How Long Should a Newborn Breast Feed Each Session?

He should nurse until he's done, and as often as he wants, on demand. You'll be able to tell if he's actually eating or just nursing for comfort by listening for his swallows, they sound like tiny squeaks. At the beginning, it feels like all you do is nurse all day long, but eventually he'll get better and more efficient and it won't seem so all-consuming. Try not to put a time limit on how long he is at each breast, but rather make sure that he is draining one breast before burping and moving onto the next. You need to make sure he is getting the hindmilk, which is fattier and will fill him up more. If you switch breasts too early, he may not be getting much hindmilk and instead more of the watery foremilk, and so he will be hungry again sooner. I made a lot of milk, so it was recommended to me to just do one breast per feeding and that worked really well for us. If you can, try to consult with a lactation consultant who can observe a feeding and give you tips and advice tailored to you and your son. I didn't think I needed this service, but I sure am glad I took advantage of it because it brought me a lot of peace of mind. Congratulations on your new little guy! Snuggle him lots and enjoy this time of bonding with him... mine is 2 already and I can't believe how fast it's gone!

As long as he wants! When he's full, he'll stop. I only nursed from one side for each feeding. I did this for 11 months and it worked great for us.

The best is to feed him on demand, that means whenever he wants and for how long he wants. You can take him off if he is no longer actively drinking, but just suckling. The more you nurse the better your supply will be established and you won't have to supplement.

Congrats and good luck!

He should nurse for as long as he wants to. They nurse constantly when going through a growth spurt -- I remember times when each of my kids would nurse for 2 1/2 hours, sleep for an hour, and then do it again, all day long, before a growth spurt. He won't nurse too much. In addition, when they're nursing constantly like that, it's stimulating your body to increase your milk supply to what they need/are about to be needing after the growth spurt. Seriously, if you want to exclusively breastfeed, and you want a plentiful supply, you need to nurse A LOT. Really. It's sort of a full time job at times. Slings are wonderful for that -- you can walk around with the baby nursing in the sling, and have your hands free to do other things. No woman that I know who has truly nursed on demand for as long as the baby wanted has had supply problems, with the exception of a woman who had a congenital defect affecting her milk supply.

Thats like asking how long someones legs should be. Long enough to reach the ground.

Everybody is different, some babies snack all day some eat alllllllllll day. Experiment with different times of the day and different positions. try to unlatch him when he appears to be asleep by breaking the suction with your pinky and rocking him a bit. He might just need more time because he is a shallow sipper. Soon it will get better.

I think it depends on how much milk he's getting with each suck and swallow. My kids only breast fed for FIVE MINUTES (and only on one side!) because I had so much milk...and if they ate any more than that, they'd throw it up. I know they were getting enough because they had loads of wet diapers. Other friends of mine feed for 30 minutes PER SIDE per session! So it just depends on your body and your baby. Drink LOTS of water to help with the milk production (8 oz EVERY time you feed baby). If your baby is getting 6-8 wet diapers per day, then you know he's getting enough milk. (look that up because I'm taking the 6-8 diaper thing from memory and it's been almost 3 years since I had a newborn!) Good luck & congratulations on your baby!!

dont pull the child away from their lunch,you wouldnt want someone to do that to you, would you ?? let the little one stay on as long as they want, they will let you know when they are full.. mainly by turning their head and pushing away. of course the doctor told you to supplement, preferably with a
formula that the doctor gets a bonus check from.. doctors make alot of money pushing formula, gotta make those private school payments somehow.
K. h.

With my first, breastfeeding was really painful, especially the initial latch. I needed some recoup time in between feedings. That being said, I found that I needed to nurse her for 40 minutes each sitting for her to be full enough to let me get a break. 20 minutes each side. I made sure I had a book handy or a movie ready to go to take my mind off the pain.
With subsequent children it didn't hurt as much so I could do less time/more frequent feedings.

I don't think there is a "should" for this :)
My oldest ate for at least 45 minutes each time ~ he ate from both sides. He would go 2-3 hours between feedings.
My youngest was more like 10 min off one side then an hour or so later would eat for 10 min from the other side.
They still eat like this ~ my oldest eats 3 good meals and rarely snacks and my youngest is a grazer.
Congrats on your little one!

Dear M. M -

Just a word of caution, from our own experience with b/f. Not every cry is a cry for food. My MIL who was around to help when DS was born, insisted DS was hungry all the time. This was reactionary advice on her part. She had kids in an era when it was considered poor parenting to feed more often than every 4 hours, and felt like she knew that she was made to starve her kids between feeds.

If you think your newborn is hungry, consider going through the checklist first and check the diaper, if they are too hot or too cold, if they want to be held or rocked, if they want to be sung to etc.

If you offer up b/f too often, you might find yourself in the same boat I did. DS was never particularly hungry, because he was constantly being fed. He sipped, but didn't eat with gusto. He was constantly digesting, and therefore gassy, and couldn't rest comfortably between feeds. Also, because all he did was sip at the last "meal", he'd soon be hungry all over again.

It takes a while for you to get into a rhythm, so it might well feel like allt he time at first, but if after a month or so, you are really feeding him more often than every two/three hours, enlist some adults to take turns passing the baby for 10-15 minutes each to help stretch the time between feeds to a more reasonable three to four hour clip.

Both you and baby will feel better for it.

Good luck to you and yours.

It varies depending on the baby. I think mine all nursed a little longer when they were tiny like this. But they got better at it with time and would nurse 10 minutes a side, then eventually when they were older, it was 5 minutes a side. Right now, you'll have to play it by ear. Probably 15-20 minutes. Of course I can't remember since it's so short! They grow so fast. =D Congratulations!!

