During the newborn period, most breastfeeding sessions take 20 to 45 minutes. However, because newborn babies are often sleepy, this length of time may require patience and persistence. Feed on the first side until your baby stops suckling, hands are no longer fisted, and your baby appears sleepy and relaxed.
A newborn should be put to the breast at least every 2 to 3 hours and nurse for 10 to 15 minutes on each side. But rather than worry about duration, it's important to know that the best way to ensure that the baby is getting enough breast milk is by feeding frequency, wet and dirty diapers, and weight gain.
Signs your baby is getting enough milk
They seem calm and relaxed during feeds. Your baby comes off the breast on their own at the end of feeds. Their mouth looks moist after feeds. Your baby appears content and satisfied after most feeds.
Many newborns breastfeed for 10 to 15 minutes on each breast, but they can also nurse for much longer, even up to an hour. Talk to your doctor or lactation consultant if your newborn is regularly nursing for longer than 50 minutes, though. This may indicate that they aren't getting enough milk.
Newborns under 30 days of life will nurse for 5 – 10 minutes on each side. Newborns don't feed on any particular identifiable pattern. Newborns usually have 4 – 7 feedings every 24 hours in the first 2-3 days of life, but can nurse as many as 12 times every 24 hours in the first 3 days.
You may notice or hear deep rhythmic swallows once they're feeding. If your baby is healthy, gaining weight, and seems content after most breastfeeds, they're getting what they need. Babies who are feeding well can take anywhere between five minutes and 40 minutes at each feed.
As soon as your baby starts falling asleep (you may notice that their sucking becomes less frequent or fluttery), you can try switching them to the other side. This may wake them up, and they may find that the other side has milk more readily available.
A baby will unlatch naturally when she's finished breastfeeding. You shouldn't ever have to take your baby off your breast. Whether she falls asleep or just pulls away, she'll know when to unlatch when she's ready.
When he stops suckling and swallowing, or when he falls asleep, you'll want to switch him to the other breast. If he hasn't released the first breast, simply slip your finger into the corner of his mouth to break the suction (and protect your nipple) before removing him from your breast.
Always burp your baby when feeding time is over. To help prevent the milk from coming back up, keep your baby upright after feeding for 10 to 15 minutes, or longer if your baby spits up or has GERD.
You cannot overfeed a breastfed baby, and your baby will not become spoiled or demanding if you feed them whenever they're hungry or need comfort.
Check their latch to tell if your baby is still hungry or only wants comfort. They're likely hungry and eating if they are latching well and take long, drawn-out pulls. But if their sucking motion is shorter and shallower, then there's a good chance they're just comfort-nursing.
As a rule of thumb, a truly hungry baby will rarely choose sleeping over eating. So, if your baby falls asleep in your arms without taking a full feeding, it's likely he was tired — not hungry.
If your baby has only fed from one breast and you are comfortable at the end of a feeding, you don't need to pump. But if either breast is still full and uncomfortable, pump or hand express to comfort.
Babies are biologically programmed to fall asleep at the breast. Falling asleep at the breast is a normal behaviour and is mostly due to a hormone called cholecystokinin or CCK. CCK makes your baby feel full and sleepy and it is released in your babies gut as soon as they start sucking.
Newborns who sleep for longer stretches should be awakened to feed. Wake your baby every 3–4 hours to eat until he or she shows good weight gain, which usually happens within the first couple of weeks. After that, it's OK to let your baby sleep for longer periods of time at night.
Breast compressions manually stimulate the milk ejection reflex, and can help your baby to get more milk out of the breast during a feed. They can also increase the speed of the milk flow to keep your baby awake at the breast.
The decision to offer one breast or both breasts at each feeding is a matter of preference. As long as your baby is getting enough breast milk and growing at a healthy, consistent pace, it doesn't matter if you nurse from one breast or both breasts at each feeding.
You may only need to use a breast hold for a short time. As your baby gets older, breastfeeding becomes more established, and you become more confident, you might find that you no longer need to hold your breast when your baby latches on to breastfeed. American Academy of Pediatrics.
Hiccups are normal and usually don't hurt your baby. In younger babies, hiccups are usually a sign that they need to be seated upright during or after feeding, that feeding needs to be slower for them, or that they need more time before or after feeding to relax.
It's safe for your baby to nap on your chest as long as you remain awake and aware of the baby. But if you fall asleep too, it raises the risk of injury (or death) to your baby.
What makes a baby sleepy? Recovering from birth: In the first few days, some babies are sleepy or uninterested in feeding. It's especially true for small babies, after a difficult labour or birth, or if you received drugs for pain relief during labour. Jaundice or an infection may make a baby sleepy.
Burping is a basic but important way you can take care of your baby and keep them comfortable. Even if your baby is asleep, burping may be helpful to allow them to relieve gas so they don't get uncomfortable or wake up too soon.
During the newborn period, most breastfeeding sessions take 20 to 45 minutes. However, because newborn babies are often sleepy, this length of time may require patience and persistence. Feed on the first side until your baby stops suckling, hands are no longer fisted, and your baby appears sleepy and relaxed.
Babies need to feed often because they have teeny tiny stomachs. A 4- to 5-week-old baby can only hold about 3 to 4 ounces of milk at a time. This is why babies are ravenous again only a little while after feeding. As babies grow, their stomachs also grow, enabling them to handle more milk.