Author Topic: How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?  (Read 8090 times)

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Offline Megan1969

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« on: September 21, 2005, 18:02:22 pm »
Hi, maybe i'm jumping the gun a bit as Zoe hasnt settled into a routine yet - she is only 7 days old.  But I'm finding breastfeeding is taking up to 2 hours at a time which I just cant sustain.  I have resorted to limiting the time it takes to b/f to an hour each time at night, and 1.5 hours during the day.  After which time i'll drain each breast and give her whats left by bottle.  I know people say she'll get nipple confusion, but she latches on fine.

When i b/f she just drops off to sleep constantly and eventually the jiggling awake doesnt work, so i change her nappy and she is a bit alert, so i jiggle again, but it works for smaller and smaller amounts of time, so then i put her down whenever she snoozes and when she cries 2 mins later i feed again, but i just cant sustain it for the 2+ hours it would take to complete the job.  Any tips or do i just ride out the storm?

Thanks, Megan
Mother to Zoe Alexandra born Sept 05 & twins Abbey & Daniel born March 07

Offline mandykittie

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #1 on: September 21, 2005, 18:56:01 pm »
I had this same problem with both of my sleepy kids.  I found that blowing in his ear a bit worked sometimes, but not as well as stroking the palm of his hand.  This really seems to get him eating in a more focused manner.  Also, compressing my breast (to sort of push the milk out) helped get more into him quickly, since I had no desire to be up for that long at night. 
If it's any consolation, at four weeks he eats about every two hours (could go three, but needs smaller meals with his reflux) for just 10-15 minutes. 
Good luck!
Amanda
mommy to Josie (1/11/03) and Jasper (8/17/05)

Offline Arwyn's mom

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #2 on: September 21, 2005, 21:58:45 pm »
I had a sleepy one too... on top of not having enough milk. She used to feed for an hour every 1.5 hours. Yup... you got it, 30 minutes for a diaper change, and mommy to pee and we were at it again. I would limit the feedings to 1 hour though (as recommended to me by the community health nurse) and ride it out.

Arwyn turned into an efficient feeder overnight. Now, she takes 10-15 min each breast and sometimes only wants one.

This will pass as your little one learns how to be more efficient and gets past the sleepy newborn stage.

Like Amanda, I compressed and massaged the breast she fed on and was constantly pulling up her arm to open up her palm to kiss it. (Now she puts her had to my lips for a kiss while nursing... Awww, melts my heart.)
Ankie
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Offline Eden's Mum

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #3 on: September 21, 2005, 22:03:42 pm »
Sounds to me like you are doing the right thing for now. Noah was very sleepy at first too. Your lo will get the hang of it soon and you'll be worrying that she isn't feeding for long enough!
Clare
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annamum

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #4 on: September 21, 2005, 22:37:21 pm »
I agree with previous poster, you should do breast compression. When your baby starts slowing down while still sucking, use your hand to squeeze your breast, see more info at (you will need to look for a link on breast compression):
http://www.thebirthden.com/Newman.html

By the way, has somebody seen your baby's latch? Sometimes incorrect latch results in baby taking so long to eat. You could talk to a lactation consultant if your hospital has one or La Leche League leader to make sure this is correct.

Also, this is so true, while newborns can stay at the breast for hours, a few weeks later they are done in less than 15 minutes and can go longer between feeds. My dd was always very fast after 7 weeks, she was finished in 5 minutes.

Offline J&Jsmom

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #5 on: September 22, 2005, 05:42:45 am »
I have a related problem. My DS is also 7 days old and always falls asleep after 10 minutes of feeding, which according to Tracey's book is exactly when they have finished drinking the 'quencher' and are full of oxytocin. I manage to wake him by hand stroking, breast compression and blowing on him for maybe another 5 minutes, but then he takes himself off the breast and won't take it again. I've tried taking his clothes off or changing his nappy - but if he latches on again, it's never for more than about 3 minutes. He is wanting to eat every 2 hours - sometimes more often, sometimes lasting 3.

