Breastfeeding for 45 mins often longer every two hours- help!

[Lookingforabetteryear]

I have a three week old baby. He is breastfeeding and as above is feeding for 45 mins every two hours. He often is very windy. In first week I has issues with latch, it's still sometimes sore but better. I feel tied to the chair. Is this normal feeding????? It's pretty much all day and all night. He can sometimes go three hours at night.

[Lookingforabetteryear]

Where the feeds so long? Do you think introducing formula feeding/ mixed feeding would solve anything?

[sittingbythepoolwithenzo]

Congratulations on your baby
Im sure you'll get some proper advice soon, but just wanted to say that my eldest was exactly the same. I ended up moving to formula (various reasons), and it made absolutely no difference. He would feed for 45-60 mins, every two hours.

Eating was, and still is (he's 10 years now) his favourite thing in the world!

[sittingbythepoolwithenzo]

X post! Formula made no difference at all.

[PandaNot]

Yes it's entirely normal. It just takes a long time, formula or breast feeding. Enjoy sitting down, before long there will be plenty of running around.

[tchambers108]

Sounds like my baby once! It's hard work but totally normal and should get easier!(latching on won't be sore, feed times will spread out). I started going to a breast feeding support group early on - listening to mums whilst we all fed and an "expert" to check my latch etc just to reassure me!

Don't worry and just do what your baby needs but balance it out with your needs, if you are happy, you can get through the hard bit! Don't feel guilty for wanting a break. I expressed or sometimes used formula if it was a hard week and some weeks just feeding was fine!

Good luck!

[hoppinghare]

That sounds like a typical breastfeeding baby unfortunately. The good thing is that if this is your first child you can sit back and watch box set after box set whilst you feed. When your second baby comes you'll be too busy trying to entertain your first one when you breastfeed to take the time to relax.

[ILikeToMoveItMoveIt]

It's all very normal and you're doing brilliantly

I think all of mine have fed two hourly (in the day) until they were something like 7-8 months. The difference is the feed times decrease as they get older and more efficient at feeding.

Just go with it and give yourself to the process. Fighting it is wasted energy

[rednellie]

Very normal, you're doing amazingly and this phase does not last. It really doesn't.

Also, post midnight and pre 4am is when you have a spike in prolactin (the hormone that dictates your milk supply) so that night feed is really key. It feels hard nowas you want to sleep, but it is worth it for your milk supply and to help your baby adjust to the night/day rhythm.

[MyNameIsSuz]

I think some babies are just slow unfortunately. Mine was just like that, fed for an hour at a time with an hour in between, we kept feeding until 14 months and he wasn't that slow for all that time - I think he got quicker when I started him on solids, so around 5 months. At the time it was awful and I do feel for you, I felt like all my friends had so much more freedom than me, but you get used to planning around it and it doesn't last forever. I look back, now he's a big 16 month old toddler, really fondly on those hours spent on the sofa watching what I wanted on tv and eating whole packets of biscuits while snuggling my lovely boy.

[Sunnysummer]

Agree with everyone else here that it's very normal in the early days - it feels endless in the first few weeks, but in hindsight it's amazing how quickly it settles down.

If you can stick it out for now, things will get better soon - the more you feed the better your milk will come in and the more efficient the two of you will get. I remember being amazed at about 4 months when I spent time with a friend with a newborn and realised that exclusively breastfeed DS by then only took 10-15 mins a feed, every 3 or so hours!

In the meantime, make sure tyke getting lots of support - my DH used to make me a sort of packed lunch before he left for work, and now is definitely the time to drop your standards for tidying and cleaning (or hire a cleaner / call in family favours if you can't help your high standards!).

Good luck

[MotherOfInsomniacToddlers]

Perfectly normal and it does get better

[fish88]

My LO was exactly the same, fed every 2 hours for an hour at a time. He is now 15wo and for the last 2 weeks has finally got quicker at feeding all of a sudden. He still feeds every 2 hours but only takes half an hour at a time (hope it's not a fluke!) It is tiring but there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

[beginnings]

Perfectly normal and does improve quickly - although four month old DD2 is still partial to a nice long sleepy snuggly feed.

[gamerchick]

its normal.. mine did it for 4 months as well.

He's doing his job.. they aren't born and we're suddenly cows yanno. We can only give them a few drops to start and it takes around 6 weeks to get feeding established.

If you introduce formula then it might impact your supply.

Breastfeeding is how I got into the xbox... couldn't do much else

[monniemae]

Some babies are like this indeed, but for peace of mind can you get to breastfeeding cafe for support & to be checked over? Mine actually had tongue tie & very high palate which affected her latch making her feed inefficiently. And if everything's fine at least it's a change of scene & free brew for one or more feeds!

[Lookingforabetteryear]

Thanks guys! It's first baby (and last- no1 tells you how hard it is!!!!), that's made me feel better! I'll keep on with it and hope things become a little more spaced out

[rednellie]

They will. And then just when it's all under control you have to start introducing solids

Well done, you're doing great.

[soaccidentprone]

Ds1 and ds2 were both like thus.

I had a small table next to me which I kept the tv remotes, snacks, drinks, phones, magazine, book etc. especially for ds2 who just seemed to feed constantly, and if he fell asleep and I detached him he used to do the little goldfish mouth until he was latched on again, then he would go back to sleep. I tried a dummy, but that didn't work, and if I tried to move him he would just wake up and cry.

I just took it as an opportunity to sit and rest, watch tv, snack on fruit, lumps of cheese etc.

Enjoy the rest while you can. Once they start moving it is far more tiring than babies feeding, sleeping and pooing etc!

[qumquat]

I'd kill for feeds that short! Sorry I know it's rubbish but dd feeds for a solid 3 hours then 20 mins nap then starts again. Bad latch do v painful too. I'm told they speed up eventually..,