Question on BF for new born

so i just came home from the hospital after delivering my DS. the lactation consultation came this morning and finally showed how to latch him on properly. my question is how long is a newborn usually eat? he was on like 10 mins and then fell asleep. the BF class said it should be about 15-20mins on each breast but not sure if this applies to newborns.

i know i should reread my notes but i'm so exhausted.

Re: Question on BF for new born

First of all... and congrats to you.

Breastfeeding is HARD~ and different for everyone. My DD was always (and still is) a VERY fast nurser. She would only nurse for 10 minutes at a time, TOPS and then would only nurse on one breast at a time.

TRY not to watch the clock~ every baby nurses at his/her own pace. The only thing you need to watch for is the right amount of wet and poopy diapers. Generally, a newborn BFed baby will poo after every feeding.

Please feel free to FM me any questions. This board is a WONDERFUL support system!!!

Amy

Re: Question on BF for new born

my dd kept falling a sleep too.. she wouldnt even make it to 10 mins. I started changing diaper right before feedings, that woke her up and feedings would last longer.


eta: they say you can strip baby down to diaper(i didnt have the heart to do that, my sil did with her son), also tickle feet (didnt work for me), and use wet wash cloth on face(also didnt work for us)

Message edited 1/16/2008 6:36:03 PM.

Re: Question on BF for new born

Josh's longest nursing session was 8 minutes for the first two weeks.

He did not eat a lot, but he ate often.

As long as your baby is making dirty diapers, you are okay.

I stressed so much about him constantly falling asleep. I had him in a diaper, no pjs on and a wet washcloth on his feet to keep him up.

the thing that happened to me though was that my milk supply was huge and he wasn't keeping up with it. I became so engorged that he could not nurse on my left side...so I had to get a pump.

Just be careful of that. Any extra hardness, jump in the shower and massage it.

Message edited 1/16/2008 6:42:16 PM.

Re: Question on BF for new born

Congrats!! BF is soooo hard, and soooo different for everyone, work with your baby's schedule! Feed on demand in the beginning! As much as it seems like all your doing is BF'ing every 3 minutes once he gets the hang of it you'll be fine! Hang in there!

Re: Question on BF for new born

All babies are different. My son would nuse for an hour in the beginning...now that's annoying.

My dd often fell asleep after 10-20 min on one side and absolutely refused the other. She is a slow gainer, but still fine. I would just burp and change diaper to arouse your baby, but if that does not work, nurse more frequently during the day. I'm sure you are doing great! Good luck!

Re: Question on BF for new born

thanks to all for replying..

DS will nurse sometimes for 5-10mins on each side but then will still cry and won't stop . after an hr of this, his voice will get horsey and i end up giving him a bit of formula. i shouldn't do that right?! but i can't have him keep on crying but my boobs are already sore and kinda raw.

please help!

Re: Question on BF for new born

Well maybe it would be to your benefit to fill him up quickly. This way he will need to nurse less and maybe be more content w/ what he gets and you can get a break. In order to do this, pump for a 2 min prior to nursing so that he will reach the more filling/fattening hind milk quicker. Its not a long term solution, but maybe it will help you for a couple of days until he becomes a more efficient nurser.

I am no expert though.

Message edited 1/16/2008 8:21:48 PM.

Re: Question on BF for new born

One of the best pieces of advice I got from books about BFing was "watch the baby, not the clock." Try not to worry about the amount of time the baby nurses and whether or not that time is consistent.

As others have noted, BFing is really hard at first, but it gets better!

Re: Question on BF for new born

Posted by Porrruss

First of all... and congrats to you.

Breastfeeding is HARD~ and different for everyone. My DD was always (and still is) a VERY fast nurser. She would only nurse for 10 minutes at a time, TOPS and then would only nurse on one breast at a time.

TRY not to watch the clock~ every baby nurses at his/her own pace. The only thing you need to watch for is the right amount of wet and poopy diapers. Generally, a newborn BFed baby will poo after every feeding.

Please feel free to FM me any questions. This board is a WONDERFUL support system!!!

Amy

Re: Question on BF for new born

My ds is 6 weeks and he still falls asleep after only a few minutes, but wakes often and cries as though I've been depriving him. It seems at night he does this more often. BF is very hard, but its the best thing we can give to our dc.

congrats to you,

btw there is a breast feeding support group and new mother support group at St. Charles Hospital. They meet on Thursdays at 1. FM if you want more info.

Re: Question on BF for new born

it can be 15 mins or more.. just remember this is a hard task in the beginning, and can be demading and rough at times. Just stick with it. Your DC will learn fast.


and...


CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!

feel free to FM me with any questions