BF Question

Krystal6826

At one week Reid was eating about 20-25 minutes per side every 2-2.5 hours.  Then for the the past 2 days he has only been eating about 10 minutes a side every 2-2.5 hours.  He seems content and full afterward and I seem pretty empty.  

Is he just getting more efficient at latching and eating or should I try to get him to eat longer at each feeding?  

Babies should come with manuals.  

larrysdarling

Hi!

Generally babies don't get more efficient at latching and emptying your breast until a little further down the road - say 6-8 weeks.

I know with my daughter, she would spend up to an hour eating (20-25 min per side) for quite a while.  However, I think part of that was 1. I didn't really know that when I felt 'flutter sucking' that she wasn't eating anymore and 2. she was comfort sucking (I let her do it and it built an awesome supply).

I'm of the idea that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. If he seems full, content, and happy AND he's putting out enough wet diapers AND gaining weight properly, then IMO you guys are doing fine.

Problems can arise if he's falling asleep and this is causing him to not eat enough or you could end up with a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance. See below.

Your milk is a mix of 'foremilk' and 'hindmilk'. The foremilk comes out first. It's liquidy and runny. It quenches baby's thirst. The hindmilk comes toward the end of the feeding. It's thicker and creamier (sorry, HW) and it's higher in fat. If you ever start to pump you will see the difference, your foremilk will separate from your hindmilk and the hindmilk will stick to the sides of the bottle/bag.  You won't know when you're feeding whether you're outputting foremilk or hindmilk b/c there's not a lightswitch that turns off one and turns off another.

The reason I mention all this is that if he is not on one side long enough, he might not get enough of the hind milk. If that were the case, you'd be seeing signs like lack of weight gain, gassiness, fussiness, frothy green poop, and discomfort. 

You also want to make sure he's fully emptying one breast before switching to the other. This will build your supply and your boob should be as empty as possible (even though it's never truly 'empty'.)  Remember to start on the same side that you finished - b/c it's not likely that he will take 2 full boobs per feeding.

Good luck, great job and keep coming back if you have questions! 

lachute

Babies can be more efficient quicker. Key is that you are getting enough wet and poo diapers. 

jessica0602

larrysdarling:

Your milk is a mix of 'foremilk' and 'hindmilk'. The foremilk comes out first. It's liquidy and runny. It quenches baby's thirst. The hindmilk comes toward the end of the feeding. It's thicker and creamier (sorry, HW) and it's higher in fat. If you ever start to pump you will see the difference, your foremilk will separate from your hindmilk and the hindmilk will stick to the sides of the bottle/bag.  You won't know when you're feeding whether you're outputting foremilk or hindmilk b/c there's not a lightswitch that turns off one and turns off another.

The reason I mention all this is that if he is not on one side long enough, he might not get enough of the hind milk. If that were the case, you'd be seeing signs like lack of weight gain, gassiness, fussiness, frothy green poop, and discomfort. 

I wish someone had told me this in the beginning, as this nugget of info is gold.  This was the problem I was having and the reason we had to supplement with and eventually transition primarily to formula.  My guy was not gaining fast enough and for his well being (and mine) we had to introduce formula.

ering1115

ditto what ld said. my ds needed less time as he got older- i wouldn't be too concerned if he seems happy and content though. is there an lc at your pediatrician that you can call?

ibekatieg

What the others said. Is he awake or asleep when he's done? If asleep, he's still so young that you want to wake him and continue. If he's awake, I'd say you may have a snacker vs. a guzzler and you should nurse on demand (not by the clock) which may mean more frequent nursings than 2-3 hours. And if the prior feeding was only 10 min to start on the same side for the foremilk/hindmilk issues LD mentioned.

larrysdarling

jessica0602:

larrysdarling:

Your milk is a mix of 'foremilk' and 'hindmilk'. The foremilk comes out first. It's liquidy and runny. It quenches baby's thirst. The hindmilk comes toward the end of the feeding. It's thicker and creamier (sorry, HW) and it's higher in fat. If you ever start to pump you will see the difference, your foremilk will separate from your hindmilk and the hindmilk will stick to the sides of the bottle/bag.  You won't know when you're feeding whether you're outputting foremilk or hindmilk b/c there's not a lightswitch that turns off one and turns off another.

The reason I mention all this is that if he is not on one side long enough, he might not get enough of the hind milk. If that were the case, you'd be seeing signs like lack of weight gain, gassiness, fussiness, frothy green poop, and discomfort. 

I wish someone had told me this in the beginning, as this nugget of info is gold.  This was the problem I was having and the reason we had to supplement with and eventually transition primarily to formula.  My guy was not gaining fast enough and for his well being (and mine) we had to introduce formula.

Unfortunately for my girl I learned this the hard way. She had the gas, the fuss, the green poo. I ended up having an overactive letdown (think trying to drink out of a fire hydrant on full blast) and an imbalance.

Block feeding helped us and I never went back to two boob feeding. It was always one at a time after that.

Amerbutt81

Are you recording the number of poops and pees? If I remember correctly he should be pooping 3-4 times a day and peeing 5-6 times.  Because I'm a total Type A personality, I used this chart to track everything:

http://tinyplayground.com/NewMoms/Portals/0/images/charts/Infant-Feeding-Chart.pdf

 If you are really worried, call your doctor.  But as long as he is pooping and peeing, he is fine.   

larrysdarling

Also, how many times is he feeding per day? You should be aiming for a minimum of 8 but it will probably fall somewhere in between 10-12.

Krystal6826

Yesterday he ate 9 times over the day and had 6 poops and 4 pees. He is mostly awake at the end of the feedings.  He will occasionally fall asleep after one side, but usually I will change him then and he will wake up and eat on the other side for a few minutes. 

Thanks for the advice.  

HeatherWain

larrysdarling:

Your milk is a mix of 'foremilk' and 'hindmilk'. The foremilk comes out first. It's liquidy and runny. It quenches baby's thirst. The hindmilk comes toward the end of the feeding. It's thicker and creamier (sorry, HW)

Bwahahahah! Thanks, LD!

larrysdarling

HeatherWain:

larrysdarling:

Your milk is a mix of 'foremilk' and 'hindmilk'. The foremilk comes out first. It's liquidy and runny. It quenches baby's thirst. The hindmilk comes toward the end of the feeding. It's thicker and creamier (sorry, HW)

Bwahahahah! Thanks, LD!

 :-)