how long should ds be feeding for?

[nattylou]

ds is now 13 days old. bf going well and was weighed yesterday - 9lbs 3.5oz from 8lbs 11oz at birth. ds only feeds for 15-30 mins at a time, despite relatching. Is this ok? Should i be worried?

My dd only ever fed for 10 mins at a time but was always bright and alert and put on weight nicely, she was a very efficient feeder!

thanks katemum, that makes me feel better.

natty - if your ds is gaining weight well (and he is) and producing the sort of nappies that go with effective feeding (several soft yellow poos a day) then what does it matter how long he takes to feed? I am assuming he's feeding more often than the 5 time a day you reported the other day, btw :)

Can you get to grips about what it is you are worried about? Is there something specific, maybe to do with not producing enough? It sounds as if everything is fine now and you can stary enjoying it all :)

my dd - now aged 3.5 was marked as "failure to thrive" and i ended up having to combination feed from the age of 3 weeks, with only 2 breastfeeds a day. I guess i am scared that ds will end up going the same way.

Mind you, it took dd nearly 5 weeks to gain the same amount of weight that ds has done in just 11 days and he is producing loads of wet and dirty nappies so i must be doing something right! It just scares me when he only feeds for 15 or 20 minutes, but if he takes himself off the nipple then he must have had enough. he has even been known to turn his heasd away if i re-offer the breast.

Aw, natty - I can understand fully why you're worried. You use the words 'scared' and 'scares' - I can see it's a massive thing for you.

I don't know what happened with your first baby but almost certainly you didn't have the support/knowledge you needed and which you have now.

The length of time a baby feeds at any one time is not crucial at all, as long as the feed is effectuve (ie milk goes from A to B) and the baby is not being deliberately taken off too soon. What is important is the frequency of the feeding - long gaps, for instance, between feeds are not good. I guess your baby is feeding more than he was before - yes?

Healthy thriving babies can be 'allowed' to set their own pace :)

15-20 minutes sounds good to me. DSs used to be "effective" feeders at around 15 minutes per feed and piled on weight. DD is fairly similar.

thanks tiktok. Yes he is feeding more than before and i always let him take his head away from the breast on his own, I never take him off the breast.

My DS1 was skinny and I was hassled to offer formula (bad arrival, used nipple shields, slow feeder etc etc - he's entirely fine now). My DS2 never fed for more than 10 minutes, as a baby.

Helpfully, now that he's nearly 1.5, he'll happily bf for half an hour or so, but I think it's more of a hobby now, than a form of nourishment. (And sometimes, lately, he's been stopping bf and demanding to go downstairs for breakfast. But for months, his morning feed stopped whenever I got bored.)

i think i may have been worrying about nothing. He fed and slept well during the night, and has just fed for 26 mins from the left side, albeit over 3 occasions. Men!

LOL at "I think it's more of a hobby now" Well, that'll be men for you...

And Nattylou, worryong about nothing is, of course, what motherhood is all about. That and feeling guilty. Except you don't know it's nothing at the time.

It all sounds ok to me, you have a nice healthy boy who works really well for 20 mins to fed, falls of and is full.
Cant get better than that !!!

If nappys are wet and baby is healthy , you have cracked the breastfeeding with this one.
Every baby does the breastfeeding thing slightly differently.
my n1 hung on for hours, and only a dummy saved my sanity. fed for 12 months

N2 was a big baby ( had lots of nonsence about it being difficult to fed a big baby, he was 10lb 8oz ) he fed three hourly from the start, fed quickly and slept. Wonderful!! fed for 13 months, then rejected in favour of thumb.

n3 was very difficult to feed, arching back , screaming, colic, total nightmare infant. always underweight, but fed enough, was presured to put on formula, I wouldnt have it, and turns out he had all the allergies. Still at 10yr underweight, but is OK. fed for 18 months

N4, was one of those dreamy feeders, loved it, lots of colic and screaming non stop ( screamed for 11 hours one day) after three months easy peasy lemon squeesy, stopped at 2 1/2

Not recommending this long term feeding stuff, it doenst suit everyone, and to be honest, was glad to have boobs back ( so was hubby)

Health wise they are all ok, One of my children has never needed antibiotics, one has had them once, another has only needed them three times, the middle child has had lots and lots and lots ( different story)

Sorry to witter on