Is my baby feeding long enough? (Breastfeeding)

[Mama98]

So my baby is a week over four months, he's exclusively breast fed I'm just concerned about the amount of time he spends feeding. I know that as they get older they're better at getting a sufficient feed in a shorter time but he never seems to go over 5 minutes and also goes hours in between? If he's going all this time without a feed is five minutes really okay and long enough for him to get enough?

I googled about it and everything I read seems to say it should be a mixture of feeds that are a few minutes to 45 minutes ... his longest feed is before bed which can range 20 minutes to an hour. He also wakes every few hours during the night to feed. But I'm just worried he isn't feeding for long enough .. he cries if I try to insist a longer feed.

This sounds fine for his age. He will let you know if he's hungry :)

Is he having plenty of wet nappies? That's generally how you tell if enough is going in.

@BertieBotts

This sounds fine for his age. He will let you know if he's hungry :)

Is he having plenty of wet nappies? That's generally how you tell if enough is going in.

Thanks for messaging 😊 and some days he produces more than others, I'm not too concerned about his nappies because he produces a lot from a night time. He does have dirty nappies but as for those ones it's never a huge amount? More small amounts but every so often during the day? xxx

If he has regular wet nappies and is gaining weight he is doing fine. My daughter used to feed for about 5 minutes at a time, she was absolutely fine and in fact she had jumped a few centres by 5 months and the HV said I might be overfeeding her . It just means you have efficient boobs 🤣

I used to joke that mine would inhale his milk. He’d be done and dusted in less than 8 minutes!

I had a very good flow of milk, and a fast letdown. He’d clearly learnt to drink quickly.

It’s your normal- go with it. Plenty of wet and dirty nappies are a good indication that feeding is good.

This age they are tricky to feed in the day as they're more interested in the world around them. Try to feed in a quiet room, no distractions etc.
Generally though, look at what he is consuming over a 24hr period. So if he is doing 3 or 4 "good" feeds out of say 8 then that sounds great. Obviously plenty of wet and dirty nappies too.

The pace and length of letdown, and whether they have just one letdown per feed, or many, varies hugely from woman to woman. It sounds like you probably have one main letdown that is perfect to satisfy your baby. They get very efficient at getting the milk out at a few months old. 5 minutes can definitely be long enough for your baby to get what he needs. He'll tell you if he's hungry, don't worry!

My 4.5 month old baby can totally empty an engorged boob in 5 minutes flat, she only ever nurses longer than that if she's doing it for comfort or as a sleep aid. If he is gaining weight well then 5 minute feeds can be entirely normal.

My baby was like this and I’m pretty sure I started a thread like this at the time. She was just a speedy feeder. Gained weight like a champ and no issues at all. Enjoy the relative freedom it gives you and try not to worry x