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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

Original poster

How long should it normally take to feed a breastfed baby?

33 replies

PeppermintPatty · 09/10/2007 13:26

My 4 month old breastfed DD usually only feeds for 5/10 mins at a time. I feed her every 1 1/2 to 2 hours in the day, and she sleeps through at night.

I really didn't think anything of this, but my friend told me yesterday that she is probably 'snacking' rather than getting a proper feed.

She said you need to feed for about half an hour so the baby gets hind milk which fills them up. Then they should go up to 4 hours between feeds.

I'm now worried I've been doing it all wrong!! But TBH I've just been following what my baby seems to want.
Is my friend correct?
If so how do I get my DD to feed for longer and go longer between feeds?

OP posts:
possetwiper · 09/10/2007 13:29

ignore your friend patty both of mine fed for max of 10 mins and my latest is on the 95th centile you are doing great and all babies are different
well done on the sleeping through

dal21 · 09/10/2007 13:36

miriam stoppard says that babies get 80% of their intake in the first 5 mins. ignore your friend. she is probably jealous with your well settled bub. your baby will let you know if she is hungry.

Piffle · 09/10/2007 13:36

then all of mine had been starved
Babies are different
I have oversupply and fast letdown, mine have all been done and dusted in 5-10 mins - feeds get longer aftr about 5 mths... fewer but for longer but still no more than 10 mins
And ds2 the most recent example is a porker at 6 mths

Notquitegrownup · 09/10/2007 13:39

Wow! Well done for the sleeping through the night. Mine fed like yours too - but day and night!

I there is a little truth in what your friend says in that they get the watery foremilk first, which is important and thirst quenching, but the creamy hindmilk which comes after, has additional calories. However, if your baby is putting on weight well you really don't need to worry. She is obviously getting plenty of hindmilk. She may just be a very efficient feeder. You could try putting your dd back onto the breast that she last fed from as you may not have as much foremilk there after just 2 hrs, if you want to extend the gaps between feeds, but if she and you are well and happy, why change?!

Original poster
PeppermintPatty · 09/10/2007 14:05

Thanks everyone, your messages are reassuring!

I think my DD is probably an efficient feeder as you say notquitegrownup - she certainly sucks enthuiastly (and noisily ).

I was not worried about her weight so much (she's a big baby), more about getting her into bad habits by 'snacking' with no sort of routine!!
And her feeding can be quite unpredictable - she gets hungry at the most random times which can be a pain if we're out and about.

But if you all think it sounds ok, I'll stop worrying

OP posts:
blueshoes · 09/10/2007 14:16

Peppermintpatty, the beauty of breastfeeding is that you don't have to worry about 'snacking'. It is not much trouble to lift your shirt for 5/10 mins - BTW that feeding time sounds perfectly normal to me.

What you have written about hind milk and 4 hours between feeds and snacking and non-routine sounds very much of the she-who-must-not-be-named breed of advice - which is not accurate (especially the bit about 4 hours!) or not appropriate for bf-ing mums.

Well done for bf-ing as long as you have.

mawbroooooooooon · 09/10/2007 14:19

PeppermintPatty - that's a "how long is a piece of string" question. If your baby is doing well on 5 or 10 min feeds, then that's how long you need to feed her for!! You are doing the right thing following your baby's lead. at sleeping through the night at 4 months though!!

Philomytha · 09/10/2007 16:00

Mine rarely stayed on the breast as long as five minutes, and he grew like a weed. You don't have to bf for half an hour, some babies are very efficient sucklers and some mums let down their milk really quickly.

Also, the four hours thing is not true. Going four hours between feeds is a good way to dry up your milk. What you're doing at the moment sounds perfect to me, and you should be congratulated!

Original poster
PeppermintPatty · 09/10/2007 16:14

Who is she-who-must-not-be-named?

OP posts:
MaeWhooooohest · 09/10/2007 16:17

It was Gina Ford, but we're allowed to name her now... as long as we don't say anything mean about her

Original poster
PeppermintPatty · 09/10/2007 16:23

Oh I see... I thought you were talking about the horrible woman from that TV programme about babies!!

Nope, my friend is following the baby whisperer book, so she probably got it from that (?).

OP posts:
MaeWhooooohest · 09/10/2007 16:25

Apparently even Gina Ford has denounced Claire Verity...

muppetgirl · 09/10/2007 16:26

If you're lo is settled when feeding, content when finished, regularly pooing and weeing, sleeping well, putting on wieght and has a happy mummy who doesn't see a problem then you are doing absolutely fine!

Don't let your 'friend' project her anxieties onto you

muppetgirl · 09/10/2007 16:28

My son, on the other hand, fed for 40 mins MIN and still wanted feeding every 1/2 -2 hours up until I stopped at 6 weeks.

