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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

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Original poster

3day old bf - how long each "feed"?

19 replies

badguider · 03/09/2013 20:17

Excuse one-hand phone typing.

Info in subject line. Latch seems good so far. We're starting feeds "on demand" but he's only doing about 10min, one side each time. Then sleeps.
Mw says each "feed" should be longer and both sides but how long?

He needs blowing/tickling to keep him sucking for ten mins but am willing to resort to stripping if necessary.

Thanks for any advice!!!

Ps. Milk coming in andnow white. His poo turning yellow.

OP posts:

AnythingNotEverything · 03/09/2013 20:27

I don't think there is a standard time - some babies are really efficient.

Sound like a bit of a box ticking exercise to me. You're doing great in my mind.

tiktok · 03/09/2013 20:27

badguider, lovely to have a newborn :)

Length of feeds not an issue - feeding is impossible to time anyway, as babies stop and start esp when they are young. 10 mins and then a sleep sounds absolutely fine for a 3 day old, though....she will wake up again after a little while and you can offer the other side. Please challenge the instructions to blow or disturb him unless you are told he is not being well-nourished....healthy term babies can usually be relied on to feed when they want to and they also need to sleep. Frequent feeding is normal - the number of sessions (rather than easily-defined feeds) could be anything from 9 to 18 in 24 hours.

He sounds as if he is doing really well :)

I always wonder why on earth mothers are told to wake their babies with tickling, blowing, poking about, when there is no evidence at all of under-feeding :( Perhaps these people would like to be tickled, blown on and poked about when they want a nap???

RakeABedOfTyneFilth · 03/09/2013 20:32

Can't possibly improve upon tiktok's advice! but would say that stripping down and snuggling skin to skin all day in bed or on the sofa should be seen as no hardship at all, as long as there is nobody else making demands on you.

Original poster

badguider · 03/09/2013 20:41

Thank you!

Although he's falling asleep on the breast he was then v hard to put down making a nap for me impossible.

I understand that's normal for now but would like to nap :)

He just had 20mins on left then fell asleep. Took him down to his vest for burping and noticed he was very hot.
No interest at all in right after burping so has gone down in his basket.

OP posts:

Original poster

badguider · 03/09/2013 20:43

Thanks rake - snuggling all day sounds good but I could really do with some naps!

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Manoodledo · 03/09/2013 20:58

I remember being told how long actually constituted a feed and being really stressed out because DS1 barely made it to 10 mins at the beginning and never took more than 1 side. It certainly didn't stop them sending me home though and he just gradually fed for longer, although he did seem to be pretty efficient. Bizarrely he only ever fed from the right side and refused the left entirely, despite the fact that there was plenty milk on the left side too. Most of the midwifes were horrified but it never did him any harm and then DS2 went on to do exactly the same! Wonder if this baby will take both sides. Still, babies generally seem to take what they need.

pinkbear82 · 03/09/2013 21:17

My dd is 12 weeks and she is a 10 min feeder, max 20. She has put weight on nicely. When she was a proper newborn I was told not to let her go longer than 3 hours. She was fed on demand too. She sort of still is, but gradually trying to get her to go slightly longer between feeds.

Your doing fab, and naps will come, promise. Enjoy it all, it's a magical journey

jennimoo · 03/09/2013 21:19

I was told at 5 day check DS MUST feed for 20-40mins every 3h. It's rubbish but I smiled and nodded. He was doing much less and lost less than 4% of birth weight so I knew we were doing fine.

I'm now trying to relax and go with it, and he's cluster feeding at some times and going 3+ hours at others. I just make sure he has the opportunity and will do a nappy change if its been a while in the day.

Original poster

badguider · 03/09/2013 21:48

Thanks all. I will be happy if we get past the 5day weigh in without triggering any additional monitoring.

Ds has slept in his basket for an hour now so I'm going to grab a sleep now :)

OP posts:

Original poster

badguider · 04/09/2013 09:03

Have hurt my nipples a bit trying to force ds to relatch when he really seems to have had enough. Going to just trust for now he's taking what he needs regardless of time.

