When you are breastfeeding, knowing if your baby is hungry or not, or whether your baby is getting enough milk, often seems like an impossible task ⁽¹⁾! And if your baby is cluster feeding, then your confusion can hit the rough. In this article, we give you the clues to deal with cluster feeding. 

What is Cluster Feeding?

Cluster feeding is when infants want to feed more frequently (sometimes all the time) than usual. They want to feed in clusters throughout the day. 

A newborn baby usually needs to be fed a minimum of eight times in a 24-hour span. Each nursing session usually ranges from 10 to 30 minutes. But newborns usually don’t follow a clear schedule. Many newborns want to be fed more often than this and will group or cluster many feedings in a shorter period of time. 

Is Cluster Feeding Normal? 

Yes, it is absolutely fine. Cluster feeding does not mean that there is anything wrong with your baby nor with your breast milk supply ⁽²⁾. 

There is no need to worry, as long as your baby is:

• Gaining weight.

• Content between feeds. 

• Having a lot of dirty and wet nappies. After the first five days, around six or more heavy wet diapers and three or more poopy nappies every 24 hours is a good sign that your baby is feeding enough. 

Having said this, yes, cluster feeding can be exhausting and frustrating for you. 

Why Do Babies Cluster Feed?

We don’t really know why some babies cluster feed. There are several theories:

• It may happen when the baby goes through a growth spurt ⁽³⁾. In the first few months, growth spurts can happen every few days. Growth spurts can mean that your baby is putting on weight and getting taller, but they also happen when they develop new skills. 

• Some babies may cluster feed when they are teething or when they feel unwell to soothe themselves. 

• Some babies may cluster feed in the ‘witching hour’, this is the name the early evening receives, when many babies become irritable, and cry a lot. 

When Do Babies Cluster Feed?

The most common times are: 

• Right after birth.

• At 2 weeks of age.

• At 1 month of age.

However, remember that every baby is different. There is no way of knowing when or if cluster feeding will happen or how long it will last. 

Signs of Cluster Feeding

These are some common signs: 

• Being irritable when they are awake but not at the breast.

• Eating in short and frequent spurts close together.

• Feeding normally and fully and wanting another feed 30 to 60 minutes later.

• Wanting to be fed very often in the early evening and at night. Although it can happen at any time of the day. A baby that usually feeds every 2-3 hours, might nurse every 30 minutes for a few hours in a row. 

• Getting frustrated when the breast is just in front of them and latching on and off. 

How Long Does Cluster Feeding Last?

The good news is that it usually only lasts a few days. 

Is It Cluster Feeding or Colic?

Colic ⁽⁴⁾ is like cluster feeding in that it often happens in the evening and can come on suddenly. However, whereas a cluster feeding baby will get soothed while feeding, a colicky baby is not soothed even when feeding. 

Will I Produce Enough Milk to Feed my Baby While Cluster Feeding?

Yes. Usually, babies feeding stimulates breast milk production. In most cases, your body will increase milk production to keep up with the demand. 

Do Formula-Fed Babies Cluster Feed?

Yes, they do. Bottle-fed babies usually feed less often than breastfed babies because formula is digested slower than breast milk. However, formula-fed babies may want to feed more often, or they may want to feed for longer. 

Challenges of Cluster Feeding

Cluster feeding can be physically and emotionally draining for parents. Very often, parents think that they are doing something wrong or that they are failing when their baby wants to feed non-stop. This happens because they have an idea of what ‘normal’ feeding looks like and they think that cluster feeding is not normal. But remember, cluster feeding is a normal part of development. Exhausting, absolutely, but it does not mean that you are doing anything wrong. 

Research in general shows that breastfeeding tends to be good for mothers’ mental health. However, when mothers’ expectations about breastfeeding are very different to their actual experience of breastfeeding, their mental health may suffer. It is therefore important that you understand well how breastfeeding works. 

It Is Important to Take Care of Yourself When Dealing with Cluster Feeding

• Stay hydrated if you are breastfeeding.

• Take steps to avoid sore nipples. 

• Keep snacks and water next to you while you breastfeed.

• Set a comfortable area for you to breastfeed that allows you to listen to podcasts or audio books, watch TV, read a book, or talk to your partner or friends. 

• Change breastfeeding positions often to avoid feeling sore. 

• Eat well.

• Ask others to help you with other tasks. 

• Rest as much as you can.

• Try to sleep when you can. 

• Understand ⁽⁵⁾ it is normal and that it will pass.

Final Message

Although cluster feeding is part of normal development for many babies, it does not mean that it is easy for us. If you are feeling exhausted or need one-to-one support, get in touch with us, we will put you in contact with a lactation consultant or with a therapist, depending on what your needs are. 

