How long does your baby feed for?

[Sls668]

Pretty much as it says in the title really. My baby is 13 weeks and will spend 30-45 minutes on one side, because of this I rarely offer the second side through the day (we’d never leave the sofa!). Should I still be offering the second side and just staying home all day long?

DS is seven weeks old and feeds anywhere between 7 & 30 mins, with an average typically around 15.

I have a very last letdown so tend to do 2-3 feeds in a row on the same side. The only time I offer both sides is if he feeds for longer than 30 mins on one.

If DC is growing well with lots of wet nappies, then you are doing the right thing for you both!

My first DC was like this. She’s feed 45 minutes on one side, so I’d rarely offer the other, I’d just keep track of which side I fed last.

I do think that she was a bit inefficient, and I also suspect that after 20 minutes or so she wasn’t getting much milk and was mostly suckling for comfort, which typically didn’t bother me. I do remember her speeding up around 4-5 months I think?

DC2 on the other hand, was a milk guzzler from birth. Crazy powerful suckle, 10 minutes and done from the hour he was born. It was insane.

So I do think there’s a range for “normal”!

My first born would nurse for an hour both boobs ( tongue tie and slow weight gain that didn’t resolve itself until he was 14 weeks 😩). My second ( currently 3 months ) nurses one boob at a time in 5 minutes or less . He has fantastic weight gain .

I should mention that by 4 months with my first born he was nursing in 15 minutes but still both boobs - usually 10 minutes on one and 5 on the other !

My first baby was also a slow feeder and I would only offer one side. DC2 and DC3 were quicker and I would offer both.

OP, you may find the feed time speeds up as your baby becomes more efficient. That happened to my DC1 at around this age - I was worried he wasn't getting enough milk when he suddenly reduced his feed times from 45-60 mins to 15 mins!

I had the opposite issue just to throw in my info re other side of this feeding spectrum. I was being told to feed for at least 10 mins each side by all health professionals but my little one would literally only do 5 mins maximum (usually only 2/3 mins at a time though every 60-90 mins !!!!) on one side only in the early months. It's only now around 6m she's doing between 5-10 min feeds from both sides and I think that's just due to increasing hunger (started weaning)

It just goes to show how different each baby is. You could just do a side at each feed if your baby is gaining weight well and doesn't go too long between feeds (then you won't get too engorged).

First thing in the morning and bedtime feed usually about 15-20 minutes. Other feeds about 5 minutes. He's 2 months old. I have fast let down.