Breastfeeding FAQ: Colic, Gas, Latching, Cluster Feeding & Other Questions New Moms Ask

If you have ever sat up at 3 a.m. with a hungry baby, one hand on your phone, typing “is this normal?”, you are in very good company. The same handful of questions keeps coming up in the IPF breastfeeding group: Why does my baby cry every evening? Do I really need a feeding pillow? Why will she only feed on the left? Can I feed while I have a fever? Is he hungry or just using me as a pacifier?

This guide answers those questions in plain language, using guidance from the CDC, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American Academy of Family Physicians and other trusted sources. Where the evidence is mixed, we say so. Where the answer is “it depends on your baby”, we say that too.

This post is general information, not medical advice. For anything specific to your baby, your pediatrician or a lactation consultant is the right person to ask.

Quick answers

Is it colic, or just a fussy baby?

Short answer: Colic is common, it affects breastfed and formula-fed babies at similar rates, and it usually settles on its own by around 3–4 months.

Doctors usually describe colic as a healthy baby crying for more than 3 hours a day, on more than 3 days a week, for more than 3 weeks. The crying often peaks in the evening and seems to come from nowhere. It is exhausting, and it is not a sign that your milk is “wrong” or that you are doing something wrong. Breastfeeding mothers are encouraged to continue.

What can help (nothing works for every baby):

• Check the latch and feeding position. A shallow latch means more swallowed air.
• Hold your baby upright during and after feeds, and burp them.
• Try holding, rocking, carrying, skin-to-skin contact, a dim room or white noise.
• Hand your baby to someone else for ten minutes. Taking a break is not giving up.

“What about my diet?” Almost every new mom is told to avoid onions, broccoli, cauliflower, chocolate and spicy food. Here is the honest picture:

• Some research, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, suggest that removing common allergens (cow’s milk, eggs, soy, wheat, nuts, fish) from the mother’s diet may reduce crying in some breastfed babies.
• UK and Irish guidelines do not recommend changing the mother’s diet, and a Cochrane review rated the evidence as very low quality.
• Dairy-free is the change most often tried. Cutting out everyday foods like onions or spices has much weaker support.

So please do not cut foods at random, and do not restrict heavily. If you want to try an elimination, discuss it with your pediatrician first, change one thing at a time, and make sure you are still eating enough and getting your nutrients. Some babies are reacting to cow’s milk protein. Blood or mucus in the stool, a rash, eczema or repeated vomiting are reasons to see a doctor, not to experiment on your own.

Call your pediatrician if your baby has a fever, blood in the stool, repeated or green vomiting, fewer wet nappies, poor weight gain, or a cry that sounds different from usual. Colic is only diagnosed once other causes have been ruled out.

How do I relieve gas in my breastfed baby?

Short answer: Gas is normal. Babies swallow air when they feed and cry, and their digestive systems are still maturing. Latch and pacing usually matter more than what is on your plate.

• Burp mid-feed and after. Over the shoulder or sitting upright with your hand supporting the chin both work.
• Keep your baby upright for 10–15 minutes after a feed.
• Look at the latch. Clicking sounds, milk dribbling from the corners of the mouth or a baby who keeps pulling off can mean extra air.
• Forceful letdown? Laid-back or side-lying positions let gravity slow the flow so your baby can manage it.
• Move those legs. Gentle bicycle legs and a clockwise tummy massage help some babies pass gas. Wait 30–60 minutes after a feed, and keep sessions short. Supervised tummy time while awake is good for them too.
• Be cautious with home remedies. Evidence for herbal supplements for colic and gas is weak. Ask your pediatrician before giving gripe water or anything else, especially before 6 months, when breast milk alone is recommended.

What IPF moms do for gas relief (and what the evidence says)

Moms in our group swear by a simple routine. These are gentle, low-risk comfort measures. Evidence that any single one cures gas is limited, so treat them as things to try, not guarantees.

Stop any technique that makes your baby cry harder, and ask your nurse or pediatrician to show you the tummy massage strokes in person.

My baby cries or refuses the breast during feeds. What is going on?

Short answer: A baby who is hungry but screams at the breast is usually uncomfortable, not rejecting you. Gas or tummy pain, a blocked nose, a fast letdown, reflux, a shallow latch and tongue-tie are the common reasons.

