Speedy Feeder

[zacharysmum]

Help! My son is 11 weeks old and feeds for a maximum of 10 minutes every 3-4 hours. He was 3.978kg at birth and now weighs 5.1kg. Every thing I read indicates he should be suckling happily for about 30mins at a time however he does both breasts so quickly.

Does anyone else have a baby that feeds for only short periods? Is he feeding enough? I have tried offering bottles of formula to top him up but he usually refuses this. I also feel like I'm missing out on bonding time and he is usually a grump when he comes off a feed. Any ideas???

Rachel
Zach (23/02/05)

[draught]

By 11 weeks Chloe was feeding for a maximum of 10 minutes in total - and she has consistently been at the top of the growth chart for weight. If he is putting on weight (which it appears that he is) and isn't wanting to feed all the time, doesn't want anything else and is generally happy then he is probably getting all that he needs, just doing it very efficiently.

As for bonding time - there are still lots of reasons to cuddle and hold him apart from feeding, so don't fret about that - he will still look to you for everything he needs I can assure you! :)

[jamb]

My DS is 10 weeks old and he feeds for 4/5 minutes a breast, so 8/10 minutes a feeding session. I have also tried offering bottle afterwards but he usually only drinks 20mls. He feeds every 3 hours. I got worried when I read formula tin which says he should be having 160mls 4/5 times a day- there is no way he would get through that much in one go. But he doesnt cry and isnt unsettled- and he simply wont keep eating. His weight gain is at the lower end of the scale but when I asked my family they said all of us were smaller kids for the age group. Wish I could say that still applies, but nope, I got a whole lotta more of me after pregnancy!

[suejean17]

i had the same problem but my son seemed quite content, then he started getting really unsettled from about 5 weeks and so i called the tresilian hotline and the nurse told me he wasn't getting enough hindmilk and the foremilk was giving him gas and that may be why he was unsettled
so now each time he comes off the first breast i give myself a minute or two for the breast to "reset" and get him back on the first breast and make sure i feel a second "let down" on that breast then offer him the second breast only if he seems not content
usually after the second "let down" my breast feels really empty and thats how i test that he has drained it completely

hope it helps

sue-jean

ps. i know this thread is about breastfeeding, but any tips on settling a baby to go to bed on his own? ever since he became unsettled from 5 weeks, he seems happy after feeds but when i put him back to bed, he refuses to sleep :(