Feeds for 5 minutes?

[luz]

My one week old is a pretty sleepy baby still and when I feed her she generally will only eat for 5 minutes before she pulls herself off and won't eat any more. I usually have to wake her up every 2 hours to feed her, I guess I'm just worried about it causing problems with my supply. 5 minutes doesn't seem long enough, and in the hospital the LC told me she should be eating for about 15 minutes total each time to fill her stomach.

She has plenty of wet/dirty diapers so I know she's getting enough. I've tried waking her up by running her back, tickling her feet, even wiping her down with a cold washcloth but if she decides to wake back up she usually won't want to latch on and eat anymore.

Anyone have a similar experience? Hard not to worry.

 

[mirandaprice]

Some babies are very efficient eaters and 5 minutes is enough for them. My son was that way and remained in the 75th percentile for weight until he turned one.

As long as she's having plenty of wet and poop diapers and gaining, she's fine.

Your supply doesn't really regulate until closer to 12 weeks, so this shouldn't affect anything, especially if she's an efficient nurser

 

[thexfadingpat]

My son regularly nurses for only 5 minutes. I have a very fast and strong letdown, so he gets what he needs quickly. As long as baby has lots of wet diapers and is gaining, I wouldn't worry.

 

[luz]

Thanks for the reassurance. You'd think on baby #4 I'd have this down and wouldn't worry...

 

[noon_child]

There really isn't a length of time a baby should nurse for (was the person you saw really a proper LC - as it doesn't sound like the advice an IBCLC would give). You want baby to be actively sucking during much of their feed, not going on and then stopping after a minute or so or just nibbling, you want yellow poop twice a day (till they are about two weeks) and plenty of wet nappies. The fact that she comes off satisfied after 5mins rather than falls asleep with breast in her mouth is a good sign that she is taking milk and getting what she needs.

 

[luz]

There really isn't a length of time a baby should nurse for (was the person you saw really a proper LC - as it doesn't sound like the advice an IBCLC would give). You want baby to be actively sucking during much of their feed, not going on and then stopping after a minute or so or just nibbling, you want yellow poop twice a day (till they are about two weeks) and plenty of wet nappies. The fact that she comes off satisfied after 5mins rather than falls asleep with breast in her mouth is a good sign that she is taking milk and getting what she needs.

She usually falls back asleep after 2-3 minutes of active sucking and it takes me forever to wake her back up. Changing her diaper, taking off clothes, skin to skin, rubbing with a wet washcloth.... I've tried it all and she doesn't even budge. Occasionally she will grunt and open her eyes, but always goes right back to sleep. I have an app I'm using to help track feeds and it usually takes me 30-45 minutes to get 10 minutes of active sucking. Part of me thinks letting her go 3 hours in between feeds might help, but everything I've ever read or been taught about breastfeeding says to wake them every 2 hours during the day and 3-4 at night.

None of my other 3 kids were ever this sleepy, it makes me worry there is something wrong with her

 

[WackyMumof2]

Sounds like cluster feeding. I went though it with DS3. Midwife said for some babies it's completely normal and nothing to be worried about. Still though, wake you LO every couple of hours for a feed as normal. It's a tiring job and can be frustrating but it doesn't last forever. It helps the body produce exactly what baby needs too so in the long run, your milk supply will benefit and will you and the bonding with your baby.

 

[noon_child]

There really isn't a length of time a baby should nurse for (was the person you saw really a proper LC - as it doesn't sound like the advice an IBCLC would give). You want baby to be actively sucking during much of their feed, not going on and then stopping after a minute or so or just nibbling, you want yellow poop twice a day (till they are about two weeks) and plenty of wet nappies. The fact that she comes off satisfied after 5mins rather than falls asleep with breast in her mouth is a good sign that she is taking milk and getting what she needs.

She usually falls back asleep after 2-3 minutes of active sucking and it takes me forever to wake her back up. Changing her diaper, taking off clothes, skin to skin, rubbing with a wet washcloth.... I've tried it all and she doesn't even budge. Occasionally she will grunt and open her eyes, but always goes right back to sleep. I have an app I'm using to help track feeds and it usually takes me 30-45 minutes to get 10 minutes of active sucking. Part of me thinks letting her go 3 hours in between feeds might help, but everything I've ever read or been taught about breastfeeding says to wake them every 2 hours during the day and 3-4 at night.

None of my other 3 kids were ever this sleepy, it makes me worry there is something wrong with her

My LO was like that, a lot of babies are. Keep an eye on her weight gain to see how effective those 2-3 active minutes of sucking are (my LO was struggling to extract enough milk but other babies do just fine). Keep her near, or on you so that you can see the feeding cues that sometimes start to happen while a baby is still asleep. She should be easier to wake and more eager to feed if she's been able to smell your presence through skin to skin.