Normal feeding length?

[Mibby]

How long does a 'normal' breast feed last?

DD is feeding well, putting weight on etc but feeds for an hour or more quite often, or feeds for 1/2 hour, snoozes for a few min then feeds for another 1/2 hour or longer.
My health visitor said feeds should be 5 to 40 minutes and anything more meant there was a problem

How old is your dd?

Mine fed for an hour at a time during the first month. If he snoozed for more than 5 minutes then I counted the next feed as a different feed.

Mibby - your HV is wrong!

You can't define a problem by the clock.

Plenty of babies take a while over their feeds. If your baby is healthy, thriving, happy, on this pattern then there is no problem.

What sort of 'problem' did she mean?

She's seven weeks today.
HV didn't specify what the 'problem' is/ was just that over 40 mins was too long for 'normal'
I'm not too bothered by her (HV), baby is happy and growing well and tbh we had real problems getting bf established so now it is I'm not going to restrict her feeds! Just curious as to how long other babies fed for as DD is my first

DS always took at least an hour, I rang a breastfeeding support line for advice about it. When I explained that he only fed 5 times a day and slept through from 11 - 6 the woman on the end of the phone got quite arsey and said I didn't know how lucky I was!

I also think your HV is wrong. DD would feed for all sorts of different lengths at different times. By 7 weeks I think most of her feeds were around 40 minutes, but as long as your DD is healthy and gaining weight I wouldn't worry.

She does do shorter feeds too, I didn't mean all her feeds are that long :) just sounded like the HV meant none should ever be that long

Ignore her.

My DD was often feeding for an hour or more up to the age of about 14 weeks. Now she is 25 weeks she usually feeds for less than 10 mins.

I was also told by the HV that feeds shouldn't last longer than 30 minutes but when I tried to reduce DDs feeds she became irritable and unhappy so I just ignored the HV.

Ignore her for sure. DD's feeds could easily last for up to two hours. But she was a VERY bonny baby!!!Not sure at what point they do shorten their feed time- I ended up with a baby who was napping on me instead of in cot as I'd assumed her feeds would always take that long. So at six months had to cut feed time to 10 minutes which she was v happy with. Next time I'd definitely be trying to shorten earlier, but not seven weeks earlier.
Think it's the usual thing: if you're happy and she's happy then there is no need to keep HV happy too!

my 1st daughter fed anyhting from 20 to 50 mins i thought that it was too long but didnt care as long as she was putting on weight. Then i had twins at 1st they fed for a about 20 mins then when they were i think about 3-4 months just 5 mins. I think my 1rst daughter liked all the attention and comfort bf gave her as she was always with me and even sleeping with me, twins were quite independent and slept by themselves from 6 months.

i agree with caramelgirl that if you and baby happy thats most important! remember its only a short period of time of yr life that you giving up for yr little one and just think how much goodness you are giving her!