1 week old and nursing for nearly an hour??

sdo_082989

Anyone elses baby doing this?? She sleeps for 2-3 hours, wakes up and nurses for about 20 minutes, DH then changes her diaper and tries to burp her but she just screams so he gives her back to me and she latches on and sucks for another good 15 minutes then lays here still latched on for another 30-45 minutes, sucking for a minute or 2 then stops, sucks, stops. I dont know if shes actually hungry or if its a comfort thing but she will only sleep if shes been latched on and falls asleep that way. Sometimes she stops for a good 5 minutes but if I move she starts sucking again and if I take her off she sleeps for just a second but wakes up screaming again and will start nursing like crazy again for a several minutes.

Tikat

You might want to consider giving a pacifier. Some babies have a stronger urge than others to suck. If she breastfeeds fine I wouldn't be too worried. I actually gave DD2 a paci in the hospital (NUK) and she never had any issue nursing.

jlsimon56

My LO did this until she was like 4 months old!  She's almost 6 months old now and has cut her nursing sessions down to under 30 minutes.

In the beginning though, you want to keep them awake so they eat and gain weight.  Remove clothing, change a diaper, burp her, etc. to keep her awake so she eats.  Try to listen for the swallowing sound.  If you don't hear it, remove her.  Sometimes that will wake them up enough. 

shotzie

Totally normal. For the first several weeks, you'll feel like all you do is nurse. Eventually, feedings won't take so long and she'll go a bit longer between feedings. Right now, her stomach is tiny so she needs to eat frequently. She's also telling your body how much milk to make to meet her needs. Even comfort sucking is good for your supply. Plus, she's used to being close to you and so your smell and warmth are calming to her as she adjusts to the outside world. If you need a break, try letting her suck on your pinky or DH's pinky for a bit. Hang in there and just keep at it. It gets easier and less exhausting over time.

TeaForMe

Ha! My almost-4-month old is doing the "sleep sucking" as I type this. If I try to move him, it's like when someone's sleeping in front of the TV and you change the channel and they immediately wake up and say "hey! I was watching that!" Or it's almost like you're reminding them that, "oh yeah... I'm eating"

If you're okay with it, I say just go with it. I do sometimes (especially during the day) just move him (if he already seemed to have had a good eating session) and he gets over it. But at night I still let him suck until he removes himself (for now, anyway... if this is still going on in a couple months, we may look into using a pacifier after a certain amount of time)

 As a PP said, especially for a newborn, it's important to let them suck as much as they want simply to help build you supply and to help with general bonding/comfort. I remember feeding my son almost constantly and I thought NO WAY could he still be hungry. But guess what - they are always freaking hungry! aaah!

Jordan1234

shotzie:

Totally normal. For the first several weeks, you'll feel like all you do is nurse. Eventually, feedings won't take so long and she'll go a bit longer between feedings. Right now, her stomach is tiny so she needs to eat frequently. She's also telling your body how much milk to make to meet her needs. Even comfort sucking is good for your supply. Plus, she's used to being close to you and so your smell and warmth are calming to her as she adjusts to the outside world. If you need a break, try letting her suck on your pinky or DH's pinky for a bit. Hang in there and just keep at it. It gets easier and less exhausting over time.

This exactly. 

RA1109

That sounds normal to me.  Both of my babies have nursed for about an hour at the beginning.  My LC tells me not to let them feed for more than 20 minutes per side though because after that they are mostly pacifing.

lexi44

My LO is a month old and still does this not every time but very often. Sometimes it does get hard but I guess you just go with the flow. We have tried a pacifier with out LO (soothie) and sometimes he will take it and other he wont. We have tried other types and he hates them. Plus he hasnt figured how to keep them in his mouth so he just gets more upset when they end up getting spit out.