Newborn - super quick feeds?

[PastaandCheese]

DS is 10 days old and is only feeding for 5 minutes at a time and nearly always refuses the second breast. The gap between feeds is an average of 2 hours but it has been as small as 40 minutes today.

I'm after reassurance really because his nappies are wet with about 6 dirty per day and he'd gained 2oz when weighed on day 5. He looks happy enough when he finishes feeding.

He seems very different to my DD who fed for around 20 minutes every 3.5 hours or so.

I'd revel in it if I were you! Particularly at night. Although I do remember the bit where my DS got quicker and wanted entertaining between feeds and thinking "now what the hell do I do until the next nap?!"

Sounds to me like baby knows what he's doing! Good output, good weight gain ... Nothing to complain about IMO.

Congratulations!

My ds pretty much did that for 11 months- put on weight perfectly and the feeding gap then lengthened out from more than 2 hours at the start (though as he got a bit older, he did tend to do 5/10 from each). Congrats!

sounds great! my dd feeds every two hours but takes bloody ages to feed

Yes they is what my ds did. I was so panicked I used to record all his feeds on an app to see what was happening..... On average his feeds were 5m or less, v occasionally he'd do 10/15, and like yours, often had no interest in the second breast. I got so stressed about it, but he piled on the weight - I think we were just a good combination - I had lots of milk and he was a very efficient feeder! Now desperately hoping that dc2 will also be like this....

Haha, Tory I was obsessed with bloody recording each feed and then transferring it to the notes section on my phone for the same reason! OP- don't fall into that (unnecessary) trap..

I'm really glad you posted this as my dd is also 10 days and does exactly the same. Sometimes she'll do five mins then have a snooze then do another five if we're lucky. She's a very sleepy baby and has to be woken to feed, lost 13% bodyweight by day three which was awful. Since then we've been tppping up feeds with expressed breast milk, but only as we really need to get her weight up. If your Baby is putting on that much weight then it sounds like you're doing everything perfectly :)

Oh yy to obsessively recording feeds/Poos/Wees... nightmare!

Thanks everyone. Sense tells me he is fine but I don't always feels very sensible these days!

My DD never took a second breast either and eventually I just stopped offering but she took longer to feed so I felt better about that.

He does feed ferociously for the 5 minutes he is interested for which is a good sign I guess?

PeaceLilly he can be snoozy but DD was too so I have been quick to strip him off, tickle his feet, gently tug his ear etc if he falls asleep. It is very hard when they are sleepy. Hope your DD regains her birth weight ASAP.

Sooper i was obsessed last time and then discovered it was still on my phone now....I am a fool.

This has actually made me go and look at my notes.. I was meticulous. Right down to the 4.32 SECONDS. My god. Never did nappies but sleep was the same.

I remember not being convinced when mw said he'd get all he needed else he'd have fed for longer but he put on weight from the very beginning and went into that milk drunk haze after his 5 mins and so I reckon all the signs are good pasta . Enjoy- you don't have to watch crappy ( aaaaamazing ) daytime TV to pass the time / drink even more pints of water as bf so goddamn thirst inducing!

The trouble is HCPs will insist on asking how long and how frequently the baby feeds and it just feels a bit dismissive to shrug and say 'how ever long he likes, when he likes' and yet that is exactly how it is supposed to work!

Ahh... forgot about that part!!

That's what I used to say to hcp and they seemed impressed!!

I think with child one I recorded for the first week then realised it wasnt necessary.

mine were both quick feeders and as lomg as theyre weeing and pooing and gaining weight its ok.

I had a quick let down and fast flow so they got a lot of milk in 5mins. However they also had a tongue tie which I only discovered in the second child nad did make feeding a little more efficient in her case.

My HCPs never asked this time around. DD's feeds are very very rarely more than 10 minutes and this has been the case since my milk came in. At 6mo she's still tracking along the 75th centile having never had a bottle.

I think my milk comes out fairly quickly.

I record all BFs. It's wonderfully geeky. I have an app

OP my little one is the same and is still doing this at 6 weeks. She only poos once every day or two but has lots of wet nappies and is growing fast.

She is seldom interested in second breast and if she does take it she is usually sick! I think she has a small tummy!

Why yarney? Do you ever use the data? What use does it have?

I can sort of see it being reassuring in first few weeks or until a problem is sorted, but for months and months?

I used an app too. I have no idea how it made me feel better, since there were sine days when he fed less than others, but after about three months I realised that his weight was stable and he was clearly able to request as much as he needed. He sometimes only feeds now (5m) for a couple of minutes, but I've learned to trust that he's taking what he wants.

Dd has been an efficient feeder since birth. She averages about ten mins and doesn't have second boob very often.

Thank you all for the reassurance. HV comes tomorrow to weigh him but I think he has filled out a bit so hoping they will say he is doing just fine.

I had DC4 12 days ago. She feeds actively for around ten minutes a time and I KNOW she is getting plenty - a good few letdowns in that time, and I know I have a strong letdown and she was having the lot, no spit up. Just very efficient.

I started to tell the truth that she has quick feeds but saw from the MW's expression that she was looking worried. So I mentioned a feed the previous night that was 45 minutes (I doubt much milk came out past 10 minutes) and she looked all relieved and said "that's more like it" etc. She is gaining, wet/dirty nappies, healthy etc but it did feel like that counted for nothing unless she sat on there for 45 minutes a time.

This is my fourth DC, have never used formula and I breastfeed them until they want to stop (DC2 was five years old..!) - I know what I'm doing, haven't neglected to feed one yet!

But still all they want to know is "how long are they on for?" Like that tells the entire story

That's bizarre In two children I've never had anyone equate time "on" with amount of milk consumed.

I don't think I ever fed beyond ten minutes!!

Just wanted to update in case anyone with the same question reads this.

HV came and unlike DD's old HV was entirely uninterested in how long he fed for provided he was feeding regularly and having lots of wet and dirty nappies.

When weighed he has gained 8oz since birth in 12 days so he's clearly happy doing what he's doing.

Thank you again for the reassurance.