BF sessions too long.......

hmhayes10 · October 2010

OK, so after reading the other bf post, I realized that my dd's feeding sessions last WAY too long......usually 45 minutes. And then sometimes she still roots around for more. Does this mean my supply is really low? Is she using me for a pacifier? What do I do to fix this....or am I just in for long feedings for the next year? HELP! She's a little over a week old.

TheBuddha · October 2010

I have the same problem. I was limiting him to 15 minutes per side, but when he was done he would cry and root. However, during those 15 minutes on each side he spends a good 10 minutes sleeping! It takes me nearly an hour to get in a full feeding that leaves him satisfied.

My mother keeps telling me that a baby can drain one breast in 5-7 minutes. Yea right, she doesn't hear him screeching when he hasn't had enough.

elaughlin · October 2010

DS is a super fast eatter because i have a really big flow like alot of milk come out at once and even more when i have my let down. maybe you milk just comes out slower? or she is a slower eatter? who knows maybe just just really enjoys her momma's milk and wants it to last! lol GL!

giaM28 · October 2010

TheBuddha:

I have the same problem. I was limiting him to 15 minutes per side, but when he was done he would cry and root. However, during those 15 minutes on each side he spends a good 10 minutes sleeping! It takes me nearly an hour to get in a full feeding that leaves him satisfied.

My mother keeps telling me that a baby can drain one breast in 5-7 minutes. Yea right, she doesn't hear him screeching when he hasn't had enough.

this is me. i nurse all freaking day now (2 month growth spurt) i hope he grows out of it. he nurses for at least 45 minutes every hour or so without a spurt. hes been like this since birth. switch boobs and burp every 15 min

you will get opinions from everyone. just smile, nod then ignore. keep up the good work! its hard to get through but your little baby deserves the best!

amymatt615 · October 2010

my sessions last an hour too -- and i take her off after that long. I am seein a LC on Monday, which cant come soon enough. I wish I called her earlier!

ajlipsey · October 2010

Ugh I have this same problem. He will nurse for 30 minutes on each side. But he's not sucking the entire time. We have gone to an LC and done a weighed session and he ate about 2 oz or so. But that was weeks ago! I have had some days where he ate super fast and was done with both sides in 30 minutes. But that has only happened a couple of times. If my supply is to low how to I increase it?

Violet_McPurpleson · October 2010

Don't worry too much. At 1-2 weeks feeding sessions would last a long time for me too. They get more efficient with age.

5de5 · October 2010

Until LO was 2 weeks old I had 45-60 sessions. Then my milk started to regulate and around 3 weeks she went down to 10 minutes max. I think there's an ebb and flow sometimes they will last longer, others not so much.

wifeandmama · October 2010

Babies become more efficient with age. Don't limit how long he/she can nurse and feed on demand or you might end up with supply issues.

Oriana.Ocampo · October 2010

At that age my LO was eating pretty long too.

azsheena · October 2010

My baby would not latch until almost 3 weeks when the LC came out. Then our BF sessions were taking 60-90 minutes and he would still scream when I finally took him off, so I would end up giving him a bottle with pumped breast milk- usually 1-2 oz. I gave up and have been EP for a few days now. We are both way happier, but DH wants me to give it another try before giving up completely. I originally planned to BF for 10-12 months. Now I am hoping to make it 6 weeks. Sigh.

mrmrsh · October 2010

DS is 6 weeks and still feeding anywhere between 40 minutes and 90 minutes. Of course, he isn't actually eating the entire time when he is on for 90 minutes. I have found that if I take him off early he will be hungry again in about an hour, but if I let him finish on his own it will be more like 2.5 hours before he needs to eat again. It can be frustrating when they take so long to eat, but I am hoping that DS will become a more efficient eater soon! Hang in there! I can tell you that it does get easier even with the long feeding sessions.

kaylakaylakayla · October 2010

Your supply is not low.
Your baby is a week old.

There is no such thing as being too long at nursing, too short at nuring, too loud, too quiet, too tired, too awake etc etc etc at a week old. Your baby is your baby. She is her own person.

It really gets to me how people will reply to posts like this, saying their baby had 'issues' and 'problems' with this too. Your baby nursing for an hour is not a problem. Period.

Your child is regulating your supply. This is normal. Anything is really normal at this stage. She is not using you as a pacifier. A pacifier was invented as a plastic YOU, not the other way around. She is probably comfort sucking sometimes, perfectly normal. Let it happen, or introduce a pacifier if you want (although at this stage it is a little early imo).

They get more efficient with age.
Although Liam still comfort sucks for hours a day. I love it.

ETA: I would check out kellymom. It's a great site for your breastfeeding questions!

wendy_garland · October 2010

azsheena:
My baby would not latch until almost 3 weeks when the LC came out. Then our BF sessions were taking 60-90 minutes and he would still scream when I finally took him off, so I would end up giving him a bottle with pumped breast milk- usually 1-2 oz. I gave up and have been EP for a few days now. We are both way happier, but DH wants me to give it another try before giving up completely. I originally planned to BF for 10-12 months. Now I am hoping to make it 6 weeks. Sigh.

This!

We started EP since wednesday and I am waaay happier and LO is too. She sleeps better at night and is a little less fussy than the last couple of days. PLUS I get to see how much she is taking in and it makes me feel much better. Just wish my flow wasn't so slow..I only pump about 1-1.5 ounces per breast...I wish I could increase, any suggestions??

ash.flea · October 2010

Gav's sessions were about an hour long in the beginning. My LC told me that that was great. I wouldn't worry about it yet!

Now he's almost 3 months and only takes about 7-10 minutes to eat. It gets a lot better!

Wilwarin · October 2010

kaylarosebrecht:
Your supply is not low.
Your baby is a week old.
There is no such thing as being too long at nursing, too short at nuring, too loud, too quiet, too tired, too awake etc etc etc at a week old. Your baby is your baby. She is her own person.
It really gets to me how people will reply to posts like this, saying their baby had 'issues' and 'problems' with this too. Your baby nursing for an hour is not a problem. Period.
Your child is regulating your supply. This is normal. Anything is really normal at this stage. She is not using you as a pacifier. A pacifier was invented as a plastic YOU, not the other way around. She is probably comfort sucking sometimes, perfectly normal. Let it happen, or introduce a pacifier if you want (although at this stage it is a little early imo).
They get more efficient with age.
Although Liam still comfort sucks for hours a day. I love it.

ETA: I would check out kellymom. It's a great site for your breastfeeding questions!

Yep. What Kayla said!

SherryLeah · October 2010

This was happening to me last week. I went to see a LC and she told me to go out and get a pump. I tried three days of feeding baby for 10 minutes on each breast and then pumping for 10 minutes. It was soooo exhausting and I was getting barely any milk. My supply is low and I've been exhausted from feeding and then pumping and then cleaning the pumping supplies every two or three hours, so when I went back to the LC she told me I could skip feeding the baby and just pump after feeding baby whatever breast milk I had mixed with formula. This is what I've been doing, and it's been a bit better. I don't know how long I'll keep this up, though, before making the switch to completely using formula because despite all the pumping I've been doing my supply hasn't really increased. I'm only getting a total of 1-2 oz. per pumping session.

Want a personalized experience?

BF sessions too long.......

Re: BF sessions too long.......

Choose Another Board

Search Boards