I was worried that all he was getting was the quencher and none of the thicker hind milk hence the fact that he wanted to eat more frequently and was worried that he was turning into a snacker. But he was weighed yesterday and he's already exceeded his birth weight.

I don't know what to do to make him eat for longer than his current 10 to 15 mins. I think the reason for his weight gain is due to frequency of feeding, rather than quality of feeding - and I really don't want him to turn into a snacker. But he seems to genuinely have had enough after 15 mins.

So I don't really have any advice over and above what the other ladies have written - and sorry for adding my own worries to your post - but given there was a newborn discussion happening, I just wanted to add my experience.

Good luck with your feeding.
Melissa
Mom to:
Joshua Charles Boleslaw born 14.02.2004
Jamie Edward Christopher born 15.09.2005

Offline Megan1969

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #6 on: September 22, 2005, 11:12:30 am »
Hi Melissa - nice to see i have a kindred spirit!  What does Tracey say about supplementing with breast milk from the bottle?

Megan
Mother to Zoe Alexandra born Sept 05 & twins Abbey & Daniel born March 07

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #7 on: September 22, 2005, 15:47:52 pm »
I just wanted to add that newborns usually don't go longer between feeds than 1.5 or 2 hours. This is normal as their tummies are very small, they are the size of their fist, so they can't hold more milk at once and breastmilk is digested fast. When they grow a little, they will be able to go longer between feeds, so don't despaire. I would even go as far as to say that at this early age you basically should feed them on demand to build your supply up and soon enough they will start spacing their feeds and be more awake for longer time.

Offline CarolinaGirl

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #8 on: September 22, 2005, 20:23:59 pm »
My baby was sleepy too. Breast compression worked wonders. I kept my hand cradling my breast and when he stopped sucking, I started squeezing!!  The milk dripping into his mouth woke him right up and he would start sucking again. I also uncovered him all the way and would sometimes take off his clothes (sounds mean but worked great). Just the cool air kept him awake. It didn't take long before he quit going to sleep and went at it like a hungry bear!!!  Good luck!!
Heather
Mommy to Logan (10 years) and Luke (5 months)

Offline grass_tiger

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #9 on: September 24, 2005, 23:05:24 pm »
My lactation consultant said that for the first couple weeks the baby should eat every two hours during the day and every three hours during the night. ...more often if necessary. I was surprised when mine took 1 to 1 1/2 hours to eat....and I'd keep her awake too. If she starts nodding off I will pop her over my shoulder for a burp or lean her forward breifly (head below bum) or change her diaper. I'd jiggle her, etc. After the two week mark she suddenly started feeding for only about 20 minutes (I now keep her on the same breast regardless of the length of feed as Tracy suggested). I found that my milk is now coming much faster and she is actually using her tongue to help slow up the flow. So things should get better. I was getting very worn out too! If I had read Tracy's book earlier I would have stopped her feedings at 45 minutes and not feed her again until a couple hours later (after her nap) unless I was completely convinced she was hungry (for instance, if she hadn't slept in 45 minutes from the end of her last feed she is probably hungry again). That will help her to stop snacking...which, according to Tracy, is what she is doing part of the time when she is on the breast for more than 45 mintues. I hope that helps some.

Offline Eden's Mum

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How long should it take to breastfeed newborns?
« Reply #10 on: September 26, 2005, 08:18:51 am »
Someone on here also suggested to me that if i express the fore milk before feeding and save it I can give the hind milk first which keeps them awake as they have to wrk for it, then you can give the foremilk second from the bottle if they need any more feed. i tried it and it worked and to be honest i didn't need to give the bottle i just froze it instead. I expressed just enough until the foremilk had stopped dripping of its own accord. (for me about 2/3 minutes expressing and about 50 mls of milk.)
Clare
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Noah:

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