How long should newborns nurse for?

[LindsayLucas]

I have a 3 day old and i'm trying to breastfeed- which has turned out to be incredibly painful for me. I'm feeding every 2-3hours. The nurses at the hospital said 15-20 minutes is a good feed. I feel like it's not enough and that 30 minutes later he's showing all the hunger signs. But it's driving me CRAZY b/c it's so painful.

 

[MissCurly]

Firstly, congratulations!

in the beginning, (and during growth spurts). its very normal for babies to be on your boobs all the time! You might as well relax, put your feet up with good movies or books, and just let babe feed/suckle away.
Butalso poor latching, (possibly as your in pain), can mean baby may not be getting sufficient milk and so needs to feed for longer too.

And there is some pain right in the beginning, BUT it shouldnt be hurting too much, and if it is please get it checked out- hv, mw and/or breastfeeding counsellors, bf peer supporters.

i had bf my first, and was really surprised that i was getting pain with my second! i just didnt get it, and this wonderful bf peer supporter noticed i just had to move my boy a little bit more to the side as my boobs are big... and pretty much as soon as the position was sorted it all became much easier! (that is by week 1).

 

[iwantabub]

Wss^^^ totally normal for bubs to be on your boob 24/7

Feeding time changes...

At the start it was 15 mins for me... Then I had too much so bubs was getting what he ended in 5 mins then now he's on for about ten... But last evening he fed nearly every hour for a while coz he's growing again

 

[Kellen]

As the other ladies mentioned, it is totally normal for you to feel like the human milk machine during the first couple of weeks. I found several TV series that I had been wanting to watch and just vegged out with my LO at the breast. Right now your LO is helping your body determine supply. Eventually it will slack off.

It can be fairly painful in the beginning, but I promise it does get better (until LO starts teething and you need to start the latching properly process all over again). Lanolin works well for sore nipples. Also try expressing a little bit of BM after a feed and spreading it over your nipples. It works wonders and has awesome healing properties. We use it for diaper rash too.

 

[Babushka]

My 3 week old daughter feeds every 2 to 3 hours (sometimes 1.5) and suckles for probably 10 mins max.

Yes it does hurt, especially in the beginning as the nipple is being stretched. I found taking some panadol helped (I had to take it anyway after having a C-section). My nipples still hurt so I sometimes express milk to give them a break. The community nurse told me it gets easier as the babie's mouth gets bigger

 

[Calif]

Just let your baby stay on one breast till he lets go on his own, then switch boobs. Mine does 15-30 min each side, eating every 1-3 hrs. Sometimes he eats for 4 hrs straight cluster feeding.

Get your latch checked out for the pain, maybe see a lactation consultant. I tried everything and finally ended up using the medela contour nipple shield which made everything magically work with no pain.

 

[bababas]

at the beginning, my lo would nurse for 2 hours, and sleep 3 hours.
then it changed gradually to 45 mins within month 1.

now at 4 months he nurses within 5 minutes. and he only wants something when he is extremely hungry or just woke up from a nap. he is more interested in the world by now.

 

[stripeycat5]

My lo nurses for 30 mins every 2-3 hours then he may feed for 45 mins at bedtime and then wake once or twice in the night. It hurt me to bf to begin with especially when my milk came I had so much support from my midwives though and that helped so much. Try and persevere with it because it will get easier I promise

 

[Kelly M]

Congrats! My son nursed non-stop in the beginning. I was holed up on the couch with the remote and a big glass of water and snacks for hours on end. And it was extremely painful for about three weeks. Latching was a chore every time and I cried and cried! But, like everyone says, "it gets better" and it really does. Just nurse him as often as he likes and you'll do fine. It's great for your supply, helps him grow well and keeps him happy! Don't supplement just keep nursing, nursing, nursing. I used to cry that I felt like a milking cow and that it's all I do is nurse all day. Now I look forward to it and his feeds are spaced out a bit more. You can do it mamma! Keep up the good work!

 

[wanting2010]

It is very very normal for newborns to nurse what seems like constantly. Let your LO nurse for as long as he wants to...don't watch the clock or try to have him nurse for x amount of time. My little boy would nurse sometimes for 30-45 minutes, then be ready to eat again within 30 minutes to an hour after finishing. Their tummies are SO tiny and breastmilk digests a lot more quickly than formula. Plus, having baby at your breast frequently is GREAT for bringing your milk in.

It is SO hard in the beginning, but it does get easier. Hang in there!!

 

[CupcakeBaby]

As everyone else has said anything is normal this early.

The best advice is:

"Watch the baby, not the clock"

I still struggle to do that even after 10 weeks. My LO used to feed for 45 minutes and now I'm lucky if its more than 4 so I'm paranoid at some point every day.

But she's gaining well and is very alert and advanced so she must be getting enough.

I remember one day when she was a couple of weeks old she fed for 13 hours pretty much non stop!

I cried every day with the pain anyway but there were a few more tears that day!

The good news? I've not cried in a few weeks now! (Well I did 2 weeks ago but that was because I had a throat infection and was scared she'd catch it - nothing to do with bf!)