Very short breast feeds

[PeaceLillyDoge]

Hello

DC is five weeks old and ebf. Her usual feeding pattern has changed the past couple of days from 15 min feeds every two to three hours, to 7 minute feeds along the sane frequency.

I know any feed above 5 minutes is supppsed to count but surely not if they're all that short? Is this normal?

For background she was a very very sleepy baby at birth, lost 13% bodyweight and we had to introduce top ups of expressed Breast milk. Weight back up by 3 weeks and since then we've cut back the top ups and I just give her a dream feed or freeze it.

Now though I'm paranoid that she is slipping back to old ways as she falls asleep at the breast and is hard to wake. I don't want her to lose weight again but I also want to trust her to feed as and when she needs it iykwim.

Plenty of wet and dirty nappies and is still as alert as usual.

Am I just being paranoid or should I be concerned?

Thanks

[dobedobedo]

Hi,

Ds is 9 now, but he used to feed for about five minutes every 3 or 4 hours from about 4 weeks old. I just thought he was a very efficient feeder! He was a chubby baby and never had issues. Some babies are just quicker than others I think.

[PeaceLillyDoge]

Oh and she also Slept for 6.5 hours straight last night and effectively missed a feed, making me extra paranoid. I thought she'd died and kept poking her... waking as normal to feed every three hours tonight though.

[PeaceLillyDoge]

Thanks dobe that's what I'm hoping it's going on!

[dobedobedo]

Ds is 9 now and I still poke him at night, just to make sure

Keep an eye on the nappies and level of alertness. You're doing fine

[PeaceLillyDoge]

Thanks

I've just poked her again, will try and stop now

[TheScience]

Why doesn't a feed under 5 mins "count"? That seems a bit arbitrary - you can't tell how much a baby actually gets in x minutes.

[HugoTheHippo]

DD pretty much never has feeds over five minutes - she's been that way since a week or two after birth. She's a 98th centile whopper with the chubbiest thighs you've ever seen. I think I just have fast flow and she's a good feeder.

[NeverKnowinglyUnderstood]

DS's were both superfeeders.
5-10 mins every 2-3 hours for the first few weeks then every 3-4 hours after that.
They were both born on the small size (9% and 13% respectively) and were both on the 98% by the time we had a 6 week check.
Look at her, if she is producing plenty of wet nappies and soiled nappies then she is pretty likely to be fine.
However as with all things baby related it is never the wrong thing to check with your gp or HV to put your mind at rest.

[WillSingForCake]

My one week old DS finishes a feed in around 5 minutes, and is then content for a few hours. He also has plenty of wet nappies and had regained his birth weight by day 5, so must be getting enough. Think some babies are just more efficient feeders. My DC1 used to take an hour to feed when she was tiny, so this makes a nice change!