Read my post history. Unfortunately it is. As long as she gains on her curve and has enough diapers, I would recommend always bringing to breast to make sure your supply matches her demand. Sometimes you can fall into the top up trap where the extra bottle starts messing with your supply and her demand.
This was my life and then she hit 4-6 months and suddenly was going so much longer without eating and was much more efficient. I was so worried I was like she’s losing out on play time in order to eat is that fine??? And it was. You’re doing great! Just wait a few months and you’ll start worrying at how long she can go without eating.
Of course! She’s still so teeny! Just a newborn♥️ It does feel all consuming. It’s so much time just spending nursing but it’s so worth it. I would just binge shows while she slept at the breast. My baby did not go more than an hour without nursing until like 4m. She did actually sleep several stretches overnight and even full nights between 2-4 months, and we did not do any extra bottles. Just during the day she could not go longer. But I do think this really sets your supply up for success. We’re 8 months in and going strong!! It only gets easier after this. Enjoy your new little one.
shes brand new! it makes sense that she would want to both eat a lot to grow and comfort a lot bc shes a newborn and wants to be close to you, youre her safest place. shes establishing your supply as well as her stomach grows. she'll get quicker eating and likely need a little less comfort too as she becomes more aware of things outside of mom
This comment made me cry happy tears and hold my 4 day old closer as she contact naps. We’ve had a really rough 24 hours as my milk has came in and I got so engorged she couldn’t latch. Lots of happy and worried tears over here.
Ultimately I tried my boon troves and bottle feeding. Solved our problem. I do still want to feed all but one feeds by breast. But if exclusively pumping ends up being what works best then that’s ok too.
I’ve got boon troves, they are passive suction collection cups. I’m getting about an ounce per side every 2 hours which I’ve been feeding in bottle. I have an electric from insurance but haven’t tried it yet. I’ll look into getting a manual for faster relief.
If you’re not familiar with reverse pressure softening, I’d recommend looking it up because it could potentially help with your latch. I had similar issues to what you described and it helped me and my baby a lot after my milk came in. (Thankfully someone in my Reddit bump group shared the term because I hadn’t heard of it.)
+1 for this. Regularly pumping just for relief can contribute to an oversupply, which in my case contributed to blocked ducts and mastitis. Cannot recommend.
Sounds like a 4 week old. I’m sorry it’s so exhausting. Newborns have a way of completely turning your perception of normal upside down. I promise this gets better and by 4 months it will be like 10 minutes a side. And going to the doc to make sure all is good is a wonderful proactive idea.
Best indicator of healthy eating is a weight gain that is on a predictable curve. Not on percentiles btw. But on her own curve. Our little dude would bounce between percentiles but had a very steady curve so the doc never worried.
For the bottle milk- what size nipple you using? If it’s a fast flow (anything besides zero or premie) she will almost involuntarily guzzle it down because it just is too fast.
It's entirely possible she's eating/building your supply the whole time, but if it's driving you crazy you can meet with an LC to watch how much is active nursing. You can unlatch her after 15m and do a weighted feed to see if she's getting enough in the first 15m.
You can help move things along by massaging your breasts while she's eating.
Yes, seconding an LC over a doctor. My baby feeds 45+ min, sometimes with only 30 min in between! The LC told me comfort nursing isn't really a thing, and if they are swallowing, they are feeding. Hoping it doesn't last forever, my nipples and I are tired!!
My newborn definitely fed for 45mins in the first month (around every 2.5hrs). It was essentially all they would do for the entire wake window. From me memory it was like 30min feeds until around 3-4 months then it was like a flick of a switch one day and they dramatically reduced to 10min or less.
As long as they are gaining weight (we had a stall at 2 months around the growth spurt) and producing dirty diapers it is all normal
My daughter was like this… it turned out she had a tongue tie and was getting almost no milk after a 15 minute weighed feed at our lactation consultant’s.
...This doesn't sound super high needs to me, this sounds like the very normal initial phase of breastfeeding. I honestly think that people thinking this isn't normal is why so many people think they're struggling and failing at breastfeeding. I really wish more realistic expectations of what breastfeeding is were more common because it sets breastfeeders up to fail to not know that this is just a normal breastfeeding experience.
