How long do you let a baby continue to eat on one boob? There have been two times now where I've lost track of time and found M has been on one side for 40 minutes. I figure at some point, it turns into comfort sucking, right? Should there be a time limit on how long a baby stays on one boob?
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I think the lactation consultant said that once they get the hang of it, it's most likely just for comfort after 15 minuts or so. I believe the very technical term they used was "non-nutritive sucking." I've definitely been spacing out and let my LO go for a long time, especially when I was really sleep deprived.
I think some babies will just pop off when they are done, but my babe will stay on forEVER! I usually listen to her sucking because it sounds different when she's not getting much.
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This is not pro advice, but I would do 15-20 min on one side and then switch, and let him go as long as he wanted on the other side.... Or sometimes I'd switch back and keep switching. I remember once watching like two episodes of Law and Order and knowing I had been bfing him for two hours. It won't last forever, I promise, and it's good for your supply!
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My LO would comfort suck all the time but he never went 40 minutes on one side...maybe 20-25 minutes max. I was told to unlatch after you notice LO isn't actively swallowing after a minute or two and that I should not being looking at the clock!
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My baby used to stay on my boob forever in the first few weeks, but now she is much more efficient and can eat in 10-15 mins. I would just leave your baby on there until she takes her mouth off. With time the baby will get more efficient
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I think it depends on the mom. Part of it is comfort sucking, but it also helps build up your supply. Especially in the first 6 weeks, some people think that having the baby on a lot will lay down more prolactin receptors, which will help your supply down the line. That makes sense to me because it seems like there must be a reason why some babies want to be on all the time. I don't think it's necessarily a bad thing.
Personally, I would let my son stay on as long as I had the patience for it. I didn't get much done, but I could read a magazine or watch TV. I think his record was 59 minutes, but most of the time I couldn't do more than 20 or 30 minutes per side (I had a lot of pain from tongue tie problems).
Now that he is 8 months, he is sometimes done in under 5 minutes. It's better for doing other things and getting out of the house, but sometimes I miss being able to just chill out and read for a while.
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20-25 mins for us!
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In the first few days my LO would feed for hours. It was really frustrating. The pediatrician said that the baby gets most of the milk within 20 min so to stop after that. My LO tends to get llazy a lot and I end up "waking" her several times during feedings by tickling her or gently jostling her. Otherwise she just uses me as a paci for hours. My lactation consultant also said I could switch her back and forth bw breasts during feedings 2-3x to keep her interested.
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I let her stay on one boob until I notice she's consistently comfort sucking to put herself to sleep. Then, I sit her up, burp her, and try the other one. Next time I nurse. I always start with the one she spent the least amount of time on.
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20-25 minutes max for us too!
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My boy (now just over 3 months) spent HOURS on the boob during the first month or so.. He'd fall asleep while eating, but I learned that he had 3 general types of suck: let-down, active eating, and "sleep noms" or comfort suckling. He resisted coming off the boob unless he was far enough into his comfort suckling, even if he appeared to be sound asleep. If I had let him stay on until he popped himself off, I never would have made it off the couch. I'd rotate sides every hour or so, unless there were signs that the current boob was running dry.
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