Am I doing this wrong?

[Missingpotatocroquettes]

DD is my first baby and 3 weeks old tomorrow. She was a small baby and only weighed barely 6 pounds at 41 weeks gestation. I have exclusively breastfed since birth, initially she was very sleepy and it took a lot to keep her awake and feeding properly. Lots of tickling her face and feet, stripping how down and blowing on her face.

She lost weight initially, but within the expected range, and was back and over her birth weight at 7 days old. She was 7 pounds and 4 ounces at her last appointment at 17 days old so she's definitely gaining weight well enough.

Where I think we might be going wrong, is that she takes so long to eat! Usually over an hour and she'll want to go back on the boob not long after that. Her latch looks okay to me, better some times than others. I'm not sure if this means it's just taking her a very long time to get enough milk? And what I can do to make her more efficient? I don't think it's me, I definitely seem to have a good supply.

I'm just exhausted with how long it takes for her to eat, especially when I'm doing the night feeds and we're up for so long. I really want us to be successful at breastfeeding.

Grateful for any advice!

Sounds normal, sorry!

Oh, really? That's reassuring at least, if this is normal. Everything I read online said 20-45 minutes per feeding session.

20-45 minutes is when they have got the hang of it and your supply is built up. Possibly about 6 weeks if you're lucky.
At growth spurt points the length will increase again to increase your supply.

She will get more efficient, she's just regulating your supply and probably also comforting herself. It's normal, if frustrating.
I found a gentle massage of the breast while they were feeding would sometimes make more come out more rapidly and that sort of woke them up from that happy boob doze they would lull into. I found a magic spot under each boob that if I pressed it would obviously trigger a big let down, shocked them a bit sometimes and sort of put them into the next gear. I'm fairly sure a midwife or health visitor told me that so might be worth asking.

But it will get easier, I promise. Well done and keep going, the first 6 weeks are the hardest.

Thank you, that's very helpful to know. I feel like I'm glued to the sofa/bed all day to feed her! I will persevere and keep my fingers crossed that it gets better at 6 weeks.

Personally, no, that was not normal for us. DS definitely did not spend that long feeding. It could mean he's not latched well or there is a tongue tie. I'd speak to a lactation consultant.

Totally normal. As long as they’re having wet & dirty nappies. It settles eventually!

I found it hard to tell the difference between feeding baby (look for swallowing!) and baby just sucking for comfort while asleep! I would watch very closely to see when baby changes and take them off and if awake enough offer other side.
it may be normal for a baby to stay attached to you but it is also ok to just allow them to feed then remove them…maybe offer a dummy or just let them relax without breast. I had to be careful with baby not doing this as he wasn’t putting on weight and I had too bf, express and bottle feed every few hours. Eventually with an expert we got a tongue tie diagnosed which was not seen by any other medical professional.

Thank you. She was checked at the hospital for a tongue tie so maybe it is her latch. I will track down a lactation consultant and see what they say.

Plenty of wet and dirty nappies!

Some of it is definitely comfort sucking towards the end. I'll make sure to keep offering the other side. Thank you for your reply!

Is she feeding actively for those 60 minutes or dozing on and off?

How are you both getting on now @Missingpotatocroquettes ?
Any joy with a lactation consultant?
I had lots of invaluable advice from the NCT breastfeeding drop in/ cafe near me.