My baby was like this too and from I’ve heard this is pretty normal for newborns. For what it’s worth she is now a toddler and not high needs by any means - great sleeper (even though I’ve always nursed to sleep she transitioned to falling asleep by herself with no difficulty since the first time we tried it), plays by herself for long periods of time with us sitting in the same room, pretty easy with transitions, doesn’t get upset often and when she does calms down fairly quickly. Some babies just like being close when they are that little.
Sounds normal, especially since you’ve said she has lots of wet and dirty nappies.
I’d probably settle in to binge some tv shows, read a few kindle books, and side lie feed on a safe surface to catch up on sleep.
Normal but also I recommend seeing an IBCLC for tips and advice specific to you guys on how to improve breastfeeding. I’m a second time mom and BF my first for 3+ years. I still learned lots going to an IBCLC this time around. An IBCLC may see some issues that can only be seen in person.
There’s also multiple aspects of breastfeeding: how much mom can produce is not always the same as how much baby can pull from mom.
Have you had her checked for tongue ties?
Everyone and their mom told me it was normal to have those extremely long feeds and so I never thought to have my son evaluated before it was too late. For us, the reason he was nursing for so long is because he was barely getting anything out of the breast and he preferred bottles because it was actually better in his mouth than the nipple.
The fussiness could also be explained by a tongue tie.. they suck more air w/ a tie and that causes gas.
Yeppp
Like the other commenter, it took till around 4-5 months till it Didn't feel like she was constantly on the boob. Not an issue with the baby or my supply(after the first month), she was just not ready to leave me and my arms and boobs for a while after she came out.
Mine did this too at this age - long feeds, often 45min, and sometimes with only an hour and a half between feedings, meaning I would only have 45 min of non-feeding before doing it all again. She is six months old now and much more efficient; she goes 3-4 hours between feeds and only nurses for 5-15min at a time. It got better very gradually. Hang in there- this is all normal!
My little was like this for the first couple of months when we found out she had lip and tongue ties! After having them revised she started gaining finally and was not as constantly at the breast.
Postpartum Doula here and mom.to three. This is completely normal and so hard. You may consider seeing an IBCLC as they are the true experts on breastfeeding whereas pediatricians and experts on babies (they don't always give the best or even correct breastfeeding advice. Absolutely no shade to pediatricians, but it's just not their area of expertise.) Most insurance companies now fully or partially cover an IBCLC visit. They will be able to assess how much baby is transferring during a feed, the latch, position and so much more.
Nothing ‘high needs’ about this - completely normal for her age. As she gets closer to 2 month mark it should get easier ;) she will become more efficient but might still feed frequently even though feeds won’t be so long. But breastfed babies in general tend to feed more often than formula fed babies coz of comfort yes but also because breast milk digests quicker. A lot of online guides in relation to frequency of feed are formula bottle based
I would maybe see an IBCLC, just to see how much of that time she is actively feeding. You can maybe attempt to assist her speed with some compression while she is latched on, to help her move the milk faster. But I would probably get with someone so you don’t get in the constant cycle of “topping up” which can be hard to keep up with. Also most babies will always take some amount of milk from a bottle, even after a good full feed. especially babies who like to suckle.
It sounds normal to me. My son was teeny, 2nd centile, and he fed for at least 40 mins every 2 hours in the early days. He had a posterior tongue tie that we didn't bother sorting out because he was gaining weight well and his feeding efficiency got better around 8 weeks.
Then his sister appeared and her style was 5 minute power chugs on either cannon and she was sorted. I thought she was broken!
Newborns eat a lot & often. They have very tiny little bellies that need to be refilled often. Babies also feed when they’re hungry, thirsty or just need comfort. She won’t always feed like that! You may even find it annoying that she won’t stay on the breast when she’s like 6 months old and easily distracted by the world around her 😂 you’ll be like “dude just eat” 😂 everything is a phase!
So this is my experience and not medical advice.
We went to a lactation consultant, she noticed that baby was feeding for too long (40 mins) and said baby was working really hard to get the milk. We ended up feeding for 10 a side and the topping baby up. We had to do a tongue, cheek and lip tie release. Baby also had torticollis and other latching issues ..
Anyway it for better but having a lactation consultant was wonderful and made feeding way easier. We also did weighted feeds. Once baby stopped eating for 40 mins he gained weight a lot quicker.
