how long does/did your 5-7 week old nurse for?

AimeeL85 · February 2011

DS is so unpredictable with his nursing, I never know if he's getting enough. He will nurse a total of 25 minutes sometimes, and only 10 other times. Lately he seems to only want to nurse on one side a lot of times, and when I try to put him on the other side he will act like he wants it but then will continually pull off and cry and act like he's trying to pass gas or poop, and eventually will go to sleep and I worry that he's still hungry.

I nurse him for almost all of his feedings, but have only been doing so since he was about 5 weeks. Before then, I was mostly pumping, and I know my supply was great when I was pumping but now I worry that he isn't nursing enough to keep it up. His next pedi appointment isn't for another 2 weeks and I'm afraid to wait that long to see if he's gaining properly. I still pump a couple times a day, but the timing of it is random, so I can't tell anything based on the amounts I'm pumping. At this point I just have no idea what I'm producing, how much he's taking, if my supply is staying adequate etc. Should I try to set up a pedi appointment earlier to get him weighed? Or can I just assume if he's not crying, he must have eaten enough?

Everything was so much less confusing when I was almost EPing, I'm so glad I was finally able to start nursing him consistently but now I'm starting to worry about everything.

Sorry this was so long but any advice is really appreciated!

brymanda · February 2011

I have the same concerns with DS. He eats every three hours and eats for the most 15 minutes. Sometimes he eats as little as 5 minutes and then pulls off. When I try putting him on the other side, he also acts like he wants it, then pulls off and cries and goes to sleep. Does your lo have frequent wet diapers and stools? I've been told to keep an eye on that and it's a good indicator if babies are getting enough to eat. Good luck. If it makes you feel more comfortable, call and get an appointment sooner.

spankymclaalaa · February 2011

Mine is veryunpredictable. Either she eats for 10 minutes and is totally fine or she's attached to me for a hour or more. Never know!

bgf1 · February 2011

There really is no way to know how much little one eats at every meal when you are bfing. This can definately be frustrating at first. As per previous poster count the wet diapers and poops. Ebf babies should have least 6 heavy wet diapers. We also weighed me with and without LO ( on a regular bathroom scale) in the first few weeks to keep an eye on his weight.

In terms of the falling asleep that is normal for young babies, we used skin to skin contact (undoing LO's sleeper), and stroking his hands and cheek to keep him alert for probably the first 6 weeks of bfing.

If little one is fussy, I would burp them offer them the breast again and if they won't relatch and show no other signs of hunger like rooting or hands to mouth then maybe LO is just done. My son only nurses off one side at a time. We had an ongoing battle for the first three weeks over trying to get him to take the 2nd side and all that it ever accomplished was to get him and me worked up. Some babies will only eat off one side at a time and as long as they are making enough wet diapers and their weight gain is adequate then that is OK.

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