How long do your EBF babes eat?

zoopsiedaisy · July 2014

My LO will fall asleep about 10 minutes in. If I try to move she starts sucking like crazy so I let her stay latched. Then she falls asleep and we repeat this process over and over. We could sit here for an hour doing this if I let her. When I do finally stop her she will cry for a few minutes and then is usually fine. But all I can think is that in the hospital they said to let her eat until she's full. Well, how do I know? I think I've developed a bad habit with her.

How do your nursing sessions go? When do you stop? Following LOs queues or timing?

steph1977 · July 2014

My nursing sessions usually last 10-15 min total (seems to be getting shorter as he gets older). If he starts to fall asleep, I usually bug him a bit until he wakes up, then he typically stops on his own when done. How old is your LO? I'd think at this point if she's tired enough to sleep (after at least 5 min of good feeding) then she must be somewhat full.

lcr23 · July 2014

Usually 15 minutes on the first side and around 8-10 on the second side. Lately she's been fussing after but once I give her a pacifier she's ok.

littlesocks · July 2014

@ColleenSwerb‌ how do you know your LO has over eaten? Do they get sick?

During the day my LO nurses like yours @heidiman DD loves to hang out at the boob and i never quite know when I can take her off. At night she is very efficient and once she falls asleep I put her back to bed (unless I need to change her diaper).

MamaFantastic · July 2014

Anywhere between 15 and 45 min depending on many factors like time of day, what else is going on at the moment, her mood, her hunger level, my level of distraction, and whether it's a one sided or two sided feeding.

RedDawnsRevenge · July 2014

5-60min with the average daytime feeding being 10min. We only nurse on one side.

Teresa1896 · July 2014

My lo averages 7 minutes, one side l only. He's satiated and growing fine, just really efficient I guess. My dd was the same!
He only falls asleep during motn feeds and occasionally when he's cluster feeding/comfort nursing in the evenings. But I like reconnecting with him at the end of the day after work, so I don't mind the constant sucking!

rtv3 · July 2014

RedDawnsRevenge said:
5-60min with the average daytime feeding being 10min. We only nurse on one side.

This almost exactly.
When she's gone a longer stretch without eating due to a nap or something she can drain the boob in 5 min. Normally, she'll eat about 10-20 depending on how hungry vs how distracted she is. Later in the evening as my supply dips a little the length creeps up. Last feed of the day is often 45 min but then I let her comfort nurse to sleep. She also just eats one side.

In your case, I'd say try to keep her awake and nursing for 15ish min by rubbing her back, tickling her feet, lightly blowing in her face, etc. Then if she falls asleep and calms back down quickly after you take her off just let her be. Generally, babies let you know if they're hungry

rockstarlaw · July 2014

15-25 mins. We feed one side. My little guy is 9wks.

strawberrytree · July 2014

5-10 minutes a session, around every 2 hours. One side at a time. He's very efficient.

zoopsiedaisy · July 2014

She is 10 weeks. I feed one side too. Thanks everyone. I'm glad to hear there is some variation. I think today I'm going to focus on stopping when she falls asleep and giving her the paci to see her reaction. She's good at draining me...thank goodness because its been about 8 hours since she last ate. It took a little over 5 minutes. I know she's eating enough because she gained a pound and an inch between her 1 and 2 month check-ups. Thanks!!!

momofmanyinthemitten · July 2014

5 min per side, but my letdown is fast and furious. She generally can't ingest more than one side at a single feeding.

imogenisis · July 2014

Probably about 7 minutes average on one side and sometimes a couple of more minutes on the other side if she's still hungry.

PoppySeedWindsor · July 2014

I've definitely noticed an increase in efficiency during her day time nursing sessions and the first morning sesh, when she's done in 7-10 minutes (I only nurse one side due to overproductive and crazy ass let down). In MOTN she'll be 20-30 minutes with lots of comfort suckling in between actual eating.

edoliesmom · July 2014

I haven't had to wake her up during feedings since she was itty bitty! Probably around 4 or 5 weeks. She's become very efficient. It only takes her about 10 minutes to eat now, thank goodness. I thought the 45-60 minute sessions would never end!

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