Babies who are feeding well can take anywhere between five minutes and 40 minutes at each feed. Another guide to how well your baby is feeding is what comes out! So plenty of wet and soiled nappies are a good sign. From about a week old, a healthy, well-fed baby is likely to be producing six or more wet nappies a day.
Older babies may take five to 10 minutes, or less, on each side. Short nursing sessions are normal – and perfectly fine unless your baby is having trouble gaining weight. Some babies are snackers – they nurse for a minute or two, take a break, and then go back.
Newborns may nurse for up to 20 minutes or longer on one or both breasts. As babies get older and more skilled at breastfeeding, they may take about 5–10 minutes on each side.
By the time a baby is 3 to 4 months old, they should be breastfeeding well, gaining weight, and growing. It may only take your baby about 5 to 10 minutes to empty each breast and get all the milk they need; however, this is different for everyone.
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.
Some babies will get 60 to 150 ml (2 – 5 ounces) in five minutes time. However, some babies continue to take 20 to 40 minutes per feeding. Both types of babies are normal.
Let your baby end the feeding when he shows these signs he's full: Releases or “falls off” the breast. Turns away from the nipple. Relaxes his body and opens his fists.
Yes, even if it's only been 10 minutes. If baby seems hungry again soon after feeding, don't worry about overfeeding and don't consider it a reflection on your milk production. It's just what newborns do. This is how your baby helps you build a healthy milk supply.
In general, most babies can get a full feeding in 20-30 minutes. That is a good length of time to aim for. If you are making sure your baby is awake for the duration of the feeding, absolutely let that feeding go to 40 minutes if baby needs it.
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.
The first few days: Your breast milk coming in
The hormones will get you on track with starting to produce milk. Around day three after your baby's birth, your breast milk 'comes in' and your breasts may start to feel noticeably firmer and fuller.
How Long Should Baby Nurse to Get Hindmilk? After 10 to 15 minutes of the first milk, as the breast empties, the milk flow slows and gets richer, releasing the sweet, creamy hindmilk.
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.
Cluster feeding is a time when your baby wants lots of short feeds over a few hours. It's normal and often happens in the early days of breastfeeding. Cluster feeding is a normal behaviour for your baby. It's more common in the late afternoon or early evening, but it can happen anytime of the day.
Babies commonly take more milk from the bottle than they do from the breast. The fast, consistent milk flow of the bottle makes overfeeding more likely.
Even if your baby falls asleep, try burping them for a few minutes before placing them back down to sleep. Otherwise, they make wake up in pain with trapped gas.
Cluster feeding refers to when newborn babies need to be frequently fed, but for shorter periods of time, typically for 10-15 minutes at a time for two to three hours.
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.
Check how your baby is sucking
Check how he's sucking. If he latches on well and takes long, drawn out pulls, then he's likely hungry and actually eating. But if his sucking motion is shorter and shallower, then he's probably sucking for comfort. You can also check whether he's swallowing the milk.
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.
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.
On average, a newborn drinks about 1.5–3 ounces (45–90 milliliters) every 2–3 hours. This amount increases as your baby grows and can take more at each feeding. At about 2 months, your baby may drink about 4–5 ounces (120–150 milliliters) every 3–4 hours.
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.
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.
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.