Although you may have heard that babies breastfeed constantly, when your baby arrives, it may actually surprise you how often they nurse. Usually, we are simply not prepared for this!

Babies breastfeed for many months, from 8 to 12 times in any 24 hours, which means that you will spend many hours with your baby glued to your breast. You also have to remember that babies take a long time to complete a feed during their first months. They can spend 40, 50, or even 60 minutes on the same breast before they let go.

And as if this were not enough, there are breastfeeding crises and growth spurts when they breastfeed even more. These are the moments when an adjustment between breastmilk demand and supply happens, and usually, no one tells you about them. When babies change their behavior and breastfeed more or seem to get fuzzy at the breast, you may incorrectly think that your baby’s behavior is a symptom of not having enough milk, that they might be hungry or rejecting you. But this is because of all the false myths and fears that exist about breastfeeding and motherhood.

So why might a baby want to breastfeed more?

Babies can change the way they breastfeed for many reasons. Some of them we will never know, but many of them, either because of their age or their behavior, we can guess. Here are the most common causes of increased demand for breastfeeding or behaviors that appear to be breast refusal:

• Interference of a baby bottle or pacifier
• Breastfeeding crisis, growth spurt, and sleep regression
• Pain: earache, pain in the mouth, or any area that rests on the mother’s body when breastfeeding
• Tiredness or the witching hour
• Stress or family changes
• Reduced milk supply due to a new pregnancy, some contraceptives, or certain medications

What can I do if my baby wants to breastfeed more often?

Some causes can be quickly ruled out, but it is advisable to consult a pediatrician to check the baby’s health and rule out others. If everything is fine, nothing is bothering the baby, and the weight gain is as expected, then we can try to understand whether the baby is in one of the stages in which breastfeeding crises occur.

If the increased demand comes after a busy or emotional day, then this is likely to be the cause. Babies tend to become fussy and overstimulated very easily. If the increase in demand happens from the late afternoon/evening onwards, then we can almost certainly think that it is due to the ‘witching hour’.

You can find much more information about all of these things within the LactApp app in the “My Baby” and “Breastfeeding” sections.