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Northern California Babies
SportyMrs.23
member
How long to nurse?
SportyMrs.23
member
I usually nurse till she de-latches and won't latch back on....
The newborn club nurse/doctor (not sure which she was) said that 15 minutes is good and that 30-40 minutes is much too long.
I nurse on one side and the next feed, nurse the other side. She usually nurses for a minimum of 15 minutes and as long as 30-40 minutes...she usually averages a 20-25 minute nursing session. Is this too long?
I ask, because for the first time, after feeding, burping her and lying her down, she threw up....it was a lot of milk...so is it because she was overfed? I am just so confused because I figure if she wasn't hungry she would stop nursing...but maybe she stays on for comfort? idk...any tips/help?
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Re: How long to nurse?
When E nursed she would normally go 20-25 mins, but sometimes as long as 45 (only if I fell asleep from exhaustion). I always had to delatch her. I think she was trying to make up for being born on the lower end of the average scale.
I always had a set time and then would delatch her, I figured that was a better judge. I also figured that it was the one "habit" she had at that age and only thing she really knew so I had to control the time.
I figured out that 20-25 mins worked best for us but if 15-20 works for you I would stick with that. You may have a faster flow than me.
I'm speaking from a formula fed/preemie experience, BUT... in the NICU, we never let him eat for more than about 30 minutes... past that and he was expending more energy to keep eating than he got from the bottle, so it was *better* to stop for a bit (if that makes sense)
and as for the throwing up... it might seem like a lot, but it probably isn't that much. I was freaking out one time about Max throwing up all of his food, so our doctor told us to do this: Get a teaspoon and fill it with water. Now pour it out on your counter... it looks like a LOT of liquid, but it really isn't! LOL
Also, laying her down too soon after eating can cause them to reflux. Good luck!
Sounds like she was overfed. DS used to do this too. I was told by me pedi to nurse for 10-15 minutes total and burp in between (DS spit up A TON)
I read to never pull the baby off when nursing, until the pedi told me about the 10-15 total, it cut my nursing time in half. I was over feeding him.
This was us too. We had to keep E upright for 20-30 mins after each feeding.
From what I learned...there is a different answer depending on everybody you talk to..In the hospital I heard at least 4 differnt answers for this very question.
At Lillys age Jonathan nursed for 45-60mins or so..and from most of my friends I have heard thats pretty normal and as they get better it takes less time. I have found that to be true.
I think letting her go till her body says she is full makes the most logical sense and will teach your body how much she needs...
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I'm impatient. I always nursed both sides at each feeding (unless my kid refused after eating on one side - which was rare), and delatched after 10 minutes max (if the kid didn't delatch on his own). I'd nurse on one side for a max of 10 minutes, burp, and then nurse on the other side for a max of 10 minutes, and then burp again. I figure if he was still hungry, he'd be crying for more food after the 10 minutes, and he never did.
Obviously, do whatever works and feels right to you!
how can I tell if it is throw up vs spit up....it seemed like a ton...and projectile from her mouth.
Thanks for all the advice guys... I am thinking we'll try 10 minutes, burp and then another ten and burp and see how that goes
I think I have a pretty fast flow because sometimes when she is nursing, she gags/chokes a bit and delatches and i burp her.
Scary thought... if it gets to where you need to talk to a doctor about the throwing up (if she has reflux) they only consider it projectile if it's measured in FEET. 6 inches isn't considered projectile. Gross, right? LOL
It's pretty much all spit up at this age; if it's pretty soon after she eats, it's spit up... they can spit up without choking/coughing... with Max, it was like he was a bag full of stuff and someone squeezed it, it just shot out of him like that... when he actually throws up, there's lots of gagging and choking involved.
(Sorry, this got gross! LOL)
ok....that makes sense...it definitely wasn't feet!....that is cray!
This makes me think you over feed her and that cutting the time will be a good thing.
And just so you know you are not the first person to wonder this, I have the same question when Riley was Lilly's age, only the reverse issue., I couldn't get him to stay on the breast for more than 10 minutes.
Cam nursed for up to 30-45 minutes sometimes. Always had spit up problems for the first 6 months or so ?
I would say just try burping her more often !!
Now that I am done BF'ing, I have a somewhat 'let nature take its course' view of BF'ing. At the time, I stressed about it a lot! Esp when he was an infant/newborn.
I would say, don't sweat it too much and don't worry about the clock. But pay attention and if it seems like she is just 'playing' or not really eating, then its time to stop. They like the time together and the relaxation part of nursing as well as the nourishment. Sometimes, they will just hang out b/c they are enjoying boob-time. Otherwise, let her eat until she is done.
Most importantly, trust yourself and relax (I know - way easier said than done and I was not relaxing about it in the beginning, believe me!). But I wish I didn't worry about it as much as I did. In the end, I never paid attention to the clock and just nursed when he seemed to need it and quit when I felt it was time.
Remember, no one knows 'the secret'. Everyone is just going on their best information. So do what works best for you and your baby girl. If she is gaining weight and is healthy, don't sweat anything else.
Good luck and keep up the good work!
Lighthouse State Beach, Santa Cruz.
Gotta jump in here. Some of this advice is just not very good. Sorry.
Everyone's breast is a bit different and every baby will suckle a bit differently as well. Some are not great latchers or are just not particularly efficient. Those babies tend to take longer per side. But the length of time is not as important at the quality of milk they are getting. With the initial latch, they will get foremilk, which has less fat and nutrients, then the foremilk will give way to hindmilk, which the milk you really want them to get -- foremost because it's the most nutrient rich and secondly because emptying the breast triggers it to make more. If your baby is only getting foremilk, often they will have green, foamy poops, you'll also notice that your supply isn't all that great (some moms also have this problem when they are overproducing, often because of too much pumping). So, whether it takes your baby 10 minutes per side (10-20 being the most typical), and whether they take one side or both during a feeding, what's important is that they get to the hindmilk.
Correcting whatever is causing a slow feeder to eat slowly is much more important that cutting them off in the long run. It can take 6-8 weeks for your breasts to regulate and it can take a slow feeder that long to figure out a more efficient way as well.
NorCalMOMS bio* NorCalBOTB* babywearingBIO
Harmony Doula
Ditto this
Ditto to Gannon! Well said!
I'd like to add that with Garrison I was kind of stressed about nursing in the beginning. We had to supplement in the early days and he was eating all the time. Had I not let him do that I would never have been able to get my supply up to par. With Gavin I just let him eat whenever he wanted until he stopped. Both my boys fell asleep on the boob a bunch. But I haven't had any supply issues with Gavin. For me demand feeding has worked well with both boys and letting them decide when to stop. I think and was taught nursing is child led.
If she is spitting up you might want to see if its something your eating. In the early months neither of my boys did well when I ate onions, broccoli, or beans.
I agree with the foremilk/hindmilk thing on Celyn.
Just a quick note about the spitting up: Izzie did that too and I remember freaking out. The first time she did it it was 2 am in the morning, I actually called the night nurse. She was fine - she was just a kid that spit up a lot (and interestingly enough, she never really had reflux issues)...Remember the fluid expands once its down in the stomach.. so it looks like a lot more than it actually is. We kept her upright for 20-30 minutes after each feed also, and that helped. Things got better at around 3 months.
But - seriously, it sounds like you're doing a great job!
From what I was told with JLK it should shoot out like over a couch kind of distance! I remember when she did throw up Tony and I both had zero doubt thats what it was.
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