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My baby’s still hungry after a breast milk feed

Georgina Liew, CareLine Advisor/ Mum

Lots of mums feel concerned about whether their baby is getting enough breast milk – especially if their baby still appears to be hungry after a breast-feed. But you know the answer may not be to give them more breast milk. This information will help you to work out why your baby is still hungry.

Georgina Liew, CareLine Advisor/ Mum
1800 265 3188

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Could it be a growth spurt?


How can you tell if you have a hungry baby? It’s hard to pinpoint this exactly as there’s no hard and fast rule but generally hungry babies tend to cry for a feed more often and will feed longer when you do offer them breast milk.


At around 6 weeks of age, many babies also  go through a growth spurt which can mean a hungrier baby for a few days so the breastfeeding routine you had may have just gone out the window! It’s worth bearing in mind that this may occur so you can just increase the frequency or amount of the breast-feed and then allow the pattern to settle back after a few days.


Too early for complementary feeding


Lots of mums wonder whether a hungry baby means that it’s time to start complementary feeding them onto food but really this should only happen somewhere between 4 and 6 months, and not before. Don't rush it - up until 6 months, your baby's body may be too delicate for anything more than breast milk and these will give your baby all of the energy and nutrients they need.


Some babies aren’t as hungry as they seem


Some babies also like to suck for comfort and seem to be demanding breast milk when actually a cuddle or some other response would work just as well.