Breastfeeders- questions for ya!

I nursed on demand. we had no true schedule until I went back to work and they got bottles of breastmilk.

generally 10-15 per side should be adequate.  then switch the starting breast the next time.

sometimes it would be 2 or 3 hours in between or sometimes it would be 45 minutes.  let him nurse when and how long he wants is my advice.

Thanks Mandy,  demand he can certainly do so I will provide :-)

to avoid nipple confusion, I didn't give my daughter a bottle till about 4-6 weeks and it was only like once a week when I did do that.   Then I got sick of pumping and just did a bottle (I had some frozen breast milk) if hubby and I wanted to go out on a date occasionally where we didn't bring the baby.  In the hospital, they let me use a SNS pump and that was a lifesaver!  It's a small tube that I taped to the side of my nipple that went in the baby's mouth (while she was latched on) that was attached to a small bottle of formula.   So she was sucking to stimulate my milk to come in, but she was getting some food from the tube (and me, just that teeny bit of colostrum).  In the hospital, I'd feed her for 10 mins this way and then use the hospital pump immediately after for 10 minutes to get my milk supply to come in.   Well it came in surprisingly while I was still in the hospital the 2nd day after I had her- I think the pump really helped.    With my son (my first), it didn't come in till like the 5th day!

In the beginning, I nursed 15 minutes on each side.   The reason why it took so long is because she kept falling asleep (typical newborn) and I'd have to keep waking her up.   She also didn't have a strong suck reflex at that point yet.   It's hard to tell if your baby got enough when you are nursing vs a bottle because you don't have that visual of how much they ate like with a bottle.  But if they are going 15 minutes on each side, the baby is getting plenty.  And if he is having 8-10 wet diapers a day, that also shows he is getting enough.   I eventually went down to 4-5 minutes per side when she got older, just because she had a better/stronger suck and could finish sooner on each side.  

And at first, I nursed her every 1 1/2-2 hrs for the first 2 weeks.   My sister said that her doctor told her that it takes the baby's stomach at least 1 1/2 hrs to empty all the milk out and to get hungry again.   Have you tried a binky to satisfy his sucking, instead of nursing again?   After about 2 weeks, it went to every 2-3 hrs. 

It takes a bit to get used to again, but in another month or two, you'll be a pro again!  GL!

Thanks Christie,
I guess I am doing things right and he just gets hungry pretty quick. I know he has to be getting enough because he has more than 10 wet diapers a day and several nights wakes up with his clothes wet!

:-) Guess we will just feed more often as he demands and be thankful when it goes to 3 hours! Not sure if I will be a pro but I am certainly going to give it 100%!!

Thanks again!

Beth

Great questions!! 
I"m taking notes! :)

Hey Beth, Hope you are feeling better and glad Lucas is doing well. With Emad we had latching issues the first 6 weeks so I pumped and bottle fed. He ate about every 2 hrs or less at times…..breastmilk is mostly water and digests pretty quickly and for a growing baby that means they want more. After we transitioned to breastfeeding directly Emad only nursed for about 10 minutes on each side….but depending on my supply and how long his last feeding was it would sometimes be slower, sometimes faster (If I had a lot of milk and it let down faster). Sounds like you are about on track overall.

Thanks Samara, you are right after reading everyone's responses it sounds like Lucas and I are doing exactly what we should be doing and that is good news!
And thank you we are doing much better I am finally feeling more like normal me again and Lucas is wonderful!

Beth

 I nursed my 2nd( Lola) is was about 15 -20 minutes each side, She was on demand mostly and I did pump so she could also be bottle fed. She was strictly BF for the first 9 months. After 9 months we did go to some formula. I went back to school full time and it was very hard to bf, IMO. I think no matter how much he gets is better than none!!! Its alot of work!!! Your doing a great job!!!

Thank you! It is alot of work but thank goodness very rewarding!!
Beth

HI Beth--

Disclaimer: I have zero personal experience BFing, as I'm expecting my first child now. 

However, I have been doing a lot of reading and research as I hope to be an avid BFer. I just listened to this broadcast last week and found some of the info very helpful.

Wishing you luck,

--Paula