Cluster feeding in newborns: what’s normal?
Breastfeeding a newborn can be hard work, and it can be confusing if you’re not sure what to expect. Our resident midwife, who is also a breastfeeding specialist, lets you know what to expect and how to recognise if there’s an issue with breastfeeding your newborn that you may need support with.
The lowdown on cluster feeding
Cluster feeding is where a newborn constantly feeds. It’s a way for your baby’s body to send a signal to your brain and body to start transitioning from the production of colostrum to the production of mature breast milk (pretty miraculous when you think about it!). And, importantly, it’s totally normal but this tends to happen on around day 2 or 3 (unfortunately when you are at your most exhausted!).
You might find yourself feeding for hours on end, or feeding for an hour and then again ten minutes later. It is constant and exhausting. At this stage it’s really common for parents to give their baby a bottle because they worry that they aren’t getting enough milk - sometimes healthcare professionals can even recommend this, you might hear the term topping up used. Others might advise you to hand express to stimulate supply and monitor the amount of milk. Before you take these steps, we want to tell you that cluster feeding is very normal, doesn’t automatically mean there is any problem and the stress of hand expressing, or worrying that your baby isn’t getting enough milk, can actually impact your supply as it can affect your oxytocin levels which are needed to produce the milk.
Although it’s likely you’ll still get sporadic episodes of cluster feeding after your mature milk comes in, overall it will settle down. The first 4-6 weeks is the time when your body is establishing your milk supply, and essentially whatever you extract, your body will produce. So, during this time, you’re more likely to experience episodes of cluster feeding.
So take a minute to identify if this is just newborn cluster feeding, or if there is an issue.
When you’re not having to cluster feed, your baby will need roughly eight to ten feeds in a 24 hour period. A good way to recognise any potential feeding issues is to make a note of your baby’s feeds and track their feeding pattern. This doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily notice any kind of routine, but it will show you exactly how many feeds your baby is getting in any given 24 hour period (which can be hard to know off the top of your head if you’re sleep deprived and you’ve lost track of what day it is!).
Signs that your baby is getting enough milk
They are settled after a feed and there is a noticeable window before the next feed (sporadic episodes of cluster feeds are fine, but continuous, never-ending cluster feeds are not).
Your breasts should feel comfortable. Some people may notice their breasts feel engorged and hard before a feed, which is common, but afterwards, they should feel soft again. (Side note: not everyone’s breasts feel hard, heavy and full before feeding, so if yours don’t this isn’t necessarily a sign that something is wrong.)
Your nipples should also feel comfortable. Any nipple trauma, such as bruised nipples, cracked nipples, bleeding nipples or sore nipples, any whiteness (also known as blanching) or milk blebs (blisters at the end of your nipple) indicate that your baby’s not latched on properly and may not be getting much milk. Also, when the baby comes off the breast the nipple should be a similar shape as before. While it’s normal for the nipple to look slightly elongated, a squashed nipple that resembles a new lipstick might indicate that the baby isn’t latched on properly.
Your baby’s nappies will likely change quite a bit in the first week. The first poo on day zero will be black, but by day three it’s likely to be a greenish colour. By day five to six it should be a mustard yellow colour, and by a month old it’s likely to be a nice bright yellow and quite runny.
Once they’re a week old, your baby will have at least six wet nappies in a 24 hour period (this goes up every day in the first week; so one wet nappy on day one, two on day two etc). Monitoring your baby’s nappies and keeping track of this in just the same way as you track feeds will also help you know if they’re getting enough milk.
Your baby will be gaining weight. After the birth weight is logged, your community midwife will weigh your baby on day five. A little weight loss in the first week is normal because it takes a while to establish feeding and also because your baby will have produced some wet and soiled nappies which also impacts their weight in the early days. Around ten percent weight loss in the first week is normal, and then by day ten to fourteen your baby should be back up to their birth weight. From two weeks onwards, they should be gaining weight - roughly 20g to 30g a day. Your community midwife and health visitor will monitor this. Once they’re happy your baby is gaining weight, they’ll stop weighing so regularly, but if you are concerned, book an appointment with your health visitor and get your baby weighed.
Check out the full Breastfeeding Masterclass here, and head over to our YouTube channel for more support and tutorials.
For more breastfeeding support check out our Hypnobirthing Pack or Postpartum Pack, which include feeding workshops and access to a 1:1 call with a midwife.