So, Your Newborn Won’t Stop Nursing? It's Called Cluster Feeding
Losing sleep, changing diapers and trying to figure out what to do with a hungry baby who won't stop eating? You can take comfort in the fact that you're far from alone.
Parenting a newborn is hard. Full stop. Between the lost sleep and the endless diaper changes, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and unprepared, especially for parents tackling the hurdles that come with breastfeeding for the first time. And then, just as you begin to feel like maybe you’re getting the hang of this, you find yourself with a seemingly insatiable newborn who simply refuses to stop feeding.
This “all-you-can-eat buffet” relationship with a new baby is perfectly normal, and it even has a name: cluster feeding. And according to private-practice lactation consultant Leigh Anne O’Connor, it can be considered a rite of passage for any new nursing parent. At the very least, it’s not a reason to worry.
What is Cluster Feeding?
“Cluster feeding describes the behavior of a baby when they suddenly begin to eat more frequently and in short spurts over a small amount of time,” Nina Phelan, a Certified Lactation Educator and Doula with The Birthing Class, tells SheKnows.
Cluster feeding “may be seen during a growth spurt, during a time of day (occasionally the evening hours) before a long stretch of sleep, when baby is going through an illness, or when the nursing parent returns from a period of separation from the infant,” Demi Lucas, an IBCLC with The Lactation Network, tells SheKnows.
When cluster feeding is associated with illness or a return after separation, the behavior is likely more about comfort and connection, notes Lucas. When related to a growth spurt, cluster feeding impacts supply. Wendie Howland, legal nurse consultant and life-care planner at Howland Health Consulting, explains the relationship like this: “Breastfeeding babies have a great feedback loop with the breasts that feed them. A normal feed will leave about 10 percent of the breasts’ contents in the breast, called ‘hindmilk.’”
Howland continues, “The hindmilk has a higher fat content (i.e., higher caloric content) for reasons that will make sense when you realize that as a baby grows, [his or her] feeding needs increase. On a day when the child is hungrier, the breasts get emptied more completely. The extra fat calories will sustain the baby, and if this goes on for a full day, the breasts increase overall production. Then the hindmilk is ready to accommodate the next growth spurt and its associated hunger spike. This is normal. It’s not concerning at all.”
How Long Does Cluster Feeding Last?
When cluster feeding is associated with a growth spurt, the behavior may last anywhere from a few days to a week, notes Phelan.
But remember, every baby and every situation is different, and Phelan encourages parents to check in with their care providers if the behavior continues for over a week.
When Does Cluster Feeding Start?
Cluster feeding typically begins in the first few days after birth. Babies respond to the increase in milk supply—milk coming in—by feeding more often. In this way, the baby helps regulate supply and prevent clogged ducts, explains Phelan.
Signs of Cluster Feeding
Parents of newborns may not recognize that their infant is cluster feeding until they’re knee-deep in another feed, but the signs of cluster feeding are pretty straightforward. They may include a baby that’s nursing more often than usual, feeds that are taking longer than usual, new night-time waking to feed despite previously sleeping through, and/or new fussiness when trying to latch onto the breast.
“The breastfeeding parent may experience initially softer breasts feeling as if they are ‘completely empty’ and worry baby isn’t getting enough (rarely, if ever the case!),” notes Lucas, “but following the growth spurt baby may sleep more and settle back into their normal behavior and routines.”
Typical Cluster Feeding Ages
Babies typically cluster feed during growth spurts. According to Lucas, “Common times for growth spurts are during the first few days at home and around 7-10 days, 2-3 weeks, 4-6 weeks, 3 months, 4 months, 6 months and 9 months (more or less).” However, like all things when it comes to newborns—and kids—this can vary slightly from baby to baby.
And remember, things like illness, vaccination, separation, and overstimulation might trigger a cluster feed, too, as the baby searches for comfort and connection.
Generally, most cluster feeding behaviors appear during the first four months of life, as the baby is having the most developmental growth at these times.
When Should You Worry About Cluster Feeding?
Considering that cluster feeding is a normal part of the new breastfeeding journey, there’s very little to worry about. In fact, Howland cautions the worst thing you can do during a cluster-feeding session is to try to disrupt the natural process by supplementing with formula. When that happens, she says, “the breasts don’t get emptied completely for a full day, they don’t make more milk than before, the baby still wants more, the mother thinks she doesn’t have enough and supplements, and before you know it, more calories come from a bottle than a breast, and the mother sadly abandons the idea.”
In O’Connor’s opinion, there are only a few warning signals that could indicate cluster feeding has gotten out of hand. A baby who is literally attached to the breast all day long and does not settle between cluster-feeding sessions may have a feeding problem that requires a doctor’s care. A baby who feeds and feeds and still does not gain weight should also see a doctor immediately.
Cluster feeding can be one of the most common sources of new-parent panic if you fear your baby isn’t getting enough to eat. Ever the voice of reason, Howland encourages new moms to take it all in stride.
“Wet diapers, poopy diapers, fontanel not depressed from dehydration? That baby is getting enough. And there will be more, plenty more, with more in reserve tomorrow. It’s hard when you’re a new mother, inexperienced, overwhelmed and sleep-deprived. Perhaps seeing a frequency day as a signal to sit/lie down, just be with your baby and do nothing else for a whole day isn’t such a bad idea. If this didn’t work, the human race would have died out a long time ago.”
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