Breastfeeding- Is this true?

Question

I've heard that during at least the first two weeks after the baby is born, I will be breastfeeding every hour to hour and a half, 15 minutes each side. Now, I'm not a mathmatical genius, but if you add burping between sides, then burping afterwards, that pretty much means that I'll have a baby attached to my boob at almost every second!!!! Are people exaturating about how often I will be breastfeeding, or am I just screwed. LOL And, when will it become less frequent...so I can at least eat, pee, and/or bathe?

Proud soon-to-be mommy and COW,
Mandy

Answer 1

8-12 times a day is a good rule of thumb for a newborn. It may seem like a lot, but it is so important to let your new baby nurse frequently in order to establish a plentiful milk supply later on. At first, your nb's feedings might be very erratic: 45 minutes between feedings at one time, three hours between the next. A nb's tummy is about the size of a large marble, so it doesn't take long to empty it.

Remember, this phase doesn't last long! Once your milk is in, roughly 2-5 days postpartum, your baby's tummy will begin to fill and feel more satisfied, and very slowly, your baby will need less and less time between feedings.

It is SO worth the first few sleepless nights in order to get the milk supply established. It also helps with engorgement... women whose babies have been eating a lot before the milk fairy arrives find that they have fewer problems with engorgement once the milk is there.

One thing that helps with the frequent feedings is is you sleep near or with your nb. That way, your sleep is only minimally disturbed as you won't have to get up, leave your bed, etc to nurse the baby. Babies need to eat on demand, not on an artificially imposed schedule, even if it seems like that's all you do! The good news is that nbs sleep a lot, so you will have time for shower, eat, pee, and all that stuff!

Good luck and congratulations!

Answer 2

Yes it's true you might be breastfeeding your new born every hour to hour and a half. Let's say you started at 1 o'clock and it took the baby 1 hour to finish. Your suppose to be breastfeeding a new born about every 2 hours so if you started at 1 and ended at 2 o' clock then you would start your feeding about 3 o' clock. Also you can just stay on one breast. This way the baby gets to the heavier milk to fill up it's tummy and stay satisfied longer. you don't have to pull the baby off every 15 minutes to burp you might upset him. Switching breasts too often will give the baby mostly lactose milk and this can upset some babies tummies with gas. When the baby stops suckling burp him and then offer the other breast, if he wants it, fine. Burp after he done there. Just remember to switch sides every time you start the feeding for example if you started on the left at 1PM start then on the right at 3 PM. This way milk production stays the same.
yes, you are screwed for a while but breastfeeding does get easier after 6 weeks. And it is so much better for the baby. My son didn't need any sort of antibiotics till he was 2 1/2. this was because he started school and there can be some killer germs from other kids...but that's another topic.

Good Luck,
Laurie
P.S. these books helped me The complete book of breastfeeding by Marvin S. Eiger & Sally Wendkos Olds and So that's what they're for! by Janet Tamaro (Very funny book)

Answer 3

There's no way to know. It is often true for parts of each day, but rarely true all the time for any one mother and baby. In other words, you may be nursing at 8 am, 10 am, and noon, then not again until 3 or 4, then every hour for the next 3-4 hours, then less often again. Not all of these will take a full 15 minutes per breast (some may take longer, some shorter), either, although some might. Some feedings may be only from one breast. And you may even discover that your baby is one of many breastfed babies who does *not* need burping, ever.

Answer 4

Congratulation on your upcoming birthing experience. As a breast feeder (also known as human "cow" :), to 5 kiddlings, each of whom were different in breast feeding routines but never wanted to eat as frequently as you've been told. I think it just feels like you are constantly latched to each other in the first weeks because you are recuperating too. I cannot say for certain whether or not your baby will be an accommodating person (doesn't demand to eat constantly) or a vocal one who screams for food every minute, however, for the first week or two at least your little one is recuperating from their experience of popping into the world. So, they aren't really, usually I should say, that demanding.

Perhaps the folks you speak with had these experiences, doesn't mean you will.

Breast feeding usually calms down and goes into a routine that you can count on normally, as early as a month or two to maybe not til 4-5 months. Some babies are demanding all the time for a long time. That I think tho is not the norm.

I'm sure your little one will be a sweetheart who allows you to pee/eat and shower and maybe even get a few lines of that fave book read :) The first few days are usually the most demanding for the new mom, both of you are getting to know each other and as a first time breast feeder, you may have those times when baby just doesn't want to latch on...don't get frustrated., it isn't you nor the baby...its simply life. Sometimes sh*t happens and it doesn't go as you expected. Perhaps baby will be the darling of the world...I'm sure it will work out perfectly, don't get bent out of shape, just do it and it will all work out.

