Slow BFer

[soozy87]

Is there a way to speed my baby up when breastfeeding him? I have gotten to the point where I pretty much only pump and bottle feed because he is such a slow nurser. I thought that maybe it would get better as he got older and more alert but he still takes over an hour to nurse and then he still seems hungry afterwards. I let him nurse until my breasts feel soft and he is only sucking every so often.

[litasail]

DS was an incredibly inefficient nurser. In the beginning, it was at least an hour and a half per session. After we got his tongue tie revised a second time, it dropped to 45 minutes. And then when he hit 3 months he suddenly dropped to 20 minutes (which freaked me out for a bit because I thought something was wrong).

Have you had your LO checked for a tongue or lip tie? If not, I would as it could be affecting time spent nursing.

Otherwise, try and think of it as nature's way of building your supply. All that time spent nursing is helping to build a foundation for the future. I know how much it sucks to feel tied to a baby on your boob all.the.time, but it really will pay off.

And I agree with @little_Moxie that you should get him on the breast, not pump. He really can't get better without practice. By giving him a bottle you're teaching him to strengthen a completely different set of muscles.

[Deleted]

I'm on the app, so I can't see how old your LO is. DS nursed for an hour at a time until about 12 weeks old. I think that's fairly common. He sped up to about 30 mins a session until about 6-7 months old, then 15 mins ever since. I agree with @littlemoxie, he won't ever speed up without practice.

[twiga]

DD took almost an hour from birth until about 3 months or so when it dropped down to 40 mins. Between 4 months and about 6, she dropped down to about 20 min sessions and now it's 5-10 mins. It will get better, but I agree with the others that you should let him feed instead of pumping. Grab a book, or watch some tv and just enjoy the baby snuggles. It won't last long!

[soozy87]

Jan 29, 2014 14:45:52 GMT -5 @supergreen said:

I'm on the app, so I can't see how old your LO is. DS nursed for an hour at a time until about 12 weeks old. I think that's fairly common. He sped up to about 30 mins a session until about 6-7 months old, then 15 mins ever since. I agree with @littlemoxie, he won't ever speed up without practice.

He is just over 12 weeks.

Thanks for the suggestions. I will see if I can nurse more often. Normally it is just so frustrating for both of us!

[Deleted]

Jan 29, 2014 15:15:31 GMT -5 @littlemoxie said:

OP, maybe try nursing 3 times a day and pumping 4? I don't know how much you're currently pumping, but I'd try to take away one or two pumping sessions and sub them for actual breastfeeding. Then adjust as necessary. Hopefully you can move towards mostly bf'ing and just pump for a stash and to get a break. It took me until about 14 weeks to be able to mostly bf.

Again, little moxie is wise. I would move from pumping to nursing, I bet she'll get faster soon.  Good luck!