The baby shows its hunger by opening its mouth, searching, and then wailing. When a baby wakes up in the first few months, they are usually hungry and want to be breastfed. Breastfeeding intervals may be as short as one or two hours in the first few weeks. Since the amount of milk produced by the breast will increase after each breastfeeding session, the feeding intervals will become longer over time. The mother needs to know how to recognize the “early signs of hunger” in her baby.
The signs of hunger: Eye movements increase when eyelids are closed, or when the baby opens its eyes. When they open their mouth and stick out their tongue and move their head left and right, looking for the breast. The baby becomes annoyed and starts muttering. They suck on their fist, fingers, or objects such as blankets and quilts, which come into contact with their mouth. Crying is a late symptom. Some babies are very calm. If early signs of hunger are not noticed, they can go back to sleep. This may lead to nutritional deficiencies. In conditions when the baby has not been fed for 4 hours, it is recommended to wake the baby up and feed him/her.
References:
- Çökelek, F. (2017). Emzirme sıklığı ve süresi ne olmalı?. Türk Dünyası Uygulama ve Araştırma Merkezi Yeni doğan Dergisi, 2(2), 375-384.
