Length Of Each Feed??

[ZIL]

Hi

I'm am a new mum to my 8.5 week old baby boy, and am b/fing only - in the last week his time feeding has reduced significantly he was feeding for 25 min and now will only go for 5-10 min - is this normal - is he still getting the same vol of milk ? is he just more efficient at sucking?

After 5 min he comes off and fusses and cries - I burp him and am lucky if he goes on again for another 5 mins. I can't seem to get the same milk drunk baby that I had when he was feeding for 25 mins. as he just fusses and does not what to go back on.

He is feeding about 8 time in 24 hrs, and seems to have a wet nappy at least with each feed.

Hope some one can let me know if they have experienced this to - I have no idea what I am doing....

Thanks...

[Goosie22]

Hi,

Babies do get more efficient at draining the breast, so that is probably what is happening. You could check his positioning and attachment as sometimes as babies get that little bit older we tend to relax and not be so watchful. Not being attached or postioned properly can result in not draining the breast properly and then frustration.

He may also be comming up to a growth spurt and think he is due more than he has been given, if this is true he may start demanding more frequent feeds even if they are short in duration.

HTH:)

[Kade's Mummy]

Hi Zil :wave:

My bub did the same and from what I understand it could be one of two things - 1) he has become more efficient at draining the breast, or 2) your milk supply is dropping off.

If he is content after the feed then I'd say it's option 1, particularly if he is having lots of wet nappies. But if he seems upset after the feed it may be option 2 - just have him weighed to ensure he is still gaining just in case.

If it is option 2 you can get your milk back by feeding more regularly so don't worry yourself too much. This is what happened to me but after my supply continued to keep dropping I decided to switch to bottle.

Good luck! It can all be very confusing, can't it? :confused:

x

[Mummy_Johnno]

hi there

My son feeds every 3 hours for about 20 minutes. I can express about 120mls from each boob. He demands feeding at night.

Is it ok for him to go 5 / 6 hours throughout the night inbetween feeds? I am concerned or should i be happy to get more sleep? He also is getting quicker at feeding, he started feeding for 30 minutes ..............................

[Kade's Mummy]

Hi Lyn - from what I understand as long as he is gaining enough weight enjoy the sleep! :sleeping:

God knows you probably need it :yes:

[Tam-I-Am]

Hey Zil,

Breastfeeding is like any other bodily function - the more we do it, the more we practice, the better and more efficient we become at it. As your baby gets older, its very common for them to reduce their feeding time significantly - so don't stress.

Also, Kade's mum suggested getting your baby weighed to see if he's getting enough milk - be very cautious in using the current weight gain tables - they are based on formula-fed baby's weight gains, and it is very, very common for breastfed babies to gain weight more slowly than formula fed babies.

If your baby is bright and alert when he should be, is feeding happily for 5+ minutes at a time, is sleeping appropriately and is having 6-8 wet nappies a day - he is getting enough milk. If you are concerned, take him to your doctor (but be careful about advice to supplement his breastfeeds with formula - this may be incorrect. If you are given this advice, before you do anything, talk to a lactation consultant, who will be more knowledgeable and be able to give you specialist advice).

Oh, and BTW - bubba stop doing the "milk drunk" thing pretty early on, unfortunately! So don't use that as an indicator either!

Good luck, hang in there, and if you need some more help, perhaps try calling the ABA in your state - their website is www.breastfeeding.asn.au (http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au)

[Tam-I-Am]

Hey Lyn, just saw your post -

Its normal for a baby to have varying-length sleeps throughout the day/night. They can vary from 20 minutes to 8+ hours. If your baby is having 6-8 feeds during the rest of a 24-hour period, is having an appropriate number of wet nappies in a 24-hour period (ie 6-8), and is bright and alert when awake and not tired - then he's getting enough milk. Enjoy the 6 hour sleep!

[ZIL]

Thanks Clarabelle....

that does help - he is gaining wt well, howevere he has only started this 5-10 min feeding thing in the last week.. so I will weigh him again next week to ease my mind. He does seem to sleep OK ( mostly ) and has lots of wet nappies (at least one with each feed).

I had him weighed yeaterday before and after a feed and there was an increase of 120g - so Iguess that equates to 120mls roughly - is that enough?

He just doesn't seem to enjoy feeding after the first 5 minutes. and its fight to keep him going.

Thanks for you advice - its disspointing about the milk drunk thing as its nice when he get like that - he still does it in the evenings though when he feeds at 830 and or 1130 ish...