Slow eater while bfing

srecupido · April 2016

curious if any one else has this experience or any words of wisdom... My LO can take 45 mins + to nurse at each session and is actively eating for most of that time. He's 7 weeks and id expected him to be a bit more efficient by now. We had another lc visit and she couldn't pin point anything specific and we're going to a chiropractor tomorrow. I want to continue but I'm getting increasingly frustrated with the whole experience. Anyone else been in a similar situation? Any solutions this tired mom can't think of?

mshukh · April 2016

Lurking from March. Was he checked for a lip or tongue tie?

srecupido · April 2016

@mshukh yes, very small lip tie that we were told may or may not be impacting him. We've decided not to have adjusted since its not a problem otherwise

mwmiller4 · April 2016

That's so frustrating! Did the LC do a weighted feed--I'm assuming she did and he's transferring milk slowly but efficiently enough. We got my daughter's ties revised by laser at 2 weeks and it really helped with transfer (and feeding times within a week or so). But other than that, I have no idea. I'm sure you're exhausted and I'm really sorry!

srecupido · April 2016

Thanks @mwmiller4. Our lc is the sweetest at is lending us her extra scale so we've done multiple. He'll take anywhere from 4-.5 oz in the same time period. Our pediatrician wasn't concerned about the ties and my husband isn't on board with the adjustment just for bfing (I'm not really either but feeing desperate). Did your ped suggest the revision? My supply is still a little low but for my own sanity I've set a timeframe of one more week to see if we can resolve anything and if not I'll move more to EP. I really don't want to give it up but I'm not sure it's going to improve enough at this point.

middy411 · April 2016

DD has always taken a long time to feed which frustrated me. For the first 3 weeks it was 45 min to an hour and a half and she was eating every hour or two. I thought I was going to die. Then when my supply increased it changed to 30 min to 45 min around 4 weeks. Now at 5 weeks I've been dealing with overactive letdown and feedings are anywhere from 6 min to 45 min... But a LOT less comfortable and happy and she spits up often. I thought the long feeding was the worst but i would take it over the letdown issue. She will pull off quickly but scream like she wants to still eat and feeding is like a battle. It's slowly getting better but I'm thankful for every slow feed I get now.

VitaLuna · April 2016

DD1 was like this. She's nurse 40 on one side, 20 on the other. Some kids are just pokey eaters and you just have to ride it out, unfortunately. I can't remember when, but she outgrew it.

mwmiller4 · April 2016

@srecupido our pediatrician caught the tongue tie the day she was born but missed the lip tie. She said it could impact feeding, asked about my pain levels and said she could clip it in the office. My niece had the same issue and they had a pediatric dentist so we went to that office because laser revisions are supposed to be easier on the baby. The dentist who evaluated her has a great reputation in the Chicago burbs as being conservative and telling people if revisions aren't necessary so I felt comfortable going. All told, the revisions were less than a minute each, she was very slightly fussier that night, and she was back to normal bright and early the next morning (our appointment was in the afternoon). I gave her a couple doses of Tylenol but I think that's more because I was worried she was in pain. Overall, it was way more stressful on us than on her. She is also terrible about bottles (will usually only take 1-2oz and still wants to nurse after) so I feel like in our case it was totally worth it. The anticipation was really nerve wracking so I can totally see where your husband is coming from! I really hope it gets better for you soon!

willkc · April 2016

My LO was taking anywhere from an hour to an hour and a half to nurse, and then of course wanting to start back up a half hour later. It was wearing on my sanity. After 5 weeks of no improvement, I finally decided to pump and supplement with formula. I wish nursing would have worked out, but I just wasn't enjoying it, and felt unhappy because of it. Luckily he has no problem taking from a bottle and also no aversions to formula. Feeding time is much more pleasant now that I feel like I can actually play with him in between feedings instead of constantly feeding.

srecupido · April 2016

Thanks for all the input, I'm glad to hear I'm not alone in this. One lc at my breastfeeding group commented that it was way to long for his age which made me feel like something was wrong. We see the chiropractor tomorrow but if it doesn't work I'm grateful I have the ability to pump and still feed him what I can from me. Like you said @willkc it's more of my sanity and wanting to enjoy my time with him.

4N6s · April 2016

My 1 month old takes forever too.
You could pump and bottle feed? She'll slurp a bottle down in 2 minutes. Haha

Ju111310 · April 2016

My oldest son was a slow eater like that. He got more efficient over time...by 5 or 6 months he was down to about 25-30 mins per feeding but he never really got quicker than that. I had to go back to work full time so I enjoyed having an excuse to be a baby hog when I wasn't working

Now DS2 is much quicker and I'm thankful for that bc I'm busy chasing DS1!

haylyr · April 2016

Just seeing these posts - I'm SO glad that my LO isn't alone in his preference for leisurely feeding! He's nearly 8 weeks and is down to 30ish minutes (from an hour/an hour and a half). We're still working out the kinks (still using a nipple shield, for example), but I'm enjoying it more and more. Good luck!

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