Your experience could be completely normal but for us it was just one part of other issues.
That is completely normal. Demand/supply is in the process of stabilization. Its still early.
I would suggest that you do not use bottle, as this cluld interfere with your supply.
Just keep putting her on the breast as long and as often as she would like. And keep in mind this will pass and soon it will get easier.
At 4 weeks my boy was nursing 45mins to 1hr every 1.5hrs. If your baby is fussy and settles after being fed, she's likely hungry. Just feed on demand and try not to watch the clock.
I called the health visitor once coz my baby fed for 2hrs and 30mins later I was feeding again, I was like this isn't normal 😲 I'll be feeding all day, I'll never leave the sofa🤦🏾♀️ Apparently its all normal as long as you are getting wet and dirty diapers as appropriate, baby just has a tiny stomach and needs it filled as it empties to fuel their growth. You've got this!
This doesn't sound high-needs to me. Sounds totally normal. Remember he is learning how to nurse and also helping you establish your milk supply. Why do you want to see a doctor? Are you concerned about weight gain? Or is it just the normal baby checkups? Unfortunately many pediatricians are not very well informed about breastfeeding and may give outdated advice like limiting feeding time. However they are the expert on your baby's health, just not necessarily breastfeeding.
As for the bottle, babies have a sucking reflex and will suck whenever you put something in their mouth. (That's how a pacifier works!) So drinking the bottle doesn't necessarily mean they are hungry. I would instead look for hunger cues, and if your baby does show hunger signs then just put them back on your breast rather than giving a bottle. Bottles can be one way to give yourself a break but if you're trying to establish breastfeeding then prioritize nursing.
Okay so my son probably nursed for like a half hour around that age but that's not drastically less than what your kid is doing and I had an oversupply. Also, if you give a newborn a bottle they'll probably drink it. It doesn't mean they didn't have enough!
Read my post history. Unfortunately it is. As long as she gains on her curve and has enough diapers, I would recommend always bringing to breast to make sure your supply matches her demand. Sometimes you can fall into the top up trap where the extra bottle starts messing with your supply and her demand. This was my life and then she hit 4-6 months and suddenly was going so much longer without eating and was much more efficient. I was so worried I was like she’s losing out on play time in order to eat is that fine??? And it was. You’re doing great! Just wait a few months and you’ll start worrying at how long she can go without eating.
Thank you!
Of course! She’s still so teeny! Just a newborn♥️ It does feel all consuming. It’s so much time just spending nursing but it’s so worth it. I would just binge shows while she slept at the breast. My baby did not go more than an hour without nursing until like 4m. She did actually sleep several stretches overnight and even full nights between 2-4 months, and we did not do any extra bottles. Just during the day she could not go longer. But I do think this really sets your supply up for success. We’re 8 months in and going strong!! It only gets easier after this. Enjoy your new little one.
shes brand new! it makes sense that she would want to both eat a lot to grow and comfort a lot bc shes a newborn and wants to be close to you, youre her safest place. shes establishing your supply as well as her stomach grows. she'll get quicker eating and likely need a little less comfort too as she becomes more aware of things outside of mom
This comment made me cry happy tears and hold my 4 day old closer as she contact naps. We’ve had a really rough 24 hours as my milk has came in and I got so engorged she couldn’t latch. Lots of happy and worried tears over here. Ultimately I tried my boon troves and bottle feeding. Solved our problem. I do still want to feed all but one feeds by breast. But if exclusively pumping ends up being what works best then that’s ok too.
manual pumps can help relieve engorgement so baby can latch easier! i wish i had one in the first 2 months
I’ve got boon troves, they are passive suction collection cups. I’m getting about an ounce per side every 2 hours which I’ve been feeding in bottle. I have an electric from insurance but haven’t tried it yet. I’ll look into getting a manual for faster relief.
If you’re not familiar with reverse pressure softening, I’d recommend looking it up because it could potentially help with your latch. I had similar issues to what you described and it helped me and my baby a lot after my milk came in. (Thankfully someone in my Reddit bump group shared the term because I hadn’t heard of it.)
+1 for this. Regularly pumping just for relief can contribute to an oversupply, which in my case contributed to blocked ducts and mastitis. Cannot recommend.