We also have a fantastic REC Parenting masterclass with registered midwife and International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, Dee Bell, that you will find useful. 

Love, 

Ana 

Dr Ana Aznar

References

⁽¹⁾ Kehinde, J., O’Donnell, C., & Grealish, A. (2023). The effectiveness of prenatal breastfeeding education on breastfeeding uptake postpartum: A systematic review. Midwifery, 118, 103579.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.midw.2022.103579

⁽²⁾ Kent, J. C., Prime, D. K., & Garbin, C. P. (2012). Principles for maintaining or increasing breast milk production. Journal of Obstetric, Gynecologic & Neonatal Nursing, 41(1), 114-121. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmwh.2007.04.007

⁽³⁾ Deshpande, W. (2008). Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months. Community Practitioner, 81(5), 34.

⁽⁴⁾ Hjern, A., Lindblom, K., Reuter, A., & Silfverdal, S. A. (2020). A systematic review of prevention and treatment of infantile colic. Acta Paediatrica, 109(9), 1733-1744. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.15247

⁽⁵⁾ Yuen, M., Hall, O. J., Masters, G. A., Nephew, B. C., Carr, C., Leung, K., … & Moore Simas, T. A. (2022). The effects of breastfeeding on maternal mental health: a systematic review. Journal of women’s health, 31(6), 787-807.https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2021.0504

You had your baby, you got into the breastfeeding swing, you have the routine mastered (or almost!) and before you know it, it’s time to go back to work. If you decide to keep on breastfeeding (no judgement here, whatever you decide is great), there are quite a few things for you to consider and to discuss with your employer. Don’t forget that to make breastfeeding at work a success, there needs to be communication and commitment between your employer, your line manager, and yourself (if your baby cooperates it will be a big bonus!). Let’s explore actions that all three parties involved should consider taking.

The Employer Should:

• Create an environment that supports working parents. Send a clear message that senior leadership supports breast-feeding employees. 
• Issue a written lactation policy.
• Offer a break allowance for mothers to express milk or feed their baby. 
• Offer flexible working hours for breastfeeding mothers.
• Offer a warm, clean, and private room for expressing (not a toilet, please!) and a fridge (a separate one, if possible) to store the milk.
• Offer training to line managers so they know how to deal with this issue.
• Hire a lactation consultant to give extra support to employees, whenever feasible. 

The Line Manager Should:

• Have a conversation early on with the working parent so they know what to expect when she comes back and necessary arrangements can be made (e.g., flexible working, arranging breaks…). Do not assume that the employee will breastfeed (or not). 
• Check-in every once in a while, to see how things are going.

• Be supportive and empathetic. Staff may feel self-conscious discussing this issue.

The Working Parent Should:

• Think early about what they want to do regarding breastfeeding (or not) and discuss it with the line manager or HR. 
• Ask colleagues who have been in the same situation for advice.
• Be gentle with yourself. Balancing work and breastfeeding can feel like a real struggle, don’t feel bad if things don’t go as planned, and remember that you are doing the best you can. Try to eat well and get some rest (easier said than done, we know) because working and breastfeeding can be really tiring, especially during the first weeks. 
• Consider the logistics: Practice giving your baby expressed milk before you start working again so they get used to it, try to build an ‘expressed milk bank’, and decide how you will store and transport the milk safely. 
• Ask for help when you need it, don’t struggle in silence!

Some Employers Think, Why Should I Support Breastfeeding Mothers in my Workforce? Why Is It my Concern?

Employers should support working breastfeeding mothers because:

• It is an excellent way of retaining and attracting talent. Remember that 1 in 4 working new mothers do not return to work. According to The Telegraph losing staff costs British business approximately £4 billion each year. 
• Being family friendly also extends to your customers. 83% of millennials only want to deal with companies that share their values.
• It reduces absenteeism. Breastfeeding has positive health effects (e.g., lower chances of developing some types of cancer) and for babies (e.g., protects them against infections). 
• It improves your employees’ work-life balance. Make their life easier! 

To support mums who are considering breastfeeding or who are currently breastfeeding, we have a new masterclass by Dee Bell RM, IBCLC, Specialist Tongue-tie Practitioner and founder of the Infant Feeding Academy. You can watch it here. It provides all the information needed about breastfeeding positions, foods to have or not to have, sore nipples, or expressing milk manually. 

If you are an employer who would like to improve the support you offer to your working parents or an employee who would like their employer to get better at it, do get in touch with us to have a chat! As always, we are here to support you, whatever the issues are. 

Regards,

Ana

Dr Ana Aznar