How long do you spend breastfeeding??

oh and if dropping the formula has helped the reflux, i could be simply because she does better with smaller feeds but there is a good chance it is a bit of milk intolerance and so at some point you might want to try a dairy free diet, its a real pain tbh, and you have to cut ALL dairy for at least 3 weeks o really know but I know lots of women find it helps.

I think her settled and contentment was probably more drowsiness from her injections she had on the same day as routine change. Clearly worn off now! I have no clue what her hungry cues are. keep trying to work it out but am failing miserably. And im exhausted. :( Fed up of feeling like im so useless and rubbish at this whole thing. Think im just going to have to bite the bullet and see Dr Delphine, and pray she can help. Will see if my ins covers it but if not will just have to find the money from somewhere. Sorry for the big fat moan, just feel like iv had enough. you poor thing, if it makes you feel better, ALL mothers feel like this, I was moaning to my mum the other day about how motherhood is just worry from the second you conceive. Sometimes the responsibility can overwhelm you! You know what though, [b'>you[/b'> made that little baby, [b'>you[/b'> grew her in your belly, you have held her when she cried, given up your sleep to give her comfort and every day she grows a little more and learns a little more, and all because of [b'>you[/b'>, don't feel like you are not doing a good job! Probably she was drowsy from the vaccines, but it sound like you are making progress with the BFing, I'd say 15 minutes of pumping is plenty, see what Dr Delphine says, you may not need to be pumping at all. Later once her breastfeeding is better it will be easier to hold her with one hand, tbh I found pumping and feeding way too hard too, another reason why I found it easier to just do the nightfeeds directly. I kept my baby right beside my bed so I didn't have to turn on the light or get out of bed, found it much easier to go back to sleep that way. What time does your DH go to work? any chance he could start late and take your baby from you right after the 730 feed and let you go straight back to sleep for another hour or so? My baby used to wake around 630, DH would take him for his "playtime, nappy change etc and then put him down next to me for his nap, then we'd both (mummy and baby) get up for the day when he woke from that. If not your DH, could you borrow someone's nanny for an hour or two each morning? Your body does eventually adjust to the broken sleep but I know its tough. I have a baby due in a few weeks time and I'm frankly I'm terrified even though I know I got through it last time.

Thanks kiwis piers - the kellymom site is really informative!

yes samie10 that sounds like a latch issue, her tongue should cover her lower gum ridge but if she is not positioned well, or has an issue such as a tongue-tie then this might not be happening, I know from personal experience how painful this can be :( Make sure when you feed her that she is able to tip her head back slightly, (don't hold her on her head or touch her head during a feed) if you make an "aaah" nose and slowly tip your head slightly towards your chest you will notice your tongue pulls back in your mouth slightly, if you then tilt your head back and say "ahh" you will see your tongue sticks further out, the same applies to your baby which is why positioning makes a differnce. A tongue-tied baby is often actually unable to stick their tongue out that far regardless of how you hold them. Keep her chest/tummy very close to you so that her chin is buried in your breast, with her head tipped back her nose won't be squashed into your breast but don't worry about suffocating her with your breast, if she can't breath she will instinctively de-latch anyway. Many new mums hold their babies too far away, and the babies end up nipple feeding, which can really hurt. Your midwife is giving you up-to date evidence based advice which is recommended by major health bodies such as the World Health organization the LLL and the American academy of pediatrics, who base their policies on the results of hundreds of studies. You would expect that your Dr would take this into consideration when giving his own advice, which is actually based not on research, but on popular opinion in the 50s. Sadly many pediatricians seem to give breastfeeding advice based on their own opinion, rather than what is medically reccomended and many mothers are therefore misinformed, by someone they expect to be be well trained. Again, a baby should not have to cry out of hunger, it can be easy to miss the cues in the first few weeks as you get to know your baby but the most obvious one is the rooting reflex, where they turn their head and purse their lips looking for the breast. This is what the American Academy of Pediatrics has to say on breastfeeding http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/115/2/496.full Perhaps you could ask your Dr why he disagrees? [i'>During the early weeks of breastfeeding, mothers should be encouraged to have 8 to 12 feedings at the breast every 24 hours, offering the breast whenever the infant shows early signs of hunger such as increased alertness, physical activity, mouthing, or rooting. [b'>Crying is a late indicator of hunger[/b'>. Appropriate initiation of breastfeeding is facilitated by continuous rooming-in throughout the day and night. [b'>The mother should offer both breasts at each feeding for as long a period as the infant remains at the breast[/b'>. At each feed the first breast offered should be alternated so that both breasts receive equal stimulation and draining. In the early weeks after birth, nondemanding infants should be aroused to feed if 4 hours have elapsed since the beginning of the last feeding. After breastfeeding is well established, the frequency of feeding may decline to approximately 8 times per 24 hours, but the infant may increase the frequency again with growth spurts or when an increase in milk volume is desired. Formal evaluation of breastfeeding, including observation of position, latch, and milk transfer, should be undertaken by [b'>trained[/b'> caregivers at least twice daily and fully documented in the record during each day in the hospital after birth.[/i'> Probably THE best website for well research breastfeeding info is www.kellymom.com <em>edited by kiwispiers on 29/08/2012</em>