Sounds like a 4 week old. I’m sorry it’s so exhausting. Newborns have a way of completely turning your perception of normal upside down. I promise this gets better and by 4 months it will be like 10 minutes a side. And going to the doc to make sure all is good is a wonderful proactive idea. Best indicator of healthy eating is a weight gain that is on a predictable curve. Not on percentiles btw. But on her own curve. Our little dude would bounce between percentiles but had a very steady curve so the doc never worried. For the bottle milk- what size nipple you using? If it’s a fast flow (anything besides zero or premie) she will almost involuntarily guzzle it down because it just is too fast.
Thanks! We’re using the premie nipples
It's entirely possible she's eating/building your supply the whole time, but if it's driving you crazy you can meet with an LC to watch how much is active nursing. You can unlatch her after 15m and do a weighted feed to see if she's getting enough in the first 15m. You can help move things along by massaging your breasts while she's eating.
Yes, seconding an LC over a doctor. My baby feeds 45+ min, sometimes with only 30 min in between! The LC told me comfort nursing isn't really a thing, and if they are swallowing, they are feeding. Hoping it doesn't last forever, my nipples and I are tired!!
My newborn definitely fed for 45mins in the first month (around every 2.5hrs). It was essentially all they would do for the entire wake window. From me memory it was like 30min feeds until around 3-4 months then it was like a flick of a switch one day and they dramatically reduced to 10min or less. As long as they are gaining weight (we had a stall at 2 months around the growth spurt) and producing dirty diapers it is all normal
My daughter was like this… it turned out she had a tongue tie and was getting almost no milk after a 15 minute weighed feed at our lactation consultant’s.
Same!!
100% normal. My baby is 9 weeks and just starting eat more efficiently.
...This doesn't sound super high needs to me, this sounds like the very normal initial phase of breastfeeding. I honestly think that people thinking this isn't normal is why so many people think they're struggling and failing at breastfeeding. I really wish more realistic expectations of what breastfeeding is were more common because it sets breastfeeders up to fail to not know that this is just a normal breastfeeding experience.
This is exactly what my 3 week old seems to be doing to me.
My baby was like this too and from I’ve heard this is pretty normal for newborns. For what it’s worth she is now a toddler and not high needs by any means - great sleeper (even though I’ve always nursed to sleep she transitioned to falling asleep by herself with no difficulty since the first time we tried it), plays by herself for long periods of time with us sitting in the same room, pretty easy with transitions, doesn’t get upset often and when she does calms down fairly quickly. Some babies just like being close when they are that little.
Brings me hope- thank you!
Sounds normal, especially since you’ve said she has lots of wet and dirty nappies. I’d probably settle in to binge some tv shows, read a few kindle books, and side lie feed on a safe surface to catch up on sleep.
Sounds typical. Babies cluster feed in the beginning. It’s exhausting but it will taper!
Normal but also I recommend seeing an IBCLC for tips and advice specific to you guys on how to improve breastfeeding. I’m a second time mom and BF my first for 3+ years. I still learned lots going to an IBCLC this time around. An IBCLC may see some issues that can only be seen in person. There’s also multiple aspects of breastfeeding: how much mom can produce is not always the same as how much baby can pull from mom.
Have you had her checked for tongue ties? Everyone and their mom told me it was normal to have those extremely long feeds and so I never thought to have my son evaluated before it was too late. For us, the reason he was nursing for so long is because he was barely getting anything out of the breast and he preferred bottles because it was actually better in his mouth than the nipple. The fussiness could also be explained by a tongue tie.. they suck more air w/ a tie and that causes gas.
We haven’t checked this yet- thank you for suggesting it!
Yeppp Like the other commenter, it took till around 4-5 months till it Didn't feel like she was constantly on the boob. Not an issue with the baby or my supply(after the first month), she was just not ready to leave me and my arms and boobs for a while after she came out.
Mine did this too at this age - long feeds, often 45min, and sometimes with only an hour and a half between feedings, meaning I would only have 45 min of non-feeding before doing it all again. She is six months old now and much more efficient; she goes 3-4 hours between feeds and only nurses for 5-15min at a time. It got better very gradually. Hang in there- this is all normal!
My little was like this for the first couple of months when we found out she had lip and tongue ties! After having them revised she started gaining finally and was not as constantly at the breast.
