Is It Bad to Let Your Baby Stay Latched for Hours

Breastfeeding FAQs: How Much and How Ofttimes

Breastfeeding is a natural thing to do, simply information technology withal comes with its fair share of questions. Here's what you need to know about how frequently and how long to breastfeed your baby.

How Often Should I Breastfeed?

Newborn babies should breastfeed 8–12 times per day for nearly the showtime month. Breast milk is easily digested, so newborns are hungry oftentimes. Frequent feedings helps stimulate your milk production during the first few weeks.

By the time your baby is 1–2 months one-time, he or she probably volition nurse 7–9 times a day.

In the offset few weeks of life, breastfeeding should be "on demand" (when your infant is hungry), which is well-nigh every 1-1/2 to 3 hours. As newborns become older, they'll nurse less ofttimes, and may take a more predictable schedule. Some might feed every xc minutes, whereas others might go 2–3 hours between feedings.

Newborns should non go more than than well-nigh 4 hours without feeding, even overnight.

How Do I Count the Time Between Feedings?

Count the length of time between feedings from the time your baby begins to nurse (rather than at the end) to when your little one starts nursing once again. In other words, when your doctor asks how oftentimes your baby is feeding, you tin can say "about every two hours" if your starting time feeding started at half-dozen a.chiliad., the next feeding was effectually eight a.m., then ten a.m., and so on.

Especially at commencement, you might experience like yous're nursing around the clock, which is normal. Soon enough, your baby will become longer between feedings.

How Long Does Nursing Take?

Newborns may nurse for up to 20 minutes or longer on 1 or both breasts. Every bit babies get older and more skilled at breastfeeding, they may accept about 5–10 minutes on each side.

How long information technology takes to breastfeed depends on you, your baby, and other things, such as whether:

• your milk supply has come in (this usually happens 2–5 days after nativity)
• your let-downwardly reflex (which causes milk to menstruum from the nipple) happens right abroad or afterwards a few minutes into a feeding
• your milk menstruation is boring or fast
• the baby has a adept latch, taking in as much as possible of your areola (the dark circumvolve of skin effectually your nipple)
• your baby begins gulping right away or takes it boring
• your baby is sleepy or distracted

Call your doctor if you're worried that your baby's feedings seem too short or too long.

When Should I Alternate Breasts?

Alternating breasts and try to give each one the aforementioned amount of nursing time throughout the day. This helps to go along up your milk supply in both breasts and prevents painful engorgement (when your breasts overfill with milk).

You may switch breasts in the heart of each feeding then alternate which breast you offering first for each feeding. Tin't remember where your baby final nursed? It tin can help to adhere a reminder — like a safe pin or small ribbon — to your bra strap and then y'all'll know which breast your infant last nursed on. Then, start with that chest at the next feeding. Or, go along a notebook handy or use a breastfeeding app to keep track of how your babe feeds.

Your babe may like switching breasts at each feeding or adopt to nurse just on one side. If so, then offer the other chest at the next feeding. Do whatever works all-time and is the most comfortable for you and your baby.

How Frequently Should I Burp My Babe During Feedings?

After your baby finishes on one side, try burping earlier switching breasts. Sometimes, the movement alone can exist plenty to cause a infant to burp.

Some infants demand more burping, others less, and it tin can vary from feeding to feeding.

If your infant spits up a lot, try burping more often. While it'southward normal for infants to "spit up" a small amount after eating or during burping, a baby should not vomit after feeding. If your baby throws upwardly all or most of a feeding, there could exist a problem that needs medical care. If you're worried that your baby is spitting up too much, call your doctor.

Why Is My Infant Hungrier Than Usual?

When babies become through a period of rapid growth (called a growth spurt), they want to eat more than usual. These tin can happen at whatever time. But in the early months, growth spurts often happen when a baby is:

• 7–14 days old
• two months onetime
• 4 months erstwhile
• 6 months erstwhile

During these times and whenever your baby seems actress hungry, follow your little one'southward hunger cues. You may need to breastfeed more often for a while.

How Long Should I Breastfeed My Babe?

That's a personal choice. Experts recommend that babies exist breastfed exclusively (without formula, water, juice, not–breast milk, or food) for the outset half-dozen months. And then, breastfeeding can proceed until 12 months (and across) if information technology's working for you lot and your infant.

Breastfeeding has many benefits for mom and babe both. Studies evidence that breastfeeding tin can lessen a infant'due south chances of diarrhea, ear infections, and bacterial meningitis, or make symptoms less severe. Breastfeeding likewise may protect children from sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), diabetes, obesity, and asthma.

For moms, breastfeeding burns calories and helps shrink the uterus. In fact, breastfeeding moms might return to their pre–pregnancy shape and weight quicker. Breastfeeding also helps lower a woman's adventure of diseases similar:

• chest cancer
• high blood pressure
• diabetes
• eye disease

It also might help protect moms from uterine cancer and ovarian cancer.

Reviewed past: Kristen Littleton, IBCLC and Jamila H. Richardson, BSN, RN, IBCLC

Date reviewed: November 2019

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Source: https://kidshealth.org/Nemours/en/parents/breastfeed-often.html

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