I just gave birth to a baby boy on May 9th, and I've been breast feeding and enjoying it ever since but I have a question. My son will wake up to eat about every 3 to 4 hours during the day and at night but will only nurse about 5 minutes on each breast. He's been having plenty of wet and poopy diapers but I am afraid that he isn't getting enough since he is only nursing for those 5 minutes. I would appreciate any advice as I am new to the whole breast feeding thing.
Thanks so much for your responses and advice. Since Tristian has been born he's gained almost 2 pounds, from 6 lbs. 8 ozs. to 8 lbs. 7 ozs. in just 3 weeks, so the dr. has told me that he is definately getting what he needs. He has also started nursing for 10 minutes on each side.
Congratulations and don't fret, Mom!
If you're seeing wet and messy diapers, he's getting just what he needs. When he needs more, you'll be the first to know. You can always pump if you get too full but I wouldn't worry.
J.
Congrats on your new addition. My daughter would wake up every 2-4 hours & would nurse for about 15 minutes so I am sure you & your son are doing fine.
hi S., first of all congratulations on your new baby. well i have a two year old son and i breastfed him for 15 months and i have to tell you that for me it was very difficult and i used to worry just like you because there were times when he would nurse for 5 minutes and they tell you at the hospital that 15 min. on each breast but as long as he has a wet diaper every time you change him he is getting enough just let him do it for as long as he wants to and there will be times when he would nurse longer or he is going to nurse longer on one breast than the other but after many calls to the breastfeeding center in my hospital i learned that as long as he has a wet diaper and he is gaining weigth you are doing well.good luck
Hi S.,
My son was the same way. He would nurse for a few minutes and had plenty of wet diapers. I found that when he started drinking a bottle that he could actually get a lot of milk down in ten minutes from a slow flow nipple. I was suprised. He is most likely getting more than you think. As long as he is gaining adequate weight, you probably have nothing to worry about. Three or four hour stretches are really good, especially for a boy. My son nursed every hour and a half or two hours for a long time. I was concerned that he was not getting enough of the hind milk though since he wasn't nursing that long on either side. If you have a local breast feeding support group, that would be a great way to get support and info. You might want to check with your pediatrician also, just to make sure. There are breast feeding specialists who work at the hospital who I called several times. If forget their official name. Good luck! Sounds like you are a busy lady!
K.
My little girl (now 14mos.) was the same way...very efficient. Don't worry, if his diapers indicate that he is getting enough, he is. That, and he would be screaming again for milk in a short period of time if he was still hungry.
Hi S., It is normal for a baby to nurse for 5 minutes on each side. As he gets older the time will increase. If you are too worried you should call his doctor. Don't worry.
S.,
As long as he is having the required number of wet and poopy diapers we is probably getting as much as he needs newborns often sleep a lot and nurse for only a few minutes on each side. He will begin to stay awake longer and nurse more as he gets older. I nursed all 3 of my kids and they all nursed only a few minutes each side when they were newborn, Good luck!
Hi S.,
reading your request made me feel really old. My 'Baby Boy from May' turned 25 on May 12. I was not as fortunate as you are in the feeding department though... what you son is doing is totally normal. Newborns nurse every three to four hours... actually at first they nurse every two hours but your son has plenty of wet and dirty diapers so that is what you go by... He is fine and you are doing a GREAT JOB... belated Happy Mother's Day!
S.
ps: the difficulty with the first one did not scare me too bad, I had three more boys after the first one....
I belong to a volunteer organization called Nursing Mother's Counselors and as a peer counselor I would recommend contacting the hospital where you give birth to see if you could visit the lactation consultant there. I delivered at Harrisburg Hospital and they offer free visits to the lactation consultant for the first 6 weeks. They can check your baby's weight to see if he is gaining. Also by weighing baby before and after a feed can tell you exactly how much milk he got from you. I found it to be very helpful and they will give you the advice you need to stick with breastfeeding and give lots of encouragment!
Good luck and let us know how things go!
C.
S.,
Congrats on the birth of your boy! If he is producing wet and poop diapers and is not crying after feeding for more food and seems content, than you have a very efficient little boy and he is getting exactly what he needs. My daughter did the same thing where my first born son took 55 minutes on each side!!! I asked the same questions to a lactation consultant when Taylor was born. I was so worried! I thought there was no way she was getting enough, but the consultant said she was getting plenty and was just efficient and did not need to be on the breast for long. Keep up the good work. A really great place I found really great advice was http://lalecheleague.org/
They are full of resources and FAQ and were a ton of help when I just could not afford to have the consultant come to my home. I agree with the others though.. take your boy to the Ped. for a weight check if you are not sure. BUT.. check out that site. I had problems with Taylor when she was 3 months of age. She was getting to much of the fore milk and also got Thrush. If I did not have that site, I KNOW for sure I would have given up on BF and spent a ton of money on consultants to my home. HTH You are doing a great job and I am happy to see that you are providing the best for your child!
Jenn
Mama to Bryce~9 Austin~6, Taylor~16mnths
Step Mama to Nich~15, christian~14
My son was the same way when he was that age and he never really was one to nurse for the full 15-30 minutes. As long as he is having those wet and poopy diapers he should be fine. Some newborns are just faster eaters than others. When does he go in to the doctor for a check up? I know that my pediatrician would let me bring in my son for weigh ins when I was concerned. As long as he is gaining weight there should be nothing to worry about. Congrats!