A mom in our group described a 2.5-month-old who cried with hunger, then refused to feed, then cried again whenever he passed gas. That pattern is exhausting, and it is more common than it feels at 3 a.m.

What to try:

• Calm your baby before offering the breast. Feed when they are drowsy or just waking, not at the peak of crying.
• Burp halfway through and when switching sides.
• Check for a blocked nose before a feed.
• Use laid-back or side-lying positions if milk flows fast and your baby gulps or chokes.
• Take a short break, hold your baby upright, and offer again.
• If you also use bottles, ask your lactation consultant about paced bottle feeding, because a fast bottle flow can make some babies impatient at the breast.
• If your pediatrician has prescribed drops for gas or colic, give them exactly as advised and ask before adding anything else.

Mixed feeding is common. If you want to keep breastfeeding alongside formula, feeding or expressing regularly helps protect your supply, and a lactation consultant can help you plan.

Call your pediatrician if your baby refuses feeds repeatedly, has fewer wet nappies, is not gaining weight, vomits, has a fever, or seems unusually sleepy.

How do I fix a painful or shallow latch?

Short answer: Some tenderness in the first days is common, but ongoing pain, cracked nipples or a baby who keeps slipping off are signs to adjust the latch, not something to endure.

Signs of a good latch:

• Your baby’s mouth is open wide, with lips turned outwards.
• Their chin is pressed into your breast and their nose is free.
• You can see more of the areola above their top lip than below the bottom lip.
• You see a steady suck with pauses and hear swallowing.
• Your nipple looks round (not pinched or flattened) when your baby comes off.

How to improve it:

1. Bring your baby to the breast, not the breast to your baby. Tummy to tummy, with ear, shoulder and hip in a line.
2. Aim your nipple at your baby’s nose, and wait for a wide, yawn-like mouth.
3. Lead with the chin. The AAP describes an “asymmetric latch”: the lower lip lands well away from the nipple, at the edge of the areola, with the nipple pointing towards the roof of the mouth.
4. Hand-express a little milk first so your baby gets a quick reward, and use gentle breast compression to keep milk moving.
5. If it hurts, break the suction with a clean finger and start again.
6. Try another position. Cross-cradle, football hold and laid-back all change the angle.

For sore nipples: let them air-dry after feeds, wear soft cotton bras, change nursing pads often and rub a little expressed milk on them. Nipple shields can help in some situations but are best used with a professional’s guidance and not long term. If your nipples are cracked or bleeding, you can usually keep feeding, but get the latch checked.

Get help early. The AAP recommends that latch and positioning are assessed by someone skilled in breastfeeding before you leave the hospital and again in the first 2–3 days after discharge. If your baby is not latching well, ask the pediatrician to check for things like tongue-tie. Our 52 questions to ask your pediatrician before you leave the hospital checklist has a full feeding section.

Why does my breast hurt when my nipple does not?

Short answer: Breast pain without nipple pain is usually a blocked duct, engorgement or a strong letdown. Redness, heat or a fever can mean mastitis, so see a doctor. Keep feeding or expressing from that side unless you are told otherwise.

A mom in our group could express and feed from her sore breast, but the tissue ached. Another asked whether the pain starts mid-feed and builds towards the end. That timing is worth noting for your doctor or lactation consultant.

Warm compresses before feeds and cold compresses afterwards give many moms relief. See a doctor the same day if you have a fever, a red hot patch, pus, or pain that keeps getting worse.

Is a feeding pillow really necessary?

Short answer: No. Many moms swear by one. Others never bought one and were fine. It is a comfort item, not a requirement.

Why moms love it: it holds your baby at the right height so you are not hunching, it takes weight off your arms, wrists and back, and it keeps your baby off a C-section scar.

The honest downsides:

• It is bulky, and it is one more thing to carry around.
• If it sits too high or too low, you end up leaning towards your baby, which defeats the purpose.
• It is only useful for a few months, until your baby has good head control and is feeding in a more flexible way.
• It does not help with side-lying or laid-back feeding.

What moms use instead: regular bed pillows, a folded blanket or rolled towel under the baby, a cushion behind your back, a footstool for your feet, and positions that need no pillow at all, like laid-back (baby on your chest while you recline) and side-lying.

💡 Tip: Because a feeding pillow is used for just a few months, buying or borrowing preloved is a sensible way to find out whether it works for you. Our feeding essentials guide covers the rest of the feeding kit.

