What to do when baby cluster feeds

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Cluster feeding is when a baby suddenly starts eating much more frequently — in clusters — for a period of time. It usually lasts a couple of hours at a time and differs from your baby’s usual eating behavior.

Cluster feeding is normal baby behavior, seen primarily in breastfeeding newborns in the first few weeks. It doesn’t necessarily mean there’s anything wrong with your baby or your milk supply.

Read on to learn more about cluster feeding and how to manage it.

Cluster feeding can be hard to identify because newborns rarely have a predictable eating or sleeping schedule.

Your baby may be cluster feeding if:

• they’re a few days or weeks old
• they’re showing their usual hunger signs or won’t stop crying until they’re fed
• they want to eat constantly or they eat very frequently for short sessions each time
  
• nothing else seems wrong and they’re content when eating
• they still have regular wet and dirty diapers

Cluster feeding is more common in the evenings. With an older infant, though, there may be several days in a row when they eat a lot more than usual throughout the entire day. This may be due to growth spurts or teething.

What’s a normal baby feeding schedule?

Every baby is different, but a typical feeding session for a baby that isn’t cluster feeding can range from 10 to 30 minutes. Experts advise to feed your newborn baby an average of at least 8 to 12 times in 24 hours. Your baby may show hunger signs and need to eat more frequently.

Frequent feeding may help:

• prevent jaundice
• promote healthy weight gain in babies
• mothers develop a milk supply

Cluster feeding vs. colic

If your baby is fussier than usual, you might wonder if they have colic. Colic is similar to cluster feeding in that it can come on suddenly and often occurs in the evening.

A baby with colic usually can’t be soothed with nursing or formula. However, a cluster feeding baby will be soothed during nursing sessions.

Colic is defined as at least three hours of crying for at least three days a week, at least three weeks in a row. It affects 10 to 40 percent of all babies worldwide. There’s no difference in risk between male or female babies, nor between breastfed or formula-fed babies.

Colic symptoms include:

• crying that sounds more like screaming
• face and body that appears tense or contorted
• crying at a predictable time each day, often in the evenings
• crying that peaks at six weeks and usually passes by 3 months old

Researchers don’t fully understand why babies cluster feed, but there are many unproven theories. Cluster feeding probably meets a combination of needs that your baby has at this developmental stage.

Heather Turgeon, MFT, a psychotherapist and author of The Happy Sleeper, says, “cluster feeding is likely a way for babies, who have maturing nervous systems, to regulate. It could also be a way to store up on food for the night.

“What we do know about breastfeeding is that it’s a supply and demand system. When little babies want to feed, that’s a good sign that we should let them, because trying to schedule or space feedings out doesn’t give that supply and demand system the right feedback.

“So while we can have theories about why they cluster feed, what matters is that we let them do it — that’s the way to establish and maintain mom’s milk supply.”

Cluster feeding can be exhausting and you may hear people stressing the importance of a schedule for baby, but cluster feeding is a normal part of the development of many babies.

Is cluster feeding a sign of low milk supply?

More frequent eating shouldn’t cause worry about your milk supply. A doctor can easily tell you if your baby is getting enough milk based on their weight gain.

Tracking a young baby’s wet diapers can also help you tell if they’re getting enough milk. Below are the average number of wet diapers per day, based on baby’s age:

If you’re ever concerned about your baby’s eating, ask your pediatrician and meet with a lactation consultant. Babies who struggle to gain weight or seem frustrated while eating may not be getting enough milk.

Other reasons for nighttime fussiness

Some babies just tend to get fussier in the evenings. Reasons may include:

• being overtired or overstimulated
  
• missing parents who’ve been at work or away all day
• needing to be burped if they’ve been eating a lot

Cluster feeding has both positive and negative effects.

Benefits

• Baby may sleep longer after cluster feeding.
  
• It may help to increase your milk supply.
  
• It may help babies emotionally and neurologically regulate.
  
• It can increase your skin-to-skin time with baby, which has benefits for both mom and baby.

Risks

• It can increase nipple soreness.
  
• It’s unpredictable.
• It can be exhausting, both physically and emotionally.
  
• It often takes time away from other family or household needs in the evening.

While cluster feeding is a normal, brief behavior, it can still be taxing on the whole family. Here are some tips for taking care of yourself, your family, and your baby during cluster feedings:

• Keep a large bottle of water and snacks near your nursing area to stay hydrated and nourished during cluster feeds.
• Set up a nursing area in front of the TV so you can watch something during cluster feedings. Or use the time to listen to audiobooks or podcasts. Keep chargers within reach.
• Change breastfeeding positions often so you don’t get sore.
• Use the downtime to call a friend. Since you’ll want to keep your hands free to hold and aid your baby, consider using earbuds.
• Sit on the couch or floor while you feed baby so you can read or play with older kids at the same time.
• Have a basket of special toys for older siblings that they only play with when the baby is nursing.
• Practice nursing your baby while they’re in a baby carrier so you can potentially walk around while they feed.
• Plan ahead. If baby usually starts cluster feeding around 7 p.m., plan to use the restroom, eat, and get comfortable before then.
• Hand off the baby to your partner or a close friend whenever you can to get a short break. This also allows for other people to have time with them.
  
