As a mom, nurse, and lactation educator, I have a significant amount of breastfeeding experience and education. And yet, with both of my children, I have had different experiences and different challenges, particularly in the early weeks. For many women, breastfeeding comes naturally. Some women, however, need a bit of support. I sought out lactation assistance with both of my children, most recently with my daughter. In both instances, it was a lactation consultant that helped me succeed and encouraged me not to give up.
As a Bravado Mama Ambassador, I have the privilege of bringing you informative articles from lactation experts. Today’s articles is from Heather Kelly, a Lactation Consultant and specialist for Bravado Designs. Heather is an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant practicing in NYC since 2001.
Today’s article focuses on a question that should have a simple answer. But from personal experience with my daughter, it’s one that isn’t always clear. My daughter was not nursing long enough a few weeks ago. I thought she was simply eating very quickly. It turns out that I was not giving her enough time to nurse and she was not gaining weight as she should. After meeting with a lactation consultant, we developed a feeding plan that is working.
How long should a feeding take?
How long a feeding should take, is one of the most common questions of women who are new to breastfeeding. When you are just starting out you may not know what to expect, and how long to plan for a feeding. Having a little bit of information at your disposal will give you confidence. The first thing you should know is that there is no one “set” amount of time for a feeding. Every baby is different, including your own, from day to day. However, there are guidelines for what to expect.
In general, in the first several weeks of your baby’s life, a feeding at the breast should take anywhere from 20 to 50 minutes. This includes time for gently waking a sleepy baby, burping and diaper changes.
If the feedings you and your baby are having are shorter, your baby may not be getting filled up. This means you’ll probably be feeding your baby again, very shortly. This happens most frequently with newborns that fall asleep too early into the feeding before they’re actually full.
Some of your feedings may also take longer than an hour. Many newborns nurse for a while and then have some ‘awake’ time where they stop feeding, hiccup and look around. This alert time is when your baby gets to look around and get a look at you! Most likely they’ll need another five minutes or so of feeding afterward, to fully fill them up, as well as transition from waking time to sleeping time. It’s not unusual to spend an hour and a half feeding and bonding with your baby on these occasions.
While 20-50 minutes per feeding is a guideline, always make sure your baby has had a good, complete feeding. Check to make sure that he is swallowing regularly throughout and not just sucking.
In the first few weeks of your baby’s life, expect to feed your baby 8-12 times in a 24 hour period. This averages out to feeding every 2-3 hours (including at night). But remember – newborns cannot tell time. Some feedings may be closer together and some may have a bigger break in between. The important thing is to feed your baby when they are hungry – they’ll let you know!
Tips to success:
* Newborns feed for an average of 20-50 minutes per feeding.
* Try not to time the feeding; rather look for signs that your baby has had a good, filling meal.
* Some feedings may take as long as 1½ hours as they include your newborn’s alert time, enjoy this time together!
Want to learn more? Just visit Bravado!
This information is courtesy of Bravado Designs, the brand synonymous with nursing women and their success for eighteen years.
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