It really depends on the child, but they recommend in the beginning that they feed for 15 minutes on each side. My first son would feed for 15 min; however I fought to keep him awake so feeding him could take upwards of 45min to an hour-UGH! My second son though only feeds for 8-10 min each side, but I end up pumping off so as not to effect my supply.

M.:

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Each baby is different. Each W. is different.

I nursed Greg for 15 minutes each at first - then it changed - I went by his cues. it varied most nursing times.

Nicky? He was NEVER the same twice!! URGH!!! :)

With both my boys (I didn't nurse my daughter - long story) I pumped after feedings to keep my milk supply up and to ensure the hind milk came out. This is NOT for everyone. It worked for me.

I do know that just because they cry doesn't mean they are hungry. So I would not just pick him up and whoop out the boobs! Then you won't feel like a milk buffet! :)

Anything I have read/heard says (especially in the early months!) to nurse as often as baby would like, for as long as they like. This is what I did. My daughter nursed quickly, because I had a really fast letdown, so usually just about 5-10 minutes on one side. I nursed her every 2-3 hours for many months. She liked to eat frequently, and has been a really, really healthy baby who is growing like a weed. Just feed him when he is hungry-it will get better over time! Best wishes :)

It will vary between each mother/child.

Some women will have a large capacity (NOT related to breast size). Those babies will typically feed longer and less frequently.

Some women will have a small capacity. Those babies will feed more frequently but not as long.

I think my daughter fed about 20 minutes (10 on each side) and went about 3 hours between. However, I had to change it all up on her to fix my oversupply issue, so I can't be sure.

Regardless, if you feed on demand, your baby will get what he needs. Just don't "cut him off." He needs to nurse long enough on each side to get the fatty hind milk that's so nutrient dense.

Having a c-section does not impact your milk coming in at all. It varies from woman to woman. Hospitals really need to back off this supplementing thing. Some women take up to four days for their milk to come in. Colostrum is a miracle liquid. Don't need that much for your baby to get what he/she needs nutritionally.

Have someone buy or you order online "Breastfeeding made simple: seven natural laws for nursing mothers." It lays everything out so there's no misunderstanding or confusion.

Education, education, education!

First, congratulations on your new baby and for also committing to breast feeding!!

I remember my milk coming in later after a C-section, compared to my natural births. I wonder if the massive surgery has a significant shock and impact on our pregnant, stressed bodies?

One week is not a long time to still be learning from each other, learning how long to stay on, learning when to switch sides, trying to remember what side you started on.

Don't jump to any conclusions just yet. I think the first 3 weeks are packed with the most changes for everyone. If you feel more confident timing a nursing session, then I would guestimate about 10-15 minutes per side. Any shorter, you're not giving your breast enough stimulation to create more milk. Any less, your little guy might not have learned how to empty your breast well yet.

Later on, in a couple of months, your baby will learn to empty your breast in about 5 minutes. Any longer, it will be for closeness and nurturing and gazing at his sweet mommy.

GL!

Congrats M.! After my daughter was born I saw a lactation consultant because it just wasn't going well. Like you we ended up having to supplement until we got it down. I'm not remembering all the details that she gave me in terms of timing which was from the start of one session until the start of another. I think she said that 10 min on each side was sufficient. Its important to make sure you do both sides otherwise your supply will be comprimised. Anyway, I found her advice to be quite liberating because my daughter would hang on the boob all day if I let her! From a nurishment point of view that's not necessary, nothing wrong with it though. I did a kind of verification myself with a breast pump. It took about 10 min to pump and babies are way more efficient than the pump.

my second nursed for 10 minutes every 2 hours. they say to nurse 15 minutes on each side each feeding but she either got all hr belly could hold within 10 minutes or she tuckered out. i never weighed her before and after a feeding to see how much she was taking in either. really it doesnt matter how long it's what works best for baby and you. you can't make them eat and if they are hungry they are hungry. i did notice that my daughter would start to fall asleep after the 10 minutes when she was very newborn i think because it takes alot out of them but she still wanted to suck on something so i would hurry up and put a paci in her mouth after taking my boob back so that i could get on with my chores.

Congratulations on your newborn!

My first nursed and nursed and nursed. He nursed for food, comfort, sleep - he pretty much set up camp. I wasn't into schedules, so he nursed on demand...which was a lot. Yes, I tried everything else first - but it was nursing that he wanted.

My second nursed when he was hungry or teething. A quick snack on each side and he was good to get back to looking around, playing, sleeping or whatever. I was stunned - from the day he was born, my first had nursed for what seemed like hours on end.

I guess my point is that as long as your baby is growing and on track for weight, each baby is different in their nursing needs. I had the luxury of not being on a demanding schedule myself, so I was able to accommodate the (very different) needs of each child.

I was told to expect about 10 minutes per side per feeding...but if I were to put a number on it, I would guess about 30 min per side with my first and about 5 min for my second.

Good luck with yours - and enjoy those little sleep grins and sighs! :D

They are all different. He will stop when he is done. Maybe burp him and offer again but if he is done, let it go and know within two hours, he will want to again :-) I remember hating that response when he was that age and being so frustrated not knowing how much he was eating (unlike bottle fed babies where a mom could tell you exactly how many ounces were just consumed). But he was a butterball in the beginning so I knew he was nursing enough. He was fast but liked to nurse often. Congrats on your newborn.