• Talk with your partner about expectations and plan for how you’ll handle evening chores if the baby starts to cluster feed.
• Let friends help cook or do housework, or, if possible, consider hiring a housekeeper for the first few weeks postpartum.

Cluster feeding isn’t a sign that you need to supplement with formula. If you’re nursing and need a break, you or someone else can offer a bottle of breastmilk.

You’ll still need to pump at this time in order to keep up your milk supply at pace with the baby’s eating, however.

There are many tricks other than feeding you can try to soothe a fussy baby. Some babies may be soothed by the same method every time. For other babies, what worked yesterday, or even earlier in the same day, may no longer work. Feel free to experiment with these or other ideas:

• Wrap baby in a swaddle to help recreate the experiences from the womb.
• Offer a pacifier.
• Hold baby as you slowly walk or rock.
• Dim the lights and reduce other stimuli, such as loud noises.
• Use white noise, either from a white noise machine or cell phone app, or from a fan, gently running water, or even a vacuum. You can also create your own white noise by holding your baby upright on your chest and humming in low tones.
• Hold them in different positions. They may be fussy because they’re uncomfortable or want a change of scenery.
• Sing peaceful songs, recite poems, or speak to baby in a soft, gentle voice.

It’s important to go to your baby’s recommended checkups or wellness visits so the doctor can keep track of growth and development. These visits are more frequent when your baby is first born, when tracking weight gain is vital.

Your doctor will tell you if they suspect your baby isn’t getting enough milk or if they aren’t gaining enough weight. More frequent feedings, fussiness, or breasts not feeling full don’t necessarily mean your baby isn’t getting enough milk.

Always call your pediatrician if your baby seems very sick, lethargic, or has trouble breathing.

Cluster feeding is normal baby behavior and can happen any time, though it’s most common with newborns and in the evenings. Researchers don’t totally understand why it happens, but it’s not a sign that there’s anything wrong.

You may need to reset your expectations for these periods but cluster feeding isn’t permanent and will pass eventually.

I have the right: What parents owe their children

- Give me something else, cheaper, - my mother gently objects. - And then, you already have a hundred of these accumulated!

- And I want this one, - the offspring persists. - I'm a child, you have to buy it for me!

Russian children have a very vague idea of ​​their rights. But sometimes they still say that they “have the right” to something and parents are “obliged” to obey their requirements. "ProParent" decided not to leave the situation without clarification and asked the lawyer Lyubov Danilova, who works in the capital's "Lawyer Advice No. 24" (a branch of the Inter-Republican Bar Association) to tell what exactly the Russian child has the right to from the point of view of the law.

A child has certain rights from the moment of birth. So says Article 17 of the Civil Code of Russia. Babies can be sure that they have:

• The right to life, citizenship, name, patronymic and surname.
• The right to live and be brought up in a family is one of the most important rights of a child.
• The right to liberty and security of person, respect for dignity, protection of interests.
• The right to protection of rights and legal interests, to health protection and favorable environment.
• Ownership of property received as a gift or by inheritance.

It is clear that the legal capacity of infants - that is, the real opportunity to dispose of those opportunities that are guaranteed to them by law - is a very conditional thing. However, everyone around is obliged to take into account the interests of the kids, even if they do not yet know about it.

Children start to have real rights as they grow up. And every year there are more of them. Six-year-old children in Russia are guaranteed:

• The right to education - that is, the compulsory opportunity to go to school.
• The right to make small household transactions. For example, make purchases in a store for a small amount for cash. It can be food, stationery, toys. Of course, they will not sell a car or a computer to a child, but it is already possible to send it to the store for bread.
• The right to independently dispose of funds provided for a specific purpose. Basically, it's pocket money. Parents are not obliged to issue them, but if they have shown generosity, then the child can decide for himself what exactly to spend them on.
• The right to express an opinion in resolving a matter that affects his interests. Actually, any kid expresses his opinion from birth, not much bothering with issues of legitimacy. But if the cries of babies can still be ignored, then parents are already obliged to listen to the opinion of six-year-olds. Moreover, after the child reaches the age of ten, his opinion can become decisive.

Seven-year-olds get another very pleasant right: to ride a bicycle on sidewalks, pedestrian and bicycle paths.

At the age of ten, legally speaking, a child's possibilities expand even further. A person who celebrated the first round anniversary: ​​

• Gives consent to his adoption or transfer to a foster family, as well as to changing his name, surname.
• Expresses an opinion as to which parent would like to live with in the event of divorce.
• Receives the right to speak in court.

