat it out and started rooting again. So I picked her up to nurse and she almost immediately fell asleep.

I'm trying to figure out if she is genuinely hungry- like if her latch is ineffective or something. Or if she is purely comfort nursing.

This only happens at night. She is 2 weeks old tomorrow and has been gaining an appropriate amount of weight per last weigh in 2 days ago.

 

[noon_child]

It sounds like cluster feeding. Classically this happens in the evening/night time for about the first 6-8weeks.

 

[MEPride]

Makes sense. But I also think it's partially comfort nursing. Tonight she did NOT want to be put down. We did our regular nursing and she didn't want to unlatch. When she did she would be very fussy and frustrated until she had a nipple in her mouth again. But then she wouldn't suck. She'd start to fall asleep and I'd put her down, only to have her cry and fuss until she was held by me with a nipple in her mouth again. It took 2 hours to calm her down enough to sleep

 

[noon_child]

I know it can feel frustrating but does it matter which it is? She is biologically programmed to need both food and physical closeness with you in these early weeks. The benefit of breastfeeding is that you don't need to know if she just wants closeness or if she's genuinely hungry because you can put her to the breast either way! Nursing - even if not drinking - will make her feel safe, ease any discomfort she has, allow tiredness to overtake her (both sucking and being full create a hormone in babies that sends them to sleep, they don't have the same sleep hormones as adults right away), regulate her breathing and heart rate - which newborns can't do that well at first, and ensure she is the correct temperature. It feels endless at the time but it doesn't last forever. Sometimes it can be more frustrating trying to put them down than accepting they need to be 'on' you most of the time.

 

[Lemonade]

Yes I don't think newborns can tell the difference between hunger and needing comfort; to them it is just an uncomfortable feeling that makes them need you.

Cluster nursing is really common in the evenings and can be exhausting but sometimes it means that the baby "tanks up" enough food for you all to get some sleep overnight.

 

[Zephram]

I know it can feel frustrating but does it matter which it is? She is biologically programmed to need both food and physical closeness with you in these early weeks. The benefit of breastfeeding is that you don't need to know if she just wants closeness or if she's genuinely hungry because you can put her to the breast either way! Nursing - even if not drinking - will make her feel safe, ease any discomfort she has, allow tiredness to overtake her (both sucking and being full create a hormone in babies that sends them to sleep, they don't have the same sleep hormones as adults right away), regulate her breathing and heart rate - which newborns can't do that well at first, and ensure she is the correct temperature. It feels endless at the time but it doesn't last forever. Sometimes it can be more frustrating trying to put them down than accepting they need to be 'on' you most of the time.

Exactly. Newborns don't have the presence of mind to distinguish between needing comfort and needing to eat - they just 'need' full stop. If she's rooting at her age, then I would put her to your breast, even if she's just fed for an hour. Two weeks old is a classic growth spurt and cluster feeding time, just follow her cues.

 

[luz]

As others have said, she is probably cluster feeding. As annoying as it is to have to sit and feed your baby for hours on end, it’s a good thing. She’s getting the comfort she needs and at the same time boosting up your milk supply. Hang in there, it won’t last too much longer.