thanks for the advice kiwis piers! The Paed today told me only feed for 20mins and let her cry for food , fed every 3 hours. My MW tells me feed for as long as she wishes on demand...such conflicting opinions! My hungry girl takes both boobs! I feel a little like her gums are digging in when she feeds,which is painful when she is feeding for an hour at time - could that be a latch issue? The LC sounds worth the investment!!

Re the insurance, I'm not sure but I'm thinking with Dr Delphine, you are the patient not your baby, so your own insurance may cover lactation advice, although if there is TT etc to correct then you might have to pay for that if your baby is uninsured. Either way I would beg/borrow/steal the money and not wait any longer to make the appointment.

The first clue to a poor latch is pain, but a baby can have a bad latch and it not be painful. Another clue can be taking a really long time to feed and not ever popping off the breast by themselves although I do think some babies just like to suck. A well trained LC will have a better idea by watching you feed whether your baby is effectively getting to the milk, . (Midwives in my hospital told me my son was latching well even though I was showing them how my nipple looked after a feed; squashed, lipstick shaped and I was in PAIN!). Its quite normal not to feel full, not to leak and not to feel letdown especially after the first 12 weeks LMAO, are you still giving the formula top-ups, if not the reduction in gas/reflux could be because your baby is not longer having cows milk, which many babies do react to. It could also be that your baby was eating too much in one sitting, (a common reason for reflux) I certainly found when my baby took smaller feeds he spat up less but I did need to feed more frequently to maintain his weight gain. Again if you are still topping up and would like to stop, limiting the time you are feeding for and restricting access to the other breast is counter-productive, you really need to stop the formula first and then experiment with length/timing of feeding. As far as pumping for the dreamfeed, it sounds like you are a bit like me, in that you don't really get a good letdown for the pump (the milk is in there but it won't come out!), you could try pumping on one side while feeding your baby on the other, a lot of people get a much better letdown that way (when you do actually letdown properly for the pump you suddenly find you can fill a bottle in minutes, I'm always really jealous of the mums who can consistently do that, my boobs knew the difference between pump and baby and stubbornly refused to give up the goods!). Otherwise you can pump "leftovers" at the end of each feed and save them up. You might find with time that you start to respond better to the pump, if not (like myself) you might decide that actually, wasting an hour or more a day pumping, just so your husband can give the dreamfeed is not really worth it and its faster just to breastfeed directly. I actually didn't really dreamfeed for long anyway, my son was un-rousable from 7pm until 2am and it was giant waste of time, and did not result in him sleeping a longer stretch later on, so that one might be trial and error for you. NB I am assuming by dreamfeed you mean the 10pm (ish) feed. If you just mean your husband being able to do one of the nightfeeds, and your baby doesn't wake until after midnight, you might be able to pump just before you go to bed (I did this when I need to stockpile EBM, my baby slept solidly from 7pm until 2am and I would pump at 9:30, much easier than pumping while he was awake during the day as I could sit back and watch TV, talk with DH) once my body got used to making milk for that feed I could pump a reasonable amount, still I wouldn't have bothered doing it for a night feed, it was just much easier to semi-wake up and feed in the night (I didn't bother with burping or nightime nappy changes unless it was poo) and have a well rested DH take DS for an hour or two in the morning while I slept in or had breakfast in bed. You'll find your own routine with that one, whatever works best for you. samie10 I hope I wasn't too confusing with my info before, basically you don't HAVE to feed both sides each feed, many babies are content with just one, but you should OFFER both sides so that if your baby is still hungry, they have the opportunity to eat more, they may or may not want to. Basically your breasts are trying to figure out how much milk your baby needs, so they don't waste energy making too much milk. If you only offer one side, and then give formula then your breasts will assume that they are making enough, and you will continue to need to give formula. If you only offer one side, and ignore your baby when they seem hungry before the clock says its time, again your breasts will assume they are making enough and may even make less, even though your baby may actually be underfed and fail to gain weight. This is why its really important to listen to your babies hunger cues, they are really the only ones who know whether they are getting enough food. Crying is generally a very late sign of hunger, your baby shouldn't really have to cry to be fed (on-cue feeding is a better term than demand feeding as many people assume this means feeding when the baby cries, when really it means feeding when the baby seems hungry). I would suggest you don't tart expressing until your baby is at least 4 weeks old, longer if their are latching issues as its better not to give a bottle until the baby has figured out how to breastfeed effectively, the way they suck on a bottle is quite different and its easier for them, so many babies will decide not to bother with breastfeeding at all if there seems a faster easier option. If you look at the cost of formula, then a good qualified LC is worth the money, if for no other reason (and obviously there are other reasons).

