# Hunger cues in a 3 month old?



## MaggiesMom (May 14, 2003)

Okay. I feel like a total idiot. I can't seem to tell anymore when DD is hungry. She sucks on her hands all the times, hardly ever cries, and does other things that make me think she is or isn't hungry. I usually try to feed her anyway, but she almost never eats when I try. She is 13 weeks old and always ate every 1 1/2 to 2 hours during the day. Now she eats (just the last couple days) every 3-4 hours. I can't seem to read her cues- she turns towards my finger ans sucks if I touch her cheek, which makes me think she is hungry, then won't eat.

Of course, she is not a text-book baby. (Are any of them?) She only takes maybe 2- 1/2 hour naps all day and looks/acts like an older baby, so I guess I should just get used to the fact that she is impossible to figure out.

Does anyone have info on hunger cues in babies that aren't newborns? I checked out kellymom.com but only found info for newborns.

Also, do you think her less frequent feedings could have anything to do with the fact that I a back to work part-time? DH is supposed to give her 2 bottles of EBM while I am gone, but she usually will only take one then sleep for hours. (This is in the evening.)


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## wombat (Nov 3, 2002)

Some babies just signal more strongly than others. My 6 mo old dd sounds like yours. It got confusing as she got older cause she now sucks on her hands for lots of reasons including teething. As she got older, I found lip licking, becoming irritable and looking for me good signals. If I'm not sure, I pick her up and cradle her and she'll nuzzle my shirt if she wants to nurse. Sometimes she does nothing and I just figure she hasn't eaten for a while and put her to the breast and she eats. Other times she doesn't. She also eats frequently - is a bit of a snacker.

Also once she got to 3 months she was so distractable. I guess that made her cues (or lack of them?) harder to read. I had to nurse her in a quiet, dark area.

Don't know if this helps you much but it's not just you


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## MaggiesMom (May 14, 2003)

Thanks, wombat. Maggie does get irritable, and will sometimes try to eat my shirt, but that is all she does. Guess I will just have to keep trying and see what happens.


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