May 2013 Moms

Nursing mamas: how long does your LO nurse?

DS is a week old today. I am noticing his nursing sessions getting shorter. He used to do about 20 minutes per side, then it was closer to 15, then 10, and now it's averaging about 7 to 8 minutes per side. I'm assuming this is because my milk is flowing faster and he's becoming more efficient, but I'm not sure.
BFP #1 10/6/11 | EDD 6/15/12 | MMC 11/7/11 @ 8w3d | D&C 11/14/11

BFP #2 8/22/12 | EDD 5/5/13 | DS1 born 5/9/13

BFP #3 4/25/15 | EDD 1/7/16 | MMC 7/2/15 @ 13w1d | D&E 7/8/15

BFP #4 12/9/15 | EDD 8/22/16 | DS2 born 5/18/16 at 26w2d

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Re: Nursing mamas: how long does your LO nurse?

  • How often is he nursing?  It could be because he's getting more milk more quickly, or he could just be falling asleep.  If he's nursing more often for short amounts of time he could just be snacking instead of getting a full feeding.

    Both my girls nurse for about 10 min and pass out unless I really work on keeping them awake long enough to eat more.  Then they'll eat for 15 maaaaybe 20.  But it's usually about 10.  Anything less than that and I know I'll just be feeding them again in an hour b/c they aren't full.   

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  • burkemsburkems member
    DD#1 never nursed longer than 15 minutes on either side and quickly got down to 7-8 minutes. She was just remarkably efficient...I will try and find an article someone showed me that named the different types of eaters babies can be - mine was a "barracuda" - LOL!


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  • I'm right around 8-10 min per side, anything after that he is not swallowing only pacifying! His first feeding in the hospital was 30 min on each side, and has dramatically decreased since then! I think its normal
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  • We're going every 2 hours, sometimes sooner. He does get very sleepy and I have to fight to keep him awake during feedings, but he also definitely signals that he's done when he's finished. He spits out the nipple and turns his head to the side. When I offer him the nipple again, he refuses. This is different than when he just falls asleep, where he usually stays on the nipple but just stops sucking. When this happens, I rouse him a little and he starts sucking again.
    BFP #1 10/6/11 | EDD 6/15/12 | MMC 11/7/11 @ 8w3d | D&C 11/14/11

    BFP #2 8/22/12 | EDD 5/5/13 | DS1 born 5/9/13

    BFP #3 4/25/15 | EDD 1/7/16 | MMC 7/2/15 @ 13w1d | D&E 7/8/15

    BFP #4 12/9/15 | EDD 8/22/16 | DS2 born 5/18/16 at 26w2d

    Just keep swimming.
  • imageGoMaltby18:

    How often is he nursing?  It could be because he's getting more milk more quickly, or he could just be falling asleep.  If he's nursing more often for short amounts of time he could just be snacking instead of getting a full feeding.

    Both my girls nurse for about 10 min and pass out unless I really work on keeping them awake long enough to eat more.  Then they'll eat for 15 maaaaybe 20.  But it's usually about 10.  Anything less than that and I know I'll just be feeding them again in an hour b/c they aren't full.   

    This is me too.. except for only with one LO. :)

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  • Sounds like W. he'll eat from 7 to 15 minutes a side every 2 hours or so. As long as your LO has enough pee and poop diapers and is gaining weight, sounds like you're doing a great job!
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  • imagebananers:
    DS is a week old today. I am noticing his nursing sessions getting shorter. He used to do about 20 minutes per side, then it was closer to 15, then 10, and now it's averaging about 7 to 8 minutes per side. I'm assuming this is because my milk is flowing faster and he's becoming more efficient, but I'm not sure.

    This is my LO exactly. I was wondering also if this was normal.  

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  • Ava started out marathon nursing for like 20 to 30 minutes on each side every hour to an hour and a half. My milk came in on day 3 and now she is nursing about 10 to 15 minutes per side max. Sometimes she'll nurse longer on one side but then won't take the other side. Now I wait to change her diaper until she feeds on one side to wake her up and she usually will feed on the other side for at least another 7 to 10 minutes. I think they just become more efficient. Bump mobile ate my dashes!
  • Do you try burping him in between? I totally understand where you are coming from, I started pumping last week just so I could visually see what he was eating! it made me feel better and now I'm comfortable that he is getting enough! Breast feeding is really hard work, I think this has been the biggest surprise for me since my lo has come, with the baby blues coming in a close second! 
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  • DS is 2 weeks and goes for about 20 minutes for one side then maybe 5 minutes on the other side but he is always wanting to be on the boob. Usually less than 2 hour spans but at night he will go maybe 4 hours. Sometimes he will fall asleep after 6 minutes or so and just he soothe sucking.
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  • This is how Abigail is. Went from 30 min to 1015 depending on time of day. My mom has been with us this week and says its normal. I guess it's because of stronger supply and easier work for them...
  • With DD, she averaged 7-8 minutes each side every two hours once we got into a routine. I wish she'd go longer but you can't force a baby, right? 
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  • imageburkems:
    Here is that article I was talking about:https://www.parenting.com/article/yourbabysnursingstylenbsp;

    Thanks for that article! I found both my girls in it! I think this LO is a barracuda too!
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  • 6-10 minutes on one side only.  I've done multiple weighed feeds to ensure she's getting enough because she nurses so short a time, she's extremely efficient.
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  • Are the wet diaper counts looking good and is the baby gaining weight? If so, then I wouldn't be concerned. My LO, on the other hand, went from feeding 20 minutes on each breast to 510 minutes on only one breast. It turned out that she was having latching problems and was not eating enough. She started losing weight, her wet diaper count was too low and we were seeing orange crystals in her diapers, which is a sign of dehydration. Since then I've switched to exclusive pumping and she is doing much much better now.
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  • We just went to the doctor today for our little girl's 2 week check up and although we were nursing about 20 minutes on each side before she spit out the nipple, she isn't getting enough milk. So now he has us nursing 10 minutes on each side and supplementing with formula. I don't think time (or sleepiness during/after) necessarily equates to them getting enough because we thought we were doing really well but she's still about half a pound below her birth weight...
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