The next stage of official maturation begins at the age of 14. Together with the passport the child receives:

• The right to change the surname, name and patronymic. All at once or one of the elements.
• The right to choose a place of residence (with parental consent).
• The right to dispose of their earnings, scholarships.
• Ability to exercise the rights of the author of a work of science, literature or art, invention.
• The right to cycle in the cycle lane. The bike path, mastered at the age of seven, happens in the park. The lane for cyclists is part of a full-fledged road, next to cars.
• The right to conclude an employment contract (with parental consent).

The last "childish" stage of empowerment occurs at age 16. From this age, a young man or girl is endowed with:

• The right to drive a moped.
• The right to marry. Here, however, there is a significant caveat: only if there are good reasons and only with the permission of local governments. In most cases, we are talking about teenage pregnancy. Although other life stories are possible.

Accelerated maturation

A child can become a full citizen without waiting for the age of eighteen. If he works under an employment contract or (of course, with the consent of his parents) is engaged in entrepreneurship, then the court or guardianship and guardianship authority may recognize the teenager as fully capable (emancipated).

If you have the right, then you must

On the one hand, many children's rights cannot be realized if their parents do not provide them. For example, the rights to freedom and personal integrity, respect for dignity, health protection and many others. But at the same time, children over the years acquire duties and responsibilities. For example, from the age of 14, teenagers can be prosecuted for criminal offenses. And this circumstance in some cases can be much more significant than the right to independently ride a bike along the edge of the highway.

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Fighting mood: why the food workers of the Leningrad Region decided to unite and do not rejoice at sanctions

August 16, 15:37

Photo: Valentin Ilyushin/Online47

How the food cluster of the region will provide residents with tasty and affordable products

A food industry cluster has been created in the Leningrad Region. So far, it has united about a dozen enterprises in the region, but the plans are much larger. Online47 found out how Leningrad producers benefit from joining the cluster and that the inhabitants of the region will ultimately benefit from this.

The eyes are afraid - the hands are doing

The key initiator of the creation of the food industry cluster was the Dobrov meat processing plant. General Director of the enterprise Sergey Dolgoarshinnykh told Online47 that the agro-industrial park in Razmetelevo will become the main platform for the merger.

“At some point, the idea of ​​creating an agro-industrial park appeared. For a long time, the sites were surveyed, electricity, gas, water, storm sewers were installed. But there was no special faith, and in order to somehow move from words to deeds, in the middle of this area, I built a plant - the Dobrov MPZ. Everyone was afraid, no one believed, but it turned out. And after that, interest arose, neighbors began to appear - now, for example, a bakery is being built, - he shared the history of the project. – Then we went a little further and decided to create an unusual wholesale distribution center. We will have production, storage, trade, and logistics. All in one. And the priority will be completely given to the enterprises of the Leningrad Region”.

On the territory of the agro-industrial park in the foreseeable future there will be a refrigerator for three thousand tons, a processing plant (or maybe more than one), warehouses, a trading zone. Food producers from 47 regions will be able to place their goods in it.

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Everything is thought out in the scheme. Now an agreement of intent is being signed with the Svetofor trading company - this well-known discounter will attract buyers. Coming for shopping, they will also be able to get acquainted and purchase products from Leningrad companies.

“Slowly it will be possible for local producers to work, sell, communicate, and remove all unnecessary costs, and most importantly, intermediaries. This will speed up the turnover, reduce the shelf life, and allow you to enter the market,” Sergey Dolgoarshinnykh explained. “Maybe a logistics company will appear that will provide services for receiving and delivering orders.”

So far, only 11 organizations have joined the cluster, but many Leningrad manufacturers have already expressed their desire to join the association. Among them are local processors, and dairymen, and fish farms, and cheese, meat enterprises, and a dairy plant.

“There are a lot of plans here, to be honest,” emphasizes Sergey Dolgoarshinnykh. “We are in a fighting mood.”

Sanctions have spurred

In an interview with Online47 development director of the confectionery factory “F. Skrupskaya" Dmitry Poluektov noted that the need to create a cluster of the food industry in the region arose a long time ago. Helped, oddly enough, the sanctions.

“Undoubtedly, the sanctions served to mobilize business. Even using the example of our organization, the current situation in the country with import substitution, with restrictions on purchases from Western partners, helped us. This spurred us on, we began to do everything faster, became more efficient. As far as I know, colleagues have the same situation,” he said. - Demand has increased. It was a shame: you are in the Leningrad region, you provide jobs, you try to enter the federal networks, and there everything is already packed with transnational companies, mostly Western ones. And now they have significantly reduced their production, someone left, and this allowed many to break through.