Discovered last night that once he has fed loads on both sides and still crying he can be slightly calmed down by sucking my finger. Partic during nappy changes which he hates. He won't take dh's finger though and hes the one doing nappies so i can snatch the tiniest moments of sleep. So going out for a dummy today - to try when he's really fed but still upset. Apparently the research (cochrane review) is it doesn't have to harm bf if used carefully...?

OP posts:

CheeseStrawCraving · 04/09/2013 19:00

My mw has said feeding anything between 5 and 35 mins per side is fine, and up to you whether you do one or both. I try to do feed, nappy change, try other side.

Also mw said if he feeds lots during the day (every 2-3 hrs) then you can leave him for as long as he'll go overnight. I'm going with my instinct, he seems well fed and has weighed in fine (only lost 3%). Do you feel like he's having enough each time badguider?

Original poster

badguider · 04/09/2013 19:45

Had a great day today of 2hrly 20min 1-sided feeds and our first "proper" bf poo - soft and yellowy :)
He is being weighed tomorrow so will just wait till then to see ...

OP posts:

pinkbear82 · 05/09/2013 07:11

if it's any reassurance my dd has a dummy and still bf fine. she's a sucky baby and it was the only thing that helped in the early days.

good luck with the weigh in. Dd lost 9% but you wouldn't know that now!

tiktok · 05/09/2013 09:00

Hope the weighing goes well, OP :)

Once your baby has fed on both sides and is still unsettled, you can pop him back on, you know.....this is absolutely normal, going from side to side and back again.

Original poster

badguider · 05/09/2013 14:07

Thanks tiktock - he won't go back on after he comes off and in fact now won't really feed from the right.

He lost less than 5% at 5 days so all good. Nappies much wetter now and poo turned bf colour. So I'm v happy with his progress.

Only issue now is my boobs are huge and full of gallons of milk. Have to express off quite a bit from left to get him to take and he doesn't really take the right one properly at all so am managing it with a hand pump.
Going to see a LC at a group tomorrow to see if we can persuade him to take the right.

OP posts:

RakeABedOfTyneFilth · 05/09/2013 16:51

Well at least if he becomes a politician in later life you'll be able to make mum jokes about him having shown left-leaning tendencies from an early age!

srsly though, glad it is all looking better and congratulations on the huge full boobs! Are you managing to bottle/bag/freeze the milk you're expressing off?

Sammie101 · 05/09/2013 19:55

Congratulations on your baby :)

When my DD was born I was obsessed with how long she was feeding on each breast. I was told by midwife that she needed to be feeding for 15-20 minutes on each breast, which was impossible as she kept falling asleep and we had to blow on her and tickle her feet to try and wake her up (which wasn't very effective)

I drive OH crazy making him note the exact time she latched on and off in a bid to make her feed at least 15 minutes on each breast.

And then I posted on here in desperation asking if anyone knew how I could keep her awake. And that's when the lovely people on this forum told me that there is no set time my baby should be feeding, if she comes off after 10 minutes and I offered her my breast and she wasn't interested, that was ok.

DD is 5 weeks today () and I feed for as long as she wants it, I don't try and wake her when she falls asleep. She is gaining weight nicely so she obviously knows when she's had enough. I normally wind her and if she wants to go back on she will, if she doesn't I know she is done. After I stopped obsessing over how long she was feeding for, it became a whole lot less stressful, especially at night time :)

mrsmalcolmreynolds · 05/09/2013 22:23

OP with the one-sidedness, have you tried some different positions? When DS (13wks) was really tiny he would only feed on my left in the rugby hold - tucked round my left hand side. That seemed to enable him to latch on when the other positions didn't on that side.

Original poster

badguider · 06/09/2013 11:58

Thanks for the support everyone. Went to the bf clinic today and the wee one clearly has tongue tie (as does dh - though id never noticed) which he was managing with ok till my milk came in but now restricts him getting latched, particularly on the bigger side.
Giving him expressed milk top ups for now after each gentle bf attempt and appt will be at sick kids next Friday.

OP posts:

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