Good luck and take care

Answer 5

The first couple of weeks, my daughter ate about every 2-3 hours. At first she nursed for an hour or more, so yes, it does start to feel like your baby is constantly attached to you. But it gets better! She's three months now, and still eats about every 3 hours, but only for about 20 minutes each time. After you've both gotten into the groove of breastfeeding, you can start adding a bottle feeding of expressed milk and that will give you a little break as well. I love nursing my daughter, and I bet you will too if you keep at it. It's a little difficult at first, but the rewards are wonderful! Congratulations and Good Luck!!

Answer 6

It takes about 90 minutes for breastmilk to digest, so with feedings averaging about 30 minutes in length in the beginning, it will be 2 hours from the start of one feeding to the start of the next. Some breastfed babies don't ever need burped. After all, there is no air in your boobs. :-) If you don't let them get to screaming and crying before feeding (LATE indicators of hunger) then they may not need burped.

The first 6 weeks are the most difficult part. There are growth spurts at about 10 days, 3 weeks and 6 weeks. During these periods, baby will nurse really often for about 2-3 days in order to increase your supply. Once you get past the first 6 weeks it gets easier and baby will most likely space out feedings some and fall into a fairly predictable pattern. The next growth spurts after that are at 3 mos and 6 mos.

Contact your local La Leche League so that you can begin to build up a local support system for breastfeeding. If you have problems, a Leader will help you FOR FREE.

Answer 7

My daughter is 4 months old and has been breastfeed since day one. My baby would go 4 to 5 hours between feedings when she was a week old and still does. I never woke her to eat...my Mom (who breastfeed all of her three kids...thanks Mom!) said a sleepy baby is a happy baby. My baby's feedings last 5 to 10 minutes...and she generally only feeds on one breast...only during growth spurts does she need the other breast. I just switch sides with each feeding. When I returned to work after 2 weeks (part-time), she had expressed milk to drink which was actually nice because I did not have to worry that she was getting enough. Plus pumping at work as been great. On my busy days, it gives me a reason to take a break. Since day one, I have only had to get up for one feeding at night (3am). I always had at least one shower every day...most times two...it is hot, humid, and hilly in Pittsburgh so after stroller walks another shower is needed. Because I am breastfeeding I make sure I drink alot (water, juice, I try to limit my soda intake...all that sugar isn't good for you) so I pee alot and it is never been a problem peeing. The housework gets done...for the first month I had the cleanest house ever because she slept so much. It is not as clean now...I would rather play with my daughter than mop the floor. Hope this helps.

Answer 8

Yep if you do the math it comes out that baby is always at your breast, but I did not find this to be the case I nursed all four of my children and I did have down time for eating showering and peeing!!! Breast feed babies do eat more often than formula fed babies because breast milk is so easy to digest and it moves through their system. My babies all ate around two to three hours for the first month. What that means is for example Eat at noon, finish about 12:45 (when you add in time for burping!!!) so next feeding would most likely start at 2:45 to3:45, so there was two to three hours after they finished to when they started. In the beginning, like the first couple of days, it may feel like baby is eating constantly and this is normal, they need a chance to get a routine going! congrats on being a mommy and if you have any other questions about breast feeding, contact me!!!!

Answer 9

Hi Mandy, Newborns do nurse more often than older babies, but each one is unique. Perhaps some do nurse every 1 to 1 1/2 hours, since this helps to stimulate more milk production, but my babies nursed less often, and they slept quite a lot. It was a wonderful experience.

For breastfeeding information, check out La Leche League. It is a network of mothers who help new moms learn about breastfeeding. There are LLL groups everywhere.

Congratulations and best wishes
Delphinium

Answer 10

i breast fed all 5 of my kids . and no you wont have your baby attached to your boob 24/7 . babies do eat every few hours , bottle or breast . it actually seemed with my kids bottle feeding took longer to finish than breast feeding did . a bottle has one hole the milk comes out of , a breast has many different holes. also the baby slept longer between feedings , breast milk has something in it that knocks them out , and i could lay down while i fed them .
i would watch what advice you listen to ! when i was pregnant i heard so many far fethced things about pregnancy , child birth , and so on . now i start to wonder where all these things origionated since i heard almost the same things from different people with each pregnancy . stuff like if you raise your hands or sit indian style it will wrap the cord around your baby's neck ! this is not true at all .
when ever you are unsure of things call your doctor , also you can call a lactation consultant , they have them at the hospital where you are going to deliver .
also call the labor and delivery center and ask them if they have a breast feeding class you can attend . these are a great source of information and you will get correct info ! they will talk about breast pumps , caring for your breast before and after the baby is born , nutrition for you and what your milk does for your baby compared to formula . they can also give you a list of numbers to call if you have any questions . they can hook you up to supports that you can call if needed . it is really great.
good luck !