switching sides?

[nattylou]

ds is 18 days old. he is feeding about every 2.5-3hours for about 15-20 mins. when he awake, he is alert and looking around. he is getting weighed again on thursday. As he is feeding for such a short time, but being content with it, should i change sides with each feed or carry on with the same side and effectively do 2 feeds each side?

Sounds like things are going well!
It's so hard to give advice on this stuff I find.
After a while,you seem to develop an instinctive feel for what the baby wants.

With my first,seem to recall doing both sides each feed and she was a long fussy feeder.

With my second,did a side at a time.He fed fast and was very calm.

Both b/fed succesfully for a long time though,so ignore my anecdotal evidence.

Sounds like he's doing really well on one side - if it ain't broke, don't fix it (or fret about it!).

You could try offering the other side after he's finished, but only out of interest, not necessity!

i fed on one side, but dd fed for 30-40 mins, didnt start doing both sides till 6 months-ish. Its important that they drain one side to get the hind milk, sounds like you're doing fine

nattylou -

I remember letting DS feed on one side first for at least the first 20 mins. to make sure he got the hind milk (much more creamy and will be good for weight gain). But I always offered the 2nd boob too after the first 20 mins. incase he wanted more. Of course you don't need to watch the clock, it wll be instinct after a while !

If he didn't take the other boob, I used to make a note of which boob he had last, so that I would give the other boob at the next feed (I developed a very short memory after birth !!) I used to switch my wedding ring from one hand to the other which reminded me of which side I had fed from at the last feed !!