How long do BF for at a time?

[snugglemuffin]

Title kind of says it all but how long do you spend BF'ing at a time? do you have a certain amount of time on each boob? or does anyone have one boob per feed?

Just curious really

 

[beanie]

I just fed Seren until she came off the boob, and then offered her the other one. When she gotolder she wouldonly have the one so I stoppedoffering her both

 

[coccyx]

Used to make sure all milk had gone from one boob before starting on boob number 2. I would then feed from other boob, number 2, on next feed. I woulf feed until they fell off and seemed satisfied. My right boob was always favourite with all my 3 children!

 

[hypnorm]

Ewan used to have both sides, probably took about 40 mins for a feed, but then as he got older the feeds got shorter.

 

[Helen]

I think 10 mins was the shortest time we fed in, but up to half an hour tops I'd say. Usually around the 15 minute mark.

Obviously they had a boob each. Charlotte had the right one and Tom the left. The right was faster flow and Tom would always choke on it!

 

[RachieH]

Gosh, both my children had no real pattern of feeding at all! - I would offer one side, if they didn't want it i'd try the other.....Sometimes it wasn't a feed they were after so they wouldn't want either side. I set no times at each breast, just went by their lead.

During a feed if they lost interest in one side, I'd offer the other before trying something else, like winding. The time of feed could be as little as 3 mins to 30 mins, depending on time of day. The last feeds of the day always lasted the longest.

 

[snugglemuffin]

by the sounds of it I seem to be going a while.. im on for about an hour and a half - 2 hours and keep swapping sides when she comes off. I wouldn't take her off if she wasn't finished i was just wondering as even after she falls asleep and will take no more boob she will still take an ounce or two from her bottle when she has been winded, I offer boob first but she refuses. I don't think i have fed her until she is full from the breast yet! she seems to be taking more each time though

 

[mickey]

don't know, but maybe she takes the bottle after falling asleep as it is easier to drink from the bottle than from the breast!

I offer one boob, and if it is not enough I swap, but this actually only happened in the beginning though, when my milk production was not yet established!

I stop if she either goes off on her own, falls asleep or starts to fuss around on the breast, as this is the indication that sth else is going on (either burp, poo or tiredness)!

after poo or burp I offer more, but not if I can see she fusses around 'cos she is tired! then I try to put her to sleep without breast!

in the beginning I gave her an hour to feed. now it takes her approximately 15 to 30 min average to feed.

 

[freckleonear]

For the first week or two, Aaron was feeding for up to two hours. I then discovered that we weren't getting the latch right, so even though he was feeding for a long time he wasn't managing to get much. Now he usually feeds for ten minutes on one side before dozing off, but sometimes he will wake up a few minutes later and feed for up to half an hour.

This article https://www.mother-2-mother.com/cc-baby-B.htm#Fussiness gives a bit of information about why a baby may take a bottle after breastfeeding.

 

[Mango]

I feed from one side until my lil one comes off on her own. I let her relax for a bit and then offer her the other side. Sometimes she takes it, sometimes she doesn't. But I don't limit her time on any side and let her decide when she is done.

 

[Helen]

Maybe it's just because it's early days and your milk supply is just getting established. You might find that when things get going a bit more that the time cuts down.

 

[Margerle]

That's what I would say!

I offer one breast until it is completely empty (you can massage under your armpit too if you feel full there, some women have glands clear back there that need help draining too.)

Then I'd offer the other breast at the next feeding, or offer it if she still wasn't full yet. Sounds like you're doing great mama!