Is this normal?

[sandangel8599]

my son is 8 wks old. and when he nurses it normally takes him 1hr 1/2 to finish then wants to eat again in about an hour. this is how he normally feeds because when he goes through a growth spurt i'm an all you can eat diner open 24/7. From talking to LC and Dr's they say he should only nurse for 10 to 20 min and that i should stop feeding him after that but i know he's still hungry because he roots and screams and i believe in attachment parenting so i feed on demand. Is there anything i can do and is this normal.

[tifttu]

That was the normal for my DS. I just let him nurse. He eventually got older and it took less time, but he was never a fast nurser. DD has never taken her time. Every child is different and I think we have to meet their needs accordingly.

[Psyche]

Probably normal. Is he swallowing the entire time or comfort sucking? Is it possible he has reflux and the nursing makes him feel better? Have you tried breast compressions?

[sandangel8599]

he does have reflux and colic

[Nipple_nectar]

If you are using a shield, this may be interfering with a good milk transfer, it causes baby to have an ineffective latch and sometime will cause poor weight gain as a result.

[Psyche]

he does have reflux and colic


I would wonder if the reflux isn't being managed then and perhaps its more for comfort than nutrition. There isn't anything wrong with comfort nursing, at all, though. Is he on medications? Is it possible he needs them if he's not or if he is its not a high enough dosage?

Also some babies with reflux and colic do better when their moms give up dairy. Some it doesn't make a difference at all though.

[MeredithTB]

I "thought" my LO was nursing that long but he was just comfort nursing. My dr. told me to take him off after 30 minutes. His weight gain was great so I knew I wasn't starving him. My nipples were so sore after letting him go that long. At 9 weeks he's finally coming off on his on after 20 minutes.

[trylyn5]

Can you hear him swallowing that whole time?

[sandangel8599]

ok.. had a bad day.. nothing to do with him but i ended up very busy. anyways my hubby gave him a bottle of expressed breast milk and he took 6oz and then my breast a few min later because he was his acting hungry and i finished was doing. i know that he's more efficent at getting the milk then a pump but i normally pump between 2 1/2 to 3oz sometimes more when i'm engorged but that is only when by chance he slept through the night. and to answer everyone's questions

i do hear him swallow the whole time

he is on the max dose and the strongest meds you can give him

i have already stopped eating dairy an spicy foods

he is gaining weight well 12oz in one week

has plenty of dirty and wet diapers

[Nipple_nectar]

Not everyone tracks all the threads and manages to keep track, so for clarity's sake, you are using a shield, yes?

[Amy_G_]

yes, she's using a nipple shield and wanting to not use it.
http://www.breastfeeding.com/forums/showthread.php?p=526751#post526751

I think if you get him latched with the nipple shield, and let him nurse for 5 minutes or so, then unlatch, take off the shield and try to relatch. do it over and over again at every feeding, and eventually he'll relatch without the shield. With the shield, milk transfer can be very slow. use breast compressions to speed up the flow, keep him on one side for at least 20 minutes so he gets more hindmilk, and keep trying to get rid of the shield. He may latch ok without it in the middle of the night, or after a few mintues of nursing, or just as he gets older and is willing to give it a try.