Has anyone else had an infant who was a particularly fast eater when breastfeeding? My 6 week old has been nursing for only 6-8 minutes the past few weeks. It seemed too short so I’ve tried encouraging more but she either won’t do it at all or if she does she spits it all back up. I’ve started to accept that she might be taking a full feeding in such a short time. It does feel like she’s emptying my breast, and her diapers and weight gain seem fine. She is super gassy though but I’m not sure if that has to do with the speed she’s eating. I also worry it’s a sign of oversupply though nothing seems to be wrong yet. Both my older 2 ate for 20-30 minutes at least at this time so it feels like new territory. Anyone else have experience with this? Do I need to be worried or on the lookout for anything (like oversupply/ fore/hind milk imbalance)?
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Yes, this was my second, and it caused me a lot of stress too. My first baby took at least 45 minutes to eat, and my second was more like 5. I couldn’t believe he was getting enough to eat but he was fine.
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Both my kids. I had a fast let down and a lot of milk. Feeding them took only a couple minutes, only one side per feed too.
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Yes. My first took forever to nurse, so when DS2 was eating quickly I had the same concerns. But his latch was stronger and he was just a more efficient eater. DD has also been much faster, much earlier.
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Yep! My DD only nursed 3-5 minutes and only on one side per feeding.
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Whew, thanks everyone! I was having a hard time finding info to say this short of feeding could be normal. And it sounds like no issues with oversupply or anything which is a relief. I had an oversupply with DS2 and it resulted in recurrent mastitis. Would hate to relive that.
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My first was like this. It’s awesome!
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Two of my friends had kids like this. If it's an oversupply idsue, it should correct itself soon.
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@Becky: seriously! It’s amazing not to have to take big chunks of time out of my day. According to the app I use she nurses for about an hour total each day!
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This was both my kids. I did have a massive oversupply with both kids though.
Their doc told me to just try and offer and then watch their behavior: if they’re hungry 30 minutes later they’re obviously not getting enough. But if they fall asleep for three hours, things are probably fine.
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All of my kids have been relatively quick nursers. I was so worried about it with my first son but by the time the third one rolled around I was used to it. They’ve all been fine, gained weight appropriately, etc.
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My second was like this. It was amazing with a toddler to chase! She was a big chunk too. Clearly she was getting plenty to eat.
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Same with all 3 of mine. I would prob feed 5-10 minutes only on one side and they were all healthy and chunks.
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Another vote for "yes mine". My DD1 started out nursing as quickly (~8 min) even in the hospital and she was gaining normal. I did weighted feeds with DS1 before I went back to work and he ate up to 10oz in less than 10 minutes. I was done BF my twins in less than 15 minutes - and I didn't tandem nurse. I always had good supply and only nursed from one side so that they were getting enough hindmilk. (Obvious I guess for the twins)...
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Another vote for fast is normal. Kid #1 took 20 min on each side, kid #2 was done in about 5-7 minutes.
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Thanks for all the responses! Followup question - did you use faster flow bottles? I kept my first two on the slowest flow for a really long time, mostly because there never seemed like a reason to switch it up, but DD is struggling to take her whole dreamfeed bottle that DH offers at night. He says it takes 15-20 minutes and she keeps falling asleep. I wonder if a faster flow might be more similar to her nursing? Or might it be worse if she had a strong suck? Any insight?
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@JennyPenny: We stuck to size 1 MUM. But might be worth a try to go with something faster if she ends up having a belly-ache you can always go back to the slower flow ones. I did a dreamfeed bottle with the twins until they were 4-5 months old and then switched to nursing them around midnight when I went to bed because it was faster
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@JennyPenny: Both my kids did this. As long as baby is gaining, I wouldn't worry. If baby is super gassy, you could have a big letdown. But it's not a big deal. I wouldn't worry.
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