I have a 12day old who after some help with a nipple shield is now feeding great. My question is how long is a 'normal' feed? Generally e is on for half hour then goes to sleep. Yesterday afternoon was 2 hrs. I'm worried he might be getting sick too as very unsettled.
Kylz, I don't know what 'normal' is, but I know DS used to fall asleep when he was brand new... I'd tickle his foot or hands to wake him up a little so he'd finish his feed. In the beginning, sometimes it took a long time, 45 minutes of sucking, and then he'd get 'the flutters' I think that was him being asleep with a nipple in his mouth, not feeding at all... Is he sucking for the entire 2 hours? Well done on sticking with it!!!
He looks gorgeous in your ticker!! As every bub is different, you could get 20 different answers as to what normal was for them, it's so hard to know in the beginning just what is going on, I remember it well! For us, DD fed only from one side for the first 6 wks or so, and would take 20 - 30 mins for that one side. She usually fed around every 2 hrs back in the early weeks. I would always offer the 2nd side but she never wanted it. But then in the afternoons when cluster feeding kicked in we could sit there for a good couple of hours with her feeding on and off.
I used to be such a routine person in my life until DD came along, when I realised I just had to sit back and let her lead the way, which sometimes felt like all I did was sit on the couch with my boobs out trying to keep my new bub happy, but it all falls into place. Sounds like you're doing a great job
At this age they can spend all day on the boob, pretty much. They feed for food & fluid, but also for comfort and security. So long as he's getting enough - lots of wet & dirty nappies, weight gains, etc - then it's all good. As they get older and more interested in the world around them (and bigger) they get faster and faster. DS would spend 1-1.5 hours feeding in teh early days but by 4 months he was on and off within 2-3 minutes during the day (better things to do...)
DD on the other hand has generally fed for 5 minutes or so, right from the start, unless she's settling herself off to sleep.
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Length of feeds.
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