how can I tell if he's just comfort gumming

[nickymorris]

I'm trying to work out if DS is comfort gumming on my boob or if he's actually still feeding slowly.

At the beginning he really guzzles down the milk but after about 10 minutes he slows down and suckles on and off. If I leave him to it he'll eventually drop off (after about 30 mins) but someone suggested that he could actually be not feeding during the latter stages and only gumming for comfort?

Any suggestions on how to tell?

Thanks

N

[JodieO]

Comfort sucking is normal and will stimulate your milk supply

[MoonlightMcKenzie]

age?

[ilovetochat]

dont know how old your ds is and at first they need to suck lots for stimulation to build up supply but if he is a bit older, what i do is when dd slows down and i think she has finished i pull her away slightly, if she has finished she looses but if she wants more she starts frnantically sucking again so as not to miss out.

[LadyOfWaffleIsScaryEnough]

DS is doing this right now I leave him to it. I can see milk dribbling so he is feeding...

[IAteDavinaForDinner]

I got my knickers in a twist about this when DS was teeny - now I've come to realise there's no such thing, really - feeding is feeding. Milk is always flowing, just sometimes faster than others. As ilovetochat says, if they've had enough they'll come off happily - if not then let them carry on.

It can be really frustrating if they're latched on 23 hours out of 24 but it serves a purpose and means you can put your feet up

[LoveandRockets]

Babies' sucking needs are very intense and should be fulfilled where possible. Comfort is nearly as important as food, when they are small.

[nickymorris]

He's 9 weeks old.

Am now feeling bad because I've been assuming he's finished once he's stopped the noisy feeding stage and taking him off - mind you he isn't permanantly damaged as he put on 1.5lb last week....

Like the tip from ilovetochat re pulling ds away slightly and seeing what he does....

[nickymorris]

that should say in the last fortnight not the last week - sorry

[madmouse]

yep that trick that iltc mentioned does work here too. always makes me and dh laugh if I pull slightly and it goes sucksucksucksuckheyiwasnotfinishedwiththatandimightneeditlatersucksucksuck

miss it, my big boy does not do it often anymore