DD takes upto an hour for each feed but has been gaining well I was worried in the beginning as she might not be getting enough milk but in reality she just enjoys sucking. I have tried to introduce the pacifier and she hates it. one tip I got was to do breast compressions while feeding her that increases the flow at times and is satisfying for the babies. If you haven't already join the la leche UAE group on Facebook they are very helpful. LMAO- hope you are doing well otherwise. If finances are an issue why don't you drop by and see Sameera at city hospital? I went to see her without an appointment to ask a quick question and we ended up talking or 30 minutes. She didn't charge me and was very helpful and gave me a few tips. Hope it all works out in the end.

Dr Delphine spends around 45 to 60 minutes with you and does not ever make you feel pressured to hurry the appointment up. I only had to see her once for breastfeeding advice but as she is also a GP, I see her for my bubs general medical check-ups. I recall the cost was around 400 AED cash but it was well worth it to be still able to exclusively breastfeed at 6 months, when before I saw her I had been expressing every feed for close to 40 days! Hope you get to see her!

LMAO-DXB, read the posts and take from it what you want, discard the rest. you know best. do what you feel is right. you know your DD and you see her every day so you are the best person to gauge whether she's eating enough, whether you should feed from one breast or two, whether on demand or not. all of this is so overwhelming, isnt it? my DS is almost 8 months and i struggled with breastfeeding. everyone said to feed from both breasts but for a very long time he only wanted, and needed, one breast. (he also preferred L over R as R's let-down was too fast.) so i fed L at 8am and R at 9am, and so on. i fed on demand but wouldnt let DS go for more than 3hrs without a feed. i woke him when it got to 3hrs. i'm still breastfeeding and although he is now on a 4hrly feeding 'schedule', when i see he is hungry or edgy i offer him a breast = i still feed on demand. i read gina ford's books (biggest regret ever) but she said to start expressing straight away (best advice ever - for me). i would feed DS and within an hour after his feed (one or both breasts, didnt matter), i would express. in the beginning i expressed 20mls or so. i kept expressing (both breasts) after EVERY FEED (except at night) and the milk increased. that way i also built up a stash in the freezer. i gradually decreased my expressing sessions and only expressed after DS's first morning feed. this was during month 3 (i think) and i could then easily express 70 - 100mls. expressing takes time and eats away at your sleeping time but it was worth it for me. kiwispiers is very knowledgable and help me a lot too. best advice i got, and took, was to get a lactation consultant. they KNOW their stuff. HTH and good luck! eta: i fed for as long as DS was on the breast. in the beginning a feeding session would take up to an hour (both breasts) and it gradually decreased. DS is so efficient now that he spends 7mins max on a breast and then burps like a trooper afterwards with the biggest smile on his face :D <em>edited by ilovewine on 29/08/2012</em>

The advice below is really interesting. My baby is 8 days old and is feeding anything between an 40mins to over an hour per feed. I didn't think i would get on with BF so am so surprised that not only I can do it but Im loving it. When is it possible to start expressing? I would love to share the feeding with my husband (night feeds!) and i don't want the soreness, tiredness, etc to put us off BF . I guess its too early for me at the moment? My MW told me to do each feed from one boob - but is this not correct? Should both be offered? My baby is hungry little thing so there is quite a lot of feeding to be done!!

Just to point out one important thing, the foremilk/hindmilk issue. Its often misunderstood and in my mind over-analyzed, largely due to popular books such as the babywhisperer (which although good in many other ways gives some very misleading and potentially harmful BFing advice). Breastmilk is made WHOLE, if feeds are spaced far apart (when a baby either does not want to feed more frequently or a mother refuses to feed more frequently) then it will separate in the breast, not really into two parts with sudden switch but there is a gradual transition throughout the feed so a the beginning of the feed it is higher in carbs and lower in fat and throughout the feed the fat content rises. This happens more in some women than others and a few women will then have issues with their baby getting too much lactose (carb) high milk and getting tummy upsets a result, this most often happens when a woman has too much milk (oversupply). If you feed frequently, the milk has not separated significantly and you needn't even consider foremilk/hindmilk. You can pump after a feed to stimulate supply, but IMHO its much easier to simply feed your baby directly when they are hungry rather than try and entertain a baby while pumping (and have to sterilize the gear and then also heat and bottlefeed the pumped milk) just so you can feed directly less often, especially if you don't get good letdown for the pump. Its also better to avoid bottles as much as possible when the latch is not quite right so your baby doesn't have to switch sucking styles.

