My baby isn't drinking 20 minutes on each side!?

Question

The Dr. told me my daughter is suppose to be drinking 20 minutes on both sides. But she always falls asleep on the fisrt breastfeeding and sometimes doesn't even finish out the 1st 20 minutes. Is she getting enough milk.When she falls asleep on one side the next feeding time I just continue on the next breast that my breastfeeding is equeal. I left a message to the lactation people two days ago and i still haven't got a cal back.

Answer 1

Awwww...
Ok mommy. I'm sure you have a good idea how long she does actually nurse before callin it a day or night. :-)
Use your own judgment and try to divide the time between your breasts to keep ya from gettin lopsided.
trust me I know. I "listened" to my doctor once....lol
I wish you the best and CONGRATS on the baby!
~T~

Answer 2

These darn babies that haven't been taught the same rule of 20 minutes on each side that we are taught. Somewhere out there is the 'average' baby that follows this rule, but the rest of the babies out there will just eat until they are done, and then stop.

Whether your daughter is getting enough milk is a good question. The main way to tell is that over time, she is gaining weight. Also, in between feedings she should have some time where she is content (starving babies are rarely content). Also look for signs of dehydration - few wet diapers, a dry mouth. If dehydration is bad baby will have a depressed fontanal and could have red uric acid crystals in the diaper.

Hard to answer your question without more info, but it is alot about instinct as well. If baby has a good latch, and seems to nurse until content and you can hear some swallowing, my guess would be that she is fine. If you are comparing her weight to a growth chart keep in mind that those charts were made by observing bottle fed babies, so a breastfed baby will naturally fall in the lower percentiles. Good luck to you and the little one.

Answer 3

very normal actually. lots of babies fall asleep, you should burp her when she falls asleep which will hopefully wake her up some so you can try to nurse a little on the other side also. she may be finished much faster than 20 minutes but probably not if she is falling asleep. This will stop when she gets older and doesn't sleep quite as much. Often it is recommended that you do whatever you need to to wake the baby to eat. (during the daytime, not at night). Try wet washcloth to her feet. Sometimes it works long enough to get her to take a little from the other side. Hang in there, it will get easier and she will get better at it. You ARE doing what is best for her in nursing her. Good luck

Answer 4

It depends on how old your baby is, whether or not they have a good latch on the breast, and whether they have a strong suck-swallow reflex.

Unfortunately (fortunately), babies don't come with instructions, they are all individuals. But some basics do apply to breastfeeding.

Newborns have very tiny tummies and may not need gobs of milk. If your baby is waking up with sucking/slurping noises after each sleep break, latches well at the breast and vigorously sucks and swallows for 10 minutes, he/she may be getting enough. The best way to tell if your child is getting enough is to look for the number of soaking wet diapers they are putting out each day. The baby should have 1 soaking wet diaper for each 24 hours of life, maxing out around 8-9 per day. (i.e. 2 soaking diapers on day two). Bowel movements are not a good indicator of feeding in a newborn breastfed baby.

If the babe will latch and feed on one side for a good length of time 15-30 minutes, then refuse the breast when offered again, and fall asleep for 1-2 hours then wake and repeat the process, they are probably getting plenty. You can tell if a baby is sleeping or just taking a break by compressing the breast tissue while the baby is latched on, if the babe starts to suck again, they are just catching up, if they pull off, they are done and are just soothing themselves.

You do not need to offer both breasts at every feed. It is important that the baby get both KINDS of milk at each feed. FORE milk (the fast moving sugary stuff at the start of the feed), and HIND milk (the fattier, thicker stuff at the end of the feed) on one breast. Foremilk provides energy and fluids, hind milk will give them fat for growth and better sleep.

Women tend to have heavier/fuller breasts in the morning with more foremilk, and more hindmilk at bedtime (when newborns may get a full 3-4 hours of sleep) YAY!

Both these kinds of milk are important for normal growth and development. If you switch breasts to quickly during a feed, your baby may only get foremilk, which can cause looser stools and ravenous babies, sometimes even dehydration.

One thing to keep an eye out for.... pink, orange, or red 'powder' (sometimes confused with blood) or crystals in the diaper, which indicate concentration of urine. These 'Urate' crystals mean that your baby needs more feeding. They can appear once or twice in every newborn.... but if you are seeing them often, let your pediatrician or lactation consultant know.

BOTTOM LINE.... one breast per feed can be enough, your baby will let you know if it needs the other side if it continues to fuss at the breast after a solid suck-swallow feed.

Hope some of this helps :) .

Answer 5

How old is your baby?

As they get older, they become more efficient at extracting the milk and may not nurse as long in a session.

With a newborn, you might have to work to keep her awake to eat. With an older baby, it may just be that she is falling asleep because she is full and content.

Stop looking at the clock. That's what just about any lactation specialist (LLL/IBCLC) will tell you. Watch the BABY and NOT the clock. Is the baby gaining weight? Having wet and dirty diapers? Meeting milestones?

Answer 6

You are doing fine. That is what my lactation consultant said too...20 min on each side. I don't think we EVER accomplised that task. When they fall asleep you are supposed to wake them if they didn't finish feeding. Try loosening up her clothing and nursing in a dim (not too dark or too light) room. I breastfed my son until he started biting at 6 months. He is now a year. Hope this helped.

Answer 7

when I was an OB nurse I suggested to my patients to nurse 5 minutes on the first side. The milk is usually emptied by that time. Then the second breast 20 minutes. Next time switch.

Otherwise it seems like what you are doing is working for you.

Answer 8

Im sure she is because if she was not getting enough she would not be sleeping trust me on this. My grandma in law used try to breast feed her kids. Her kids would always cry and she could not figure out why well it turned out she was not producing enough milk. So i think your baby is getting enough. I would still consult with your doctor. Still they do not know everything about breastfeeding. You are doing fine.

Answer 9

If she fall asleep on the right breast then start with the left next time. She will eat when she is hungry.

Don't let the boobie nazi's scare you into thinking your not doing a good enough job. Follow you instincts all will work out.

It's tough but keep at it it will be worth it.

Answer 10

Is she gaining weight? Is she sleeping soundly? Then don't worry. Sounds okay. For some babies, it seems like breast milk acts like a sleeping pill. They actually get a buzzed look on their face and fall asleep very very contented and happy.

Answer 11

Oh my gosh! My son replaced into like that. He might nurse for virtually 5 minutes on the two side and then stop. He might decide to nurse approximately each and every half-hour or so. i replaced into informed it incredibly is a thank you to extend your milk furnish. while you're nursing on call for, in basic terms circulate with the flow, do no longer attempt to clock it. each and every from time to time they nurse oftentimes and for short ammounts of time, each and every from time to time they are going to nurse for a protracted time and then circulate a protracted time between (and then each and everything in between). in basic terms permit your infant be the choose of ways a lot she's getting on a similar time as nursing considering the fact which you will on no account know. As they grow previous they supply the impression of being to nurse (for nourishment) incredibly rapidly as they get extra helpful at it. in basic terms relax and permit her permit you know while it's time to nurse and for a fashion long. I say this considering the fact which you pronounced she's gaining weight and thriving. it incredibly is not any longer continuously the case. while you're worried, communicate along with her pediatrician, yet probability is, she'll start to stability it out as she gets extra gifted at nursing.