Wrist or thumb pain from feeding and holding your baby (mom’s thumb)

Short answer: Pain at the base of the thumb or on the thumb side of the wrist is common in new parents. It is often de Quervain’s tenosynovitis, nicknamed “mom’s thumb”, caused by repeated lifting and holding. It responds best to early treatment.

One mom in our group had put up with it for two months before it became very painful and a doctor mentioned an injection or surgery. Others asked whether she had tried physiotherapy. That is a fair question to ask your own doctor.

What treatment usually involves: according to Mayo Clinic, treatment aims to calm inflammation and rest the thumb, often with a splint or brace and by avoiding repetitive thumb movements. If treatment starts early, symptoms typically improve within 4 to 6 weeks. A corticosteroid injection may be offered, and when treatment begins within six months of symptoms, most people recover fully, often after a single injection. A physiotherapist can teach exercises and show you how to adjust everyday movements. Surgery is usually kept for cases that do not improve.

How to protect your wrists while feeding:

• Lift your baby using your whole arms, with your wrists kept straight.
• Let a pillow, cushion or folded blanket take your baby’s weight so your hands are not doing the holding.
• Avoid cradling your baby’s head in your palm with your thumb stretched out.
• Switch to laid-back or side-lying feeds when your wrists are sore.
• Swap arms, and ask someone else to do burping and carrying when they can.

See a doctor if the pain is getting worse, you notice swelling at the base of the thumb, or you struggle to grip or pinch.

My baby prefers one breast. Is that a problem?

Short answer: Very common, usually harmless and often fixable.

Why it happens:

• Milk flows faster or slower on one side.
• One nipple is easier to latch onto.
• Your baby finds one head position more comfortable, sometimes because of a tight neck.
• One breast simply makes more milk. It is normal for breasts to produce different amounts.
• Ear pain, a blocked duct or mastitis can make one side uncomfortable.

What to try:

• Start the feed on the less-preferred side, when your baby is hungriest.
• Change the hold. Try the football hold on the refused side, so your baby’s body is in the same position as on the favourite side.
• Try feeding when your baby is drowsy, in skin-to-skin contact, or while you walk gently.
• Hand-express or pump the less-used side now and then so your supply there does not drop.

Uneven breast size while breastfeeding is common and usually nothing to worry about. Speak to your pediatrician or lactation consultant if your baby suddenly refuses one side, if you have a hard lump, redness or fever, or if your baby always tilts their head the same way.

Can I breastfeed when I am sick?

Short answer: In most cases, yes. A cold, flu, fever or tummy bug is not a reason to stop, and your milk may help protect your baby.

• Wash your hands before feeds and wear a mask if you are coughing or sneezing.
• Drink plenty of fluids and rest when you can. Let someone else handle the non-feeding jobs.
• Keep feeding if you have mastitis. Feeding often helps clear a blocked duct.

Medicines: most commonly used medicines are compatible with breastfeeding, but check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking anything, including supplements, herbal remedies and over-the-counter products. Some decongestants can reduce milk supply. The LactMed database, run by the US National Library of Medicine, is the standard reference doctors use.

Rare exceptions: there are a few situations where doctors advise against breastfeeding, such as active untreated tuberculosis, certain infections where guidance depends on your circumstances, chemotherapy, illicit drug use, herpes sores on the breast and a small number of medicines. If you have any of these concerns, your doctor will guide you.

Side-lying feeding: is it safe, and from what age?

Short answer: Side-lying feeding is fine from the very first feed, as long as you are awake. The safety advice is about sleep, not the feed itself: when the feed is over, the AAP recommends your baby goes back to their own sleep space.

Why moms love it: it lets you rest, it is gentle after a C-section, and it can help if you have a forceful letdown or find sitting positions awkward.

How to do it:

1. Lie on your side with your head on a pillow.
2. Roll your baby onto their side, facing you, with their hips close to yours and their nose level with your nipple.
3. Once they finish, you can lean forward and offer the top breast, or roll both of you over to the other side.

Safety checklist:

• Stay awake during the feed. If you feel yourself drifting, ask your partner or another adult to take over.
• Use your bed, not a sofa or armchair. Falling asleep on a sofa is especially risky.
• Keep pillows, quilts and loose bedding away from your baby’s face.
• When your baby finishes or dozes off, place them on their back in their own safe sleep space, such as a cot or bassinet next to your bed.