Original poster
PeppermintPatty · 09/10/2007 16:28

I'm not surprised. The woman is a loon.

PS. I hope we're allowed to say horrid things about her or I'm in trouble

OP posts:
MelissaM · 09/10/2007 17:07

Sounds like you are doing everything right to me. Well done on getter your lo to sleep through the night and for keeping up with the bf'ing. If your DD is sleeping through she can't be starving or she would keep waking up!

My lo however does feed for much longer (most of the time) - usually 45 mins or longer. She usually drains the first boob quite quickly then takes much longer on the second. Luckily for me though she does normally go 3 to 4 hrs between feeds and longer at night.

Original poster
PeppermintPatty · 09/10/2007 17:21

at Muppetgirl's DS - well done for getting to 6 weeks though!

It seems every baby is different then!

OP posts:
VeniVidiVickiQV · 09/10/2007 17:25

You havent been doing it wrong.

You tell your friend that regular snacking means that your baby is getting less of this so called 'foremilk'. Which isnt exactly how it works actually. There isnt a defined line between foremilk and hindmilk. Its a graduation in the quality of milk. The longer the milk is left in the breast, the more likely that the thinner foremilk stuff will collect at the front. So feeding little and often is better.

You can also tell your friend that not all babies are the same.

blueshoes · 10/10/2007 09:36

VVV is right about the foremilk and hindmilk description.

And doctors have reported seeing babies on strict 4 hourly schedules brought in with dehydration and failure to thrive - the parents were following Babywise, another one of these 4 hourly military regimes.

In any case, I thought the longest interval (barring naps etc) between breastfeeds was 3, rather than 4 hours, as breastmilk digests faster than formula. When I had to starve my baby in advance of surgery, I was told not to feed her for 4 hours!

BTW, Whisperer also spouts the sort of non-advice that is not suitable and sometimes counterproductive to successful bf-ing. She never bf, BTW, not that it necessarily matters.

jabuti · 10/10/2007 15:30

hi pepper,

i read different authors and talked to different health visitors (i moved boroughs recently) and they all said the same: 20/30 minutes is only in the first 4/6 weeks of a baby life. because they are still so little and not strong enough to suck out the fore and hindmilk. but at 4 months your DD is just perfectly fine, as a strong baby she should be able to get it all from 5/15 minutes.

nocluemum · 10/10/2007 15:47

What a relieft to hear this.... so many books and 'friends advice" say that my lo is feeding for too short a time at about 6 mins max per boob - relieved I am not the only one and he is normal. Next thing to worry about is his hate of the bottle.....

Lazycow · 10/10/2007 15:53

That sounds fantastic. Ds fed for 20-30 mins each side at first and dropped to 15-20 mins each side at about 5 months old. Later (6/7m months plus he did 5-10 mins each side)

He pretty much fed every 2 to 3 hours from the first few weeks. That meant that when he was this age he would generally feed for 40-60 mins, I changed his nappy and then had about 1hr or possibly 1.5 hrs before I had to do it all again. It was a pain actually as I had to have a comfortable place to sit for feeds as they took so long so if we were out I was always in a rush to finish the shopping or to get somewhere (if I was driving) so that I could stop to feed.

I used to really wish ds would feed quicker than he did. He not only took ages to feed but also fed very often. His only saving grace was that he seemed to feed quite regularly and I never (and I mean NEVER) had that awful thing where he was constantly attached all evening in the early weeks. Once he had finished he would stop and then start again when ready even if he was ready quite soon afterwards. He rarely fell asleep at the breast either.

They are all so different, If your baby is growing and thriving that all soounds fine to me.

VeniVidiVickiQV · 10/10/2007 17:57

Oh my two never fed for that short a time when they fed (for the first few weeks it was about 30-40 minutes per feed), but that doesnt make them normal or abnormal. All babies are different you see.

But, babies have an instinct about what they need to do to get sustenance, and they'll do it. They dont need clocks.......

As long as they are thriving, and doing plenty of wet and dirty nappies then you shouldnt worry.

Halster · 10/10/2007 18:06

My dd fed for only 5 minutes at a time. I had a very fast let down and she was a very good sucker too. When we moved to bottles at about 8 months she could down a 8 oz bottle in 2 minutes flat! (By the way,if you do want to move onto bottles later try a fast flow teat - she rejected slow flow ones for months before we twigged that she was used to getting her milk in a hurry. But if your dd is sleeping through the night and only taking 5 minutes to feed then why complicate things with bottles!)

berolina · 10/10/2007 18:16

ds1 took forever, ds2 (2 1/2 weeks!) takes about 10 mins at a time - but feeds very frequently, incl at night - I don't keep count. I think part of the reason is that I am tandem feeding, so supply has been plentiful right from the start. He'd regained his birthweight by the end of week 1 and has just gained 200g in 5 days