Breastfeeding question

[onetwothreenc]

Maybe this sounds stupid but what is the difference between a feed and a comfort suckle? I assume I understand the obvious "one you produce milk and the other you don't" (... right?) but if this is the case, how is that possible? I have literally never, ever ever ever, been able to have DD latch on without feeding her. It means she takes like 10 feeds through the night and that does cause some gas issues, but I just can't imagine how have a baby latched on wouldn't make you produce milk? Or am I exceptionally efficient? What am I missing?

I’d say it’s for comfort when they aren’t really sucking. Or they’ve had a feed and then just stay latched on without sucking.
perhaps they’ve just latched on to settle after getting upset but they aren’t hungry as such. I take it mean anything outside of the times when a whole feed is needed.

And consider yourself very efficient anyway 😁

I don’t understand what you mean. If they’re suckling at all they’ll be drawing milk down. Whether it be for hunger or for comfort, both of which are perfectly normal and ok.

do you mean after an obvious feed when they’ve been gulping down and they fall asleep still latched but their suction is then really light or huge gaps in between? You can unlatch then if you want /dare.

When still basically asleep, DD will latch on and it's a really weak effort (which is what I've always thought a comfort suckle was), but every single time, probably within about a minute, I feel my let down trigger and she's there getting a proper feed. She definitely wasn't making enough effort to be 'asking for it' and most of the time has pretty much stopped suckling completely before it happens, she just hasn't popped off. I've got no issue with her being on so many times in the night but I really do wish I didn't produce every time because this causes its own issues!!

I just can't fathom her genuinely wanting as many feeds as she ends up getting, it doesn't seem normal to be consuming so much still (she's 11m but this has been the case forever). I assumed she would naturally reduce her feeds herself but she just hasn't. Her rousing/looking for the boob in the night has become a chicken and egg scenario - I don't know if she's rousing because she wants to feed or she's only feeding as a way of getting back to sleep (but then I don't understand why she has forever been as unsettled throughout the night as she has).

Mine have all fed throughout the night even at 2. A few seconds of a latch will induce a let down and they’d take whatever came. The all night feeding wound mean breakfast isn’t really a thing until they wean so the first meal is lunch really.
To my mind comfort feeding still involves milk but is triggered by upset/discomfort etc rather than hunger.

My son was a night comfort feeder, he would wake up every hour of the night for the first few months and only feed back to sleep which drove me mad, especially when he'd have too much milk, throw it up and start the cycle again. He definitely just wanted the comfort as he found his thumb at about 6 months and slept so much better.