are 5-6 minutes per feed enough for a 5 month old breastfed baby?

[Maria2007]

Hi everyone,

well, my question is what the subject says really. My DS who is now 5 months old (breastfed from birth) eats fewer & fewer minutes per breastfeed. If he feeds for 5 or 6 minutes (both breasts included) I count myself lucky! He has a sort of 3 hour routine during the day (not strictly so, I give him more if he seems hungry, e.g. before naps), but what I'm trying to say is that he doesn't seem ravenous after feeds, can go at least 3 hours happily. However, at night he does still wake to feed, used to be many times per night, now it's getting better (usually once after the 11 o'clock feed). However, I have started supplementing with one bottle of formula for his 11 o'clock feed (I express at that time too), & it seems to have a good effect; he guzzles it down guickly, & it has also helped his sleep. Just wondering if I should worry about the 5 mins feeds, or if basically I should just go with it!

As long as he's putting on weight I don't think there's any need to worry. My dd only ever fed for 5 or 6 minutes per feed (8 months now) and I used to worry but she always put plenty of weight on. Someone told me it's because she is an efficient feeder that she is so quick.

Thanks raspberry... yes I think he is an efficient feeder, but he's also a fussy feeder, often pulls away from the breast, sometimes just to 'chat', other times he screams. So I do worry about my supply (although recently I've seen an improvement with lots of expressing which has seemed to help).

bump... anyone else? any ideas? I know it may sound 'normal' for babies to only eat 4-5 mins, but sometimes it's really ridiculously short feeds that DS is having, and he's often going on & off the breast, latching on, and then pulling away, and then again & again...

My DS does very short feeds like this as well. Although he likes to feed every 2 hours and I've wondered if it's linked (he also does the pulling on and off thing). If your DS is going 3 hours between that sounds fine to me.

What I'm finding now that I'm weaning him onto ff though, is that he can only manage max. 4-5 oz at a time, which is I suppose proving to me that he has been sort of bf snacking all this time and has now got used to it.

Not sure if any of that helps, but just thought I'd add my tuppenceworth

My advice would be to watch he isn't going to get a bit impatient at the breast as he has experience the bottle - and the milk just flows and he just swallows and so why be bothered with this work at the boob business.

This happened to me at about 5 months and it really changed feeding.

Also my dd wouldn't feed anywhere there were distractions, too busy googling around!!

i agree with other posters that they beome really nosey at this age. dd on a bad day wont even eat with tv on, try a darkened room