Baby feeds for hours at a time

[Noona86]

I have a three week old baby and a rocky start to breastfeeding after a c section and midwives giving her formula in hospital. However have since got it going and she’s been exclusively breastfed for 2 weeks now. She feeds every 2-3 hours and each feed takes at least an hour. She’s also been through periods of feeding for 3-4 hours in the evening. I just got a message from a friend with a baby the same age who was distressed her baby had fed for a whole hour last night and now I’m wondering if what’s happening with mine is unusual or if there’s a problem. I am finding it totally exhausting and feel like she’s pretty much always nursing.

It's called cluster feeding where they feed for hours at a time.

It is perfectly normal.

Mine use to do that between 5pm to about 10pm every night.

Then with growth spurts she would do it in the day as well.

I was lucky because I could mix feed without it affecting my milk supply. So I got a break to go to the loo and eat because my DP, her father, would give her a bottle.

Totally normal. This is definitely proof of the saying 'the days are long but the years are short' I managed to watch all the series of ER whilst nursing.

Completely normal.

Sit on the sofa or go to bed with a box set and feed. Leave everything else to your dh.

It will get better in a few weeks. This is the tough part. Stick with it :)

Entirely normal and a very good thing. It doesn’t last forever but it’s vital for your supply to cope with growth spurts.
DD managed a whopping 11hrs straight once. I thought I might die from exhaustion but you get through it.
By 6 weeks things will be starting to get easier, you are doing all the right things .
Drink lots, eat lots and nipple cream before and after. Slap it on liberally.

Three weeks was the absolute lowest point for me. I felt like I was feeding every two minutes.
It does get better.

Oh and important thing worth learning now is don't compare your baby - and when she grows older - toddler and child to one other child or even a handful of other children.

If you are going to comparisons on feeding, when they learn to walk, when they learn to learn to talk and other developmental milestones you need about hundred kids from completely different families.

The reason being is that normal is a large range. This is why you really want the input of those that work with children as they have seen loads of children at the same age. (Though some children's professionals some have horrible biases.)

Btw both your baby and your friend's baby are both normal.

Thank you all for taking the time to respond. This is all very reassuring to hear. Guess I’ve just roll with it! Box sets at the ready! My fear was it meant my supply was low but good to hear it doesn’t sound like that’s the case and that it’s fairly typical - even if it’s a pain in the arse! I have to say, the intense demand of feeding is something I had never once factored in prior to having a baby! Still, I imagine there will be a multitude of other new surprises ahead so I’d better get used to it.