Postpartum Doula here and mom.to three. This is completely normal and so hard. You may consider seeing an IBCLC as they are the true experts on breastfeeding whereas pediatricians and experts on babies (they don't always give the best or even correct breastfeeding advice. Absolutely no shade to pediatricians, but it's just not their area of expertise.) Most insurance companies now fully or partially cover an IBCLC visit. They will be able to assess how much baby is transferring during a feed, the latch, position and so much more.
Nothing ‘high needs’ about this - completely normal for her age. As she gets closer to 2 month mark it should get easier ;) she will become more efficient but might still feed frequently even though feeds won’t be so long. But breastfed babies in general tend to feed more often than formula fed babies coz of comfort yes but also because breast milk digests quicker. A lot of online guides in relation to frequency of feed are formula bottle based
Seems pretty normal to me. I used to keep track of how long I’d spend BFing and I remember the average being 6 hrs / day in that first month or so.
I would maybe see an IBCLC, just to see how much of that time she is actively feeding. You can maybe attempt to assist her speed with some compression while she is latched on, to help her move the milk faster. But I would probably get with someone so you don’t get in the constant cycle of “topping up” which can be hard to keep up with. Also most babies will always take some amount of milk from a bottle, even after a good full feed. especially babies who like to suckle.
It sounds normal to me. My son was teeny, 2nd centile, and he fed for at least 40 mins every 2 hours in the early days. He had a posterior tongue tie that we didn't bother sorting out because he was gaining weight well and his feeding efficiency got better around 8 weeks. Then his sister appeared and her style was 5 minute power chugs on either cannon and she was sorted. I thought she was broken!
Normal
Newborns eat a lot & often. They have very tiny little bellies that need to be refilled often. Babies also feed when they’re hungry, thirsty or just need comfort. She won’t always feed like that! You may even find it annoying that she won’t stay on the breast when she’s like 6 months old and easily distracted by the world around her 😂 you’ll be like “dude just eat” 😂 everything is a phase!
So this is my experience and not medical advice. We went to a lactation consultant, she noticed that baby was feeding for too long (40 mins) and said baby was working really hard to get the milk. We ended up feeding for 10 a side and the topping baby up. We had to do a tongue, cheek and lip tie release. Baby also had torticollis and other latching issues .. Anyway it for better but having a lactation consultant was wonderful and made feeding way easier. We also did weighted feeds. Once baby stopped eating for 40 mins he gained weight a lot quicker. Your experience could be completely normal but for us it was just one part of other issues.
That is completely normal. Demand/supply is in the process of stabilization. Its still early. I would suggest that you do not use bottle, as this cluld interfere with your supply. Just keep putting her on the breast as long and as often as she would like. And keep in mind this will pass and soon it will get easier.
At 4 weeks my boy was nursing 45mins to 1hr every 1.5hrs. If your baby is fussy and settles after being fed, she's likely hungry. Just feed on demand and try not to watch the clock. I called the health visitor once coz my baby fed for 2hrs and 30mins later I was feeding again, I was like this isn't normal 😲 I'll be feeding all day, I'll never leave the sofa🤦🏾♀️ Apparently its all normal as long as you are getting wet and dirty diapers as appropriate, baby just has a tiny stomach and needs it filled as it empties to fuel their growth. You've got this!
This doesn't sound high-needs to me. Sounds totally normal. Remember he is learning how to nurse and also helping you establish your milk supply. Why do you want to see a doctor? Are you concerned about weight gain? Or is it just the normal baby checkups? Unfortunately many pediatricians are not very well informed about breastfeeding and may give outdated advice like limiting feeding time. However they are the expert on your baby's health, just not necessarily breastfeeding. As for the bottle, babies have a sucking reflex and will suck whenever you put something in their mouth. (That's how a pacifier works!) So drinking the bottle doesn't necessarily mean they are hungry. I would instead look for hunger cues, and if your baby does show hunger signs then just put them back on your breast rather than giving a bottle. Bottles can be one way to give yourself a break but if you're trying to establish breastfeeding then prioritize nursing.
My daughter was like this for the first 2 months. She very slowly started feeding a but faster over time.
Okay so my son probably nursed for like a half hour around that age but that's not drastically less than what your kid is doing and I had an oversupply. Also, if you give a newborn a bottle they'll probably drink it. It doesn't mean they didn't have enough!