What is cluster feeding, and is it normal?

Short answer: Cluster feeding is normal and temporary, and it does not mean you have low milk supply.

What it looks like: your baby wants to feed every few minutes to every hour, often in the late afternoon or evening, sometimes for several hours. It is most intense in the first days, and often returns around growth spurts, commonly at about 2–3 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months. Every baby has their own timetable, and a spurt usually lasts a few days.

Why it happens: to get extra milk during growth spurts, to build up your supply, to “tank up” before a longer sleep and for comfort. Newborns have tiny tummies and feed often anyway. The AAP notes that 8–12 feeds in 24 hours helps establish breastfeeding.

Is my baby getting enough? Look for steady weight gain, around 6–8 wet nappies a day once your milk is in, audible swallowing, and a baby who is content for at least some of the day.

How to get through it:

• Set up a feeding station with water, snacks, your phone charger and a burp cloth within reach.
• Try laid-back or side-lying positions so you can rest while feeding.
• Share everything else: meals, chores, older children.
• Remember it passes. Many moms notice their baby sleeps a little longer afterwards.
• Please talk to your pediatrician before adding top-ups. If a top-up is advised, expressing milk at those times helps protect your supply.

Call your doctor if your baby seems limp or hard to wake, looks yellow, has fewer wet nappies, refuses to latch, is inconsolable, or never settles between feeds.

Is my baby hungry or just wanting comfort?

Short answer: Both are perfectly normal reasons for a baby to nurse. Breastfeeding is food and comfort. Listen for swallowing.

Early hunger cues include stirring, turning the head, rooting, lip smacking and bringing hands to the mouth. Crying is a late cue, so offering the breast before the crying starts usually makes feeds calmer.

Comfort nursing does not “spoil” a baby, and it also helps your supply. But you are allowed to have limits. If you are exhausted or sore, let someone else settle your baby with holding, rocking, a walk or skin-to-skin contact. The real measure is steady weight gain and enough wet nappies, and your pediatrician will track that.

Breastfeeding FAQs: quick answers

How often should a newborn feed? Around 8–12 times in 24 hours, usually every 2–3 hours, sometimes more.

Should I wake my sleeping newborn to feed? In the first days, many experts suggest waking a baby who sleeps for more than about 4 hours at a stretch. Ask your pediatrician what is right for your baby, especially if there is jaundice or a low birth weight.

How do I know my milk supply is enough? Steady weight gain, regular wet and dirty nappies, swallowing at the breast and a baby who seems satisfied after feeds. Breast size does not affect how much milk you make.

How long should I breastfeed? The WHO, AAP and CDC recommend exclusive breastfeeding for about the first 6 months, then continuing alongside solids until 2 years or beyond. How long you continue is your choice.

How long can I store expressed milk? A common guide is the “rule of 4s”: about 4 hours at room temperature (shorter if your room is hot), 4 days in the fridge, and about 6 months in the freezer, with up to 12 months considered acceptable. Use thawed milk within 24 hours, thaw in warm water, and never microwave it.

Can I get pregnant while breastfeeding? Yes. Ovulation comes before your first period, so you can conceive even before your period returns. Talk to your doctor about breastfeeding-friendly contraception.

When to call your doctor or a lactation consultant

• Your baby has fewer wet nappies than expected, or dark urine.
• Your baby looks yellow, is very sleepy or is hard to wake for feeds.
• Your baby is losing weight or not gaining as expected.
• Your nipples stay painful, cracked or bleeding despite adjusting the latch.
• Your breast is red, hot and painful, and you have a fever.
• Your baby has blood in the stool or repeated vomiting.
• Your baby is under 3 months old and has a fever. Call your doctor right away.

You do not have to figure it out alone

Feeding is one of the steepest learning curves of early parenting. There is no single right way, and “fed, loved and growing” is the goal. If you are looking for support, our IPF Parenting Community is full of moms who have been through the same evenings, and your pediatrician or lactation consultant is always worth a call.

If you are setting up your feeding corner, you do not need to buy everything new. On the IPF marketplace you can find preloved feeding pillows, nursing footstools, sterilizers and more, from parents in your city. Listing is free for sellers, buyers pay only a small commission, in-app escrow protects your payment, and doorstep pickup and drop is available. When your baby outgrows something, list it for the next mom.

Expecting? Our hospital bag checklist is a good place to start.