In my personal experience - babies of that age do take atleast 45 mins to 1 hour to take one full feed..i was never a fan of on demand feeding so I would encourage her to have more at each feed and then to wait atleast 3 hours to start the next feed.. If you want to try to increase supply - pump for 10-15 mins directly after you bf (not 1 hour later).. and it is best to let the baby empty one breast first so as for him / her to get to the hind milk as well.. hope it goes well for you

Sparkly next time you see your Ped ask WHY they are not using the WHO chart, perhaps mention that it is now used everywhere else in the world including the UK and USA and that even the CDC themselves recommend using it over their own charts. The WHO charts have been out for years now and should be used for both breastfed mixed-fed and formula fed babies, and the old CDC charts should no longer be used at all. It really annoys me that the pediatricians here refuse to keep up with the rest of the world and needlessly worry many parents about their children's weight gain.

I second Kiwispiers advice to see Dr Delphine, she helped us ditch the bottle and diagnosed the tongue tie in my LO. A Paediatrician or ENT is simply not qualified enough (I took my DD to an ENT who claimed to know all about tongue tie and the type that my LO had was not even visible to the ENT). I downloaded the WHO charts for breastfed female babies and it is different to the one my Paed uses.. I always refer to it before and after seeing them for a weigh-in so I can be sure..

oops forgot the link to LC's [url=http://www.expatwoman.com/dubai/monthly_pregnancy_babies_Breastfeeding_Support_In_Dubai_8935.aspx#.UDz3l2Ce0kA'>link[/url'> and Dr Delphine's details; Dr. Delphine Dupuis MD PGD Women’s Health PGD Lactation & Breastfeeding Medicine (FRANCE) Specialist Family Medicine Sunday and Wednesday mornings at MediCentre, Motor City Tel: 04 360 8866 Other days at Symbiosis Healthcare, Healthcare City Tel 04 3624955. [i'>Dr. Delphine Dupuis is an enthusiastic and caring French family doctor. She enjoys all aspects of family medicine with a special interest in pediatrics, women’ health and breastfeeding medicine. After working in France, she moved to UK to join a busy family practice of the North of Manchester.[/i'>

eerk, the first thing you need to understand is that pediatricians are not trained in breastfeeding, its more or less like asking your plumber for breastfeeding advice. So its not surprising that the advice he has given you is terrible. Your baby may be an inefficient feeder, but you do not fix this but simply restricting time at the breast, that is like saying that rather than physio, you teach a crippled child to walk better by simply giving them less time to walk (sorry best analogy I could come up with at short notice). Babies can certainly be inefficient feeders due to latching issues, which can sometimes be caused by anatomical issues like tongue tie and sometimes just because they never really learnt to latch properly. They can also take a long time to feed because of your own physical make-up, some women have slower letdowns than others, you really need to see someone who is trained in breastfeeding, which would be a board certified IBCLC. I would suggest Dr Delphine, as she is not only a Dr, but also an LC and specializes in diagnosing tongue tie, a very rare combo. Another thing you need to understand is that 99% of women make enough milk every 24 hours to feed their babies (when feeding on cue) but every woman varies in their capacity to store milk, so some women can store enough at each time to feed every 4 hours, others need to feed every 2 hours to provide the same net output. It is for this reason that major health bodies (the world health organization, the american academy of pediatric etc) DO NOT recommend feeding schedules because there is a danger that some babies will simply be underfed if a mother sticks to a routine that is not baby-led. [url=http://www.parentingscience.com/infant-feeding-schedule.html'>link[/url'> Something important to point out is that "snacking" isn't bad, it isn't unhealthy and it won't reduce your supply nor will it result in your baby having only foremilk and not hindmilk (in contrast to what the BW says in her books). Your baby is not "snacking " though, snacking is when a baby takes frequent small feeds instead of large feeds further apart. It is quite possible your baby is finishing feeds and then continuing to suck while waiting patiently for another letdown, again a good LC will be able to show you the difference between a feeding and a pacifying baby (the suck pattern is different) and although pacifying is not harmful, you may wish to move your baby to the other breast instead in order to cut down the overall time spent breastfeeding. Limiting to one side per feed will result in your supply decreasing, its usually recommended for mothers who are making too much milk. If that were the case with you then why would you be giving formula? advising formula top ups in conjunction with milk reducing techniques is very odd advice. If your baby is gaining weight well, then I think you could probably cut out the formula and if that goes well then safely stop pumping, you should then see an LC (again I'd try and see Dr Delphine) and rule out any latching/tongue-tie issues that are stopping your baby from effectively feeding. Once you have the all clear on that (please don't ask your Pediatrician or your MIL or your friend if the latch "looks ok", get it properly assessed) then you could try switching breasts sooner, while keeping a close eye on your baby's weight gain. I eventually did this, my baby would never de latch himself (he did have a poor latch and my letdown is not strong so was a very slow feeder the first few months) so after 20-30 min I would switch sides and his weight gain did remain good. By the way I fed for around an hour to an hour 1/2 every 3 hours for my first few months (3 hours being timed from the start of the feed, so around a 1 1/2 to 2 hour gap between feeds then when my baby latched properly it was around 45 minutes every few hours and then he changed to being a "snacker" and fed for around 3-5 minutes every 60-90 minutes. When he began snacking his reflux more or less disappeared and his weight gain went up a percentile. In short, see an expert, rule out any issues that are preventing your baby from feeding effectively and then follow your baby's cues as much as possible. Make sure your baby's weight is being tracked on the WHO chart as the CDC charts are not even recommended by the CDC anymore and yet many Drs here still use them. <em>edited by kiwispiers on 28/08/2012</em>