S., It sounds as if you are doing a great job and that you are on the right path with the nursing. However, you should make sure your son nurses at least 10 minutes a side so that he can get the hind-milk which is what is needed to help babies grow and gain weight. After the baby nurses for five minutes on one side burp him and switch to other side and then repeat the process again until you have gotten 10 minutes on each side. Or allow baby to nurse his five on the one breast burp him and put back on the same breast so he can get that hind-milk. This will satiate him much better. It is all trial and error, don't be afraid to try different things for you and your son:-) Best of luck!
First of all, congrats on your newest addition! With the breastfeeding, I know how you feel. I had the same concerns when my son was born for the first 2 weeks. I felt like he wasn't on the breast long enough. But I was reassured by the fact that he was wetting/pooping enough each day. Also at his 1 week and 2 week checkups at the pediatrician I got the vote of confidence I needed with his weight gain. If you're really concerned, give your pedi a call and see if you can bring him in for a free weight check. Most offices are happy to do that for you. Waking every 3 - 4 hours is pretty typical so I wouldn't worry! So long as he's gaining weight, you're doing a great job!!!!! Congrats again!
Hi S.. It seems like you're little one is almost ready to sleep through the night!! You can always tell if he's getting enough by how many wet and poopy diapers he's having a day. And it sounds like he's just fine. Try nursing a little bit longer before bedtime and letting him sleep through the night. Not really cry it out, but let him fuss a bit and fall back to sleep on his own.. Good luck!
Hi S.,
Congratulations on the birth of your son! I am currently breastfeeding an 11 month old baby boy. I vividly remember the early days of charting the time and duration of nursing sessions. In retrospect, the most important measure of his well being was that he was happy and healthy-growing and thriving. Be encouraged if your son is having adequate wet and poopy diapers and his weight gain is appropriate. Something to keep in mind, however, is that a cozy newborn is often content to fall asleep snuggling at mommy's breast. If this is the issue, you may want to make him less comfortable by undressing or unswadling him. Others fall asleep when the flow of milk is slow (e.g. from a poor latch). But again, if all else is well with your son in terms of diaper output and weight gain, he may just be a very efficient nurser or a "snacker."
Hope this helps a little!
T.
I would just like to add that you might want to ask a lactation consultant your breastfeeding questions as well as your dr. I had issues with my son not gaining enough weight between 2-4months and we didn't realize it until his 4 month check up. The dr. told me some moms make skim milk :( which I had never heard. Any way they wanted me to illiminate foods from my diet to see if he was allergic and that didn't help. Then their next and only other option they had for me was to supplement formula. I was heart broken. When I supplemented my supply went down and eventually went to all formula. I talked with 3 lactation consultants afterwards who all suggested the same thing. I probably was making a lot of milk and his belly could only handle so much that he wasn't getting the hind milk which is the really luscious fatty stuff and that's why he wasn't putting on as much weight. If I would have expressed a little and then put him on, his belly wouldn't have been so full and he would have gotten the hind milk. My point is, at least in my situation, I love my son's pediatrician but I was kicking myself afterwards cause I should've asked a breasfeeding expert. But let me make it clear, you should always ask your dr. first, just make sure you also talk to the expert lactation people.
Hi S.
One cannot really tell how much a baby is drinking when being breastfed by depending on the time they're spending sucking on a breast. BUT the wet diapers and number 2s will be able to tell you if he's getting plenty or at least enough. I have almost 3 year old twins whom I breastfed in the beginning. One would drink for at least 30 minutes in each breast whereas the other one was like a breeze, a few minutes each and be done with it. Even though their sucking habits were different, their weight gain was consistent and the same. They're both 31 lbs now :) while one can eat everything and then some the other one is 'take precious time to eat' but exact same weight, same construct etc.
that said, keep an eye on the diapers.
also i know from experience babies will drink every 2 hours the first few weeks and then if lucky every 3 hrs :) so I was day in and day out, night in and out awake every 2-3 hrs until at least 5 months of age.
good luck
vlora
Congratulations!! I agree 100% with Heather S.! 3 to 4 hours between feedings is normal and 5 minutes a side is okay as long as your child is the one stopping or slowing down. Most of the milk (90%) is consumed during the first five minutes, anyway. Also, your son is probably good at emptying your breast in those five minutes (he's got good sucking power). Your tell-tale signs your son is getting enough milk (and you know this already) are 1) he's going 3-4 hours between feedings (if he wasn't getting enough, he would be hungry every one to two hours), and 2) he has plenty of poopy and wet diapers. I wouldn't worry about weight gain as many newborns lose a little weight before they start packing it on within the first couple of weeks as mom and baby sort out a feeding schedule and your milk comes in full. You're doing a great job!
Totally normal!! My younger nursed like that for over 6 months!!
The wet diapers are a good sign that he's probably fine but it still doesn't sound like he's nursing often enough in my opinion. Breastfeed babies usually nurse about every 2 hours. He needs to be at the breast often enough to encourage your body to continue to make a good supply of milk. You can find lots of good info on breastfeeding at kellymom.com and on laleche league's website. You might even want to contact a LaLeche league leader to ask her opinion.