The non-standard situation also pushed the enterprises of the region to unite, because in such conditions it is easier to work together. And the cluster, among other things, will help to establish interaction with government agencies and financial organizations, organize educational programs, and unite for more profitable work.

“At our company it happens that you need to send cargo somewhere in Russia, but we, for example, do not collect a full truck, and the larger the truck, the cheaper it is. In this case, the transport must meet certain requirements for the transportation of food products, have a refrigerator. And thanks to the cluster, colleagues from the food industry will be able to cooperate and help each other,” Dmitry Poluektov explained. “The opportunity to share expertise and experience is also important.”

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Cluster members summarize: it is still good that sanctions were introduced. Difficulties in the work of enterprises were quickly eliminated, but new opportunities for development appeared. Including due to reorientation to domestic producers and association.

“We benefit from the imposition of sanctions, and let there be more of them,” Sergey Dolgoarshinnykh says. – We must work ourselves, we must work quickly, efficiently, and we are able to do all this. We are on the rise in both animal husbandry and poultry farming, the issue of cattle and milk is being raised. We have everything. Energy is cheap, water is available, resources are available. We can absolutely calmly produce products that grow and are produced here, and additionally attract partners from other regions and countries in order to balance the market for raw materials and goods. Sanctions only helped us.”

What about us?

The benefits for producers from the creation of a cluster and an agro-industrial park are clear. Not everyone manages to enter the federal networks, and on the new site, companies will be able to quickly sell their products in different formats, store them, cooperate with partners, in general, solve all problems.

However, there are direct benefits for buyers as well. After all, as Dmitry Poluektov noted, he himself, as a resident of the Leningrad region, always, coming to the store, focuses on a quality and affordable product.

“That's exactly the cluster that will help the products of the Leningrad region, which we produce ourselves, we are proud of them, we are responsible for them, appear on the shelves,” he explains. “And besides the fact that this is our native product, it is also the jobs that we provide, and the taxes that we pay to the Leningrad Region.”

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It's hard to believe in low prices for good products today. But Sergey Dolgoarshinnykh gives specific figures: only the absence of intermediaries between producers and consumers removes 20–25% from the final cost. And a single platform, a focus on local companies and universal support will save buyers from cheating - and in fact it sometimes reaches both 100 and 200%.

“Besides, fresh goods will hit the shelf immediately, within a day or two,” he added. “That is, it will be high-quality, environmentally friendly and at a normal price.”

Comprehensive assistance and support

Great support in the creation of the cluster, as well as in general in the work of enterprises in the Leningrad Region, is provided by the Center for the Development of the Industry of the Region. It was on its site that an agreement was signed on the creation of a new association of manufacturers.

As explained by Online47 Vera Shtokailo , General Director of the Leningrad Region CRP , the cluster is, first of all, a platform for increasing the competitiveness of regional enterprises, creating new production and cooperation chains, expanding sales markets for enterprises, solving common problems and attracting investments.

“So, for example, joint projects of cluster members will make it possible to master the production of products at lower costs and promote the development of new areas of activity, promote initiatives and products of enterprises that are significant for the industry, participate in industry exhibitions, forums, and find new business partners,” she clarified. she is.

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• We are not going to give up: how the business of the Leningrad region is mastering new export directions

Other clusters already exist in the Leningrad region – timber, chemical, shipbuilding, metalworking and building materials.

“As a rule, enterprises themselves are the initiators of creating a cluster,” added Vera Shtokailo. – This means that they see prospects and opportunities in this form of interaction. As a rule, a group of enterprises has greater stability and potential as a whole than an individual company.”

As the general director of the MPZ “Dobrov” noted, the CRP has become an excellent platform for gathering food workers and the first step towards cooperation.

“We have received the support we need, we will be registered and we will be promoted in the media, this is very, very important,” he continued. – It will always be possible to ask for help and get support when communicating with the authorities, this is also significant. They also plan to compensate us for participation in international exhibitions, to help with entering the international market.”

Development Director of the F. Skrupskaya”, in addition, noted the importance of training programs and business missions. Thanks to one of the missions, for example, the enterprise signed a contract with a Belarusian partner - and now Leningrad confectionery products are supplied to Belarus.

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On the whole, it seems that the Leningrad region has long lacked such an association. After all, many residents of the region and neighboring St. Petersburg, attending large-scale events taking place in the region, buy cheese, meat and fish products, and much more. Because it's delicious, because it's affordable. And very soon you will not have to wait for a new holiday to please yourself with Leningrad delicacies.

For information: The confectionery factory “F. Skrupskaya, producers of meat products Delikates, MPZ Dobrov, Neyma meat processing plant, MPK Salyut +, MCC Baltiysky, producers of drinks Globus and Unika, cheese atelier Minestrel, the company producing food additives Ecoresurs, as well as the company Promkompleks, which is engaged in the construction of the agro-industrial park Razmetelevo City.

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