DD is also almost 6 months and as my first child I had no clue whether it was normal and when I read the books they all mentioned 20 to 40 minutes could be expected. Well that got me worried. She has a mild tongue tie and also had oral thrush so feeding at the beginning was tricky. I expressed and she bottlefed for the first month so perhaps missing that step changed things... When i started breastfeeding and ditched the bottle at roughly 4-5 weeks she still only spent a maximum of 10 minutes per feed, average 7-8 minutes. My mother, sister-in-law and mother-in-law all said 'is she finished already??' and she really was, could not convince her to take more and could never have kept her latched on for the 40 minutes that the books talked about. DD weight gain has never been a concern... though I used to ask her Paediatrician why she would not feed for long and I was the only one concerned about her weight gain.. Doc said she is fine!! And told me to stop worrying... Some kids are really quick whilst others are not so much. Let bubs guide the way and though it's hard to know whether they've had enough, in the end I had to learn to trust that my DD knew what to do (and it's quite incredible that these little beings do!) edited by sparkly on 28/08/2012 Oh and I never had that stage where bubs nursed constantly and I wish I did. Even now I fear she doesn't find nursing comforting and that our breastfeeding relationship will end anyday. I am sure it's a confidence thing but still... So it's good that you LO is nursing constantly as it will build the relationship :-) <em>edited by sparkly on 28/08/2012</em>

I've had the same experience. Until around 3-4 months I was feeding my LO CONSTANTLY. He was always always attached to my boob. I just figured out how to do lots of stuff while feeding him. I think he fed about every hour? Even now at 6 months he averages only 1 1/2 to 2 hour spans during the day (on occasion he has done 3-4 hours!) but he eats so quickly it's not so bad. I am a bit jealous of women who have babies that go 3-4 hours regularly -- I mean today for instance he ate just before his mid-afternoon nap -- then woke up to eat DURING his nap, going back to sleep once he was done like he does in the middle of the night. At least he sort of had a 3 hour nap :). But all babies are individuals -- and I like the idea of feeding him when he's hungry just like I eat when I'm hungry. My kiddo also doesn't really go for my not feeding him when he's hungry :-p -- there would be lots of crying. Also, I hear it is suppose to be good for both your supply and your babies growth. Good luck -- and the constant feeding does improve! -- In the meantime, find a couple good books you want to read during!

My LO is almost 6 months old and I only have had one baby but my experience is.....at 8 weeks old my LO was feeding constantly and some days actually seemed as though she never left my boobs... I was convinced this was not normal. However after getting advice from my sister I just kept feeding on demand. From my experience, breastfeeding is not the same for everyone. My LO is only developing a bit of a pattern now...a gap of between 2 and 3 hours between each feed day and night. She is a very content baby and a healthy 20 lb now!! Just listen to your baby and feed as often as necessary. Adding formula can affect your milk supply-the more baby is at the breast, the more milk you will produce. Pumping will never extract as much milk as a baby will so don't be concerned if you are not pumping much. You are doing a great job and should be very proud of yourself. Kiwispiers gives great BF advice. Good luck!! xx <em>edited by gingercat on 28/08/2012</em>