Breastfeeding

[barra]

my 5 1/2 week old baby only seems to go 2 hours maybe 2 between feeds during the day, from the start of last feed. Is he not getting enough at each feed?

I'd need to know more about your baby to know. Is he growing and changing? How are your nipples? Is he putting on weight?

You're likely to get more (and better) answers in the Breast and Bottlefeeding Section ...

That sounds like normal times between feeds to me. At that age my dd sometimes fed for 45 mins, rested for 20 mins then fed again. Your baby may be having a growth spurt if he is feeding more frequently than previously.

There is a great breastfeeding board on here - I suggest youngish again on there for more advice. Look in topics - feed the world - breast and bottle feeding.

Youngish? Bloody i phone! Should say 'posting'

Oh, and as for "not getting enough" - if his needs have increased it can take a couple of days for your breasts to catch up with the demand. But they will produce exactly the right amount of milk for him. It's a simple supply = demand system.

That sounds quite normal - his tummy is really tiny at this point and breastmilk is digested quicker than formula, so comparing his feeding patterns to a bottlefed baby at this point will give you a skewed picture.

He should be having at least 6 wet or dirty nappies per day at this point, and at 5.5 weeks he might be starting to be more alert when he is awake. Newborns often can't stay awake more than 45 mins to an hour at a time, sleeping a lot is normal too, but when he is awake he should be alert. And then weight gain is the other obvious one - these are all much better indicators of whether your baby is getting enough, than times or frequency of feeding. Watch your baby, not the clock :)

This is a really good site too. Have a look around at the other links if you want.

Newborn feeding - what to expect

Thanks everyone!

My 4 month old feeds every 2 hours and I'm only just coming to terms with 'that's just what he does'. Even if people say he is a snacker, I have tried all sorts to get him to go longer between feeds and I thought he was crying because he was tired when he was actually hungry (terrible mother!) He also cries when he is tired and naps terrible but maybe because he always wants food!

My 5 week old dd was feeding very often, and not sleeping for long in between feeds - she wasn't latchng on properly and so I had to start expressing milk and feeding her with a bottle. She then carried on feeding frequently and I discovered she wasn't sucking properly on the bottle either and got fast flow teats. She's now a lot better, will sleep much longer as she's now getting full in one go instead of getting the milk little and often.

Have you thought that maybe you've got a slow let down reflex?
Or maybe he's having problems sucking, or that's just his routine.
Agan like everyone has said, you need to make sure he's gaining weight, has plenty of wet and dirty nappies and he's healthy.