When is it enough?

[riuliani]

I am a little confused by my 12 week old.  I thought I had his fullness cues figured out.  I used to single side feed (except during growth spurts) for 25 minutes.  When I fed for 30 minutes he seemed to spit up lots, so I decreased to 25 minutes.  That seemed to work, plus he was still making it on the 3 hour EASY.  Within the past 3 weeks he has started a habit of bobbing on and off.  This means I have actually been feeding him for less amount of time.  I give him 3 bobs off and then cut him off.  He just gets too distracted.  He still makes it on the 3 hour EASY.  My concern is his weight gain.  We just had a check up.  He is in the 75 percentile for height but the 21st for weight.  The doctor isn't concerned at this point but he is not growing proportionately.  He has always been the same in height as weight up until now.  This is making me question whether his feeds are long enough.  Any tips?  Or am I just being paranoid and should welcome the shorter feed times.

Thanks

Rhiannon

[Petunia]

Is your doctor using the new weight charts based on breastfed babies?  Previous charts were based on formula fed babies who, as a group, tend to be heavier.  There is a link to the new charts in the FAQ section of the Breastfeeding boards.  Check your son's weight on there and see how it measures up.

Also, if he still seems content after a feed than I wouldn't worry about his not eating as long.  However, I wonder if maybe he's trying to move himself to a 3.5 hour or 4 hour EASY.  You might check out the EASY boards FAQ section for info on those and see if he matches up.

[jbepko]

Try watching your LO and not the clock. He's pretty good at nursing by now and when he's through, just follow his lead. Try nursing in a quiet, dark room to decrease distractions. If he's hungry- he'll let you know!!

[M2L]

When my LO starts bobbing on and off, and even fussing, I switch sides and she usually settles down for a long feed on that "other" side.  Don't know exactly why, but I figure it might be because the breast she is on is getting empty.

And, yes, you will find that the older they get, the more distracted they get when BFing.    One trick I use is to sit beside a window where she can look out WHILE BFing rather than wondering what she is missing behind her.  Or, as suggested, I go into the nursery where there are less distractions and I can pull the curtain.

If I just can't get her to settle down and stop bobbing, I don't worry about it as I know that she'll BF for longer the next time if she's really hungry.   Let's put it this way - she lets me know if she's hungry and, like her mummy, she doesn't miss many meals.

Lastly, Lindsay has never grown proportionately.  Just like adults, babies come in all shapes and sizes.  My LO is in the 50th percentile for length and the 5th to 15th for weight, depending on the month.  And my knickers aren't in a twist over it because she's healthy, active, well-tempered, sleeps well and has lots of full diapers. 

HTH.

[riuliani]

I was thinking of going to the 3.5 hour EASY soon.  This week we had a lot of appointment (check, shots, dentist etc.), so I didn't want to upset his routine any more than it already was going to be.  We are headed on vacation next week, so I will see what we can do.

I checked out the WHO website.  Maybe I am reading the charts wrong but they put him into even lower percentiles than my doctor's office.  I won't worry about it too much.  Except for his extreme gassiness he is healthy and happy.  I let the professionals worry.

As for the length of time for breastfeeding...I will try to stop watching the clock.  It is a bad habit I picked up at the beginning.  Campbell started out with some digestive issues, so we were super sensitive to eating times and bowel movements.  I will just wait for him to let me know if he needs more.

Thanks everyone.