how long did your newborn feed for

[hummingbird]

How long did your newborn (say up to 6 weeks old) feed for at each breast (if you offer both) at each feeding session (on average? And if you noticed your baby beginning to feed more efficiently with less time at the boob, at what age did this happen?

[Rah]

In the first month it use to take me about 45mins to breastfeed my son. About 20-30mins one side...and then about 10-15 mins on the other.
He is now 9 months and has a full feed in about 10mins

[tanni_83]

keep in mind every baby is different.

the hind milk of the breast milk (so towards the end of a feed) is the best part of the milk your baby should be getting, try not to swap sides too early in the feed as the baby may not have gotten to the hind milk yet (the fatty part of the milk) the first part of the milk is calld foremilk and is mostly water and liquids (obvioulsy) like a warm drink then the hind milk is like having the meal..it contains all the natural fatty stuff.

i was taught (by the Australian Breastfeeding Assoc) that you should alway try to fully empty on one side before switching to the other. some babys can do this within 20min. one of the councillers told me with one of her babys it took 3 45 minute feeds to do this!

HTH. and good luck on the breastfeeding journy :wave: :smiliedance: :thumbsup:

[cath]

Up until 3 months my son would have fed for ever if I let him. I learnt to limit his time to 20 minutes per side before getting him off (apparently 40 minutes is the maximum you need to feed for).I learnt this after letting him feed for an hour and a bit one night which resulted in him having tummy pain and being really unsettled and us not getting to bed until 5am that night.
I'm pretty sure it was when he was about 3 months that he became more efficient and he feeds for a total of 10-15 minutes now (he is now 6 months old).

[hummingbird]

good to know I am on the right track!

[kymmy]

my boys were always quick feeders (less than 15 minutes)
about five minutes each side
but my first child, she would feed for an hour at the least... i felt attached to her
a baby should feed for the most time
on the first side.