comfort eating?

[cara9499]

Hi,

This might be a silly question, but is comfort eating ok? My LO just got over RSV and has been really crabby (pedi thinks he has colic...just like his big brother did!). Anyway, for the past 4 days, he has been eating almost every hour during the day, which I'm assuming is comfort eating. In 5 days, he gained 1 pound, 4 ounces...so he's not hurting for food!! Do I keep letting him eat on demand or do I need to consider that I might be overfeeding him?

Argh...I forgot how frustrating this newborn stage is!

Thanks,
Cara

[singin_mama]

Be thankful for it. I wish my LO would nurse for comfort!

[NewMum]

How old is your LO? Are you breastfeeding him?

It's almost impossible to overfeed a breastfed baby. If he's been sick, yes, he probably needs the comfort and the extra milk doesn't hurt either.
Depending on his age, he could be going through a growth spurt, hence the weight gain and the demand for more food.

My DS still nurses often for comfort. I don't see any harm in it.

[cara9499]

He is 7.5 weeks, and yes he is exclusively breastfed. I wondered about a growth spurt, but 4 days seemed like a long time!

[whitnessforhim]

You cannot overfeed a baby on the breast. It works very different then a bottle. I'd definitely say its a combination of growth spurt and making up for being sick.
I would feed on demand. With my DD her norm was to nurse every 1-2hrs...every 30mins was her growth spurt schedule. Every baby is different and I am sure what he has gained now will only iron all out in the end. :)

Sounds like you are doing a good job!