Lazy Nurser

I promise it WILL get easier if you just stick with it! My son is nine months old and he can empty both breasts in ten minutes flat. I remember it was tricky in the beginning to get on a three-ish hour schedule. I agree with a lot of what Carrie F said. I would feed my son at 6am, 9, 12, 3, 6, 9, 12 and in the very beginning, 3am. After a while, he would sleep right through the 3am feeding, then he didn't need that midnight feeding anymore and eventually he would sleep from 9pm until 9am. In my experience, if I fed my baby less than three hours after the (beginning of) previous feeding he wouldn't be hungry enough to get a full feeding - this would be called snacking. If he didn't get a full feeding he would be hungry again before the next scheduled feeding time. Also, once you and your baby get used to your schedule (what ever schedule works best for you) your body and your baby's body will expect that to be feeding time - your breasts will be full and may start to let down and your baby will be ready to eat at that time. In the meantime, find a comfy "nursing place" where you can relax. Have your boppy and a blanket ready, books or magazines if you can multi-task and something to drink - because you'll be spending a lot of time nursing for the next few months until you both become pros! One day you will realized that somewhere along the line this because easy for both of you and you will be so happy that you stuck with it!

My son was the same way. It took him 1 hour to 1 and 15 mins to nurse. Then 30 mins later, he wanted to nurse again for that long. We did this until I went back to work at 6 weeks, and that is when I began pumping full time which I did til just a few days ago. My son will be 11 months on the 20th...I had about all the pump I could take. Anyway, I have heard that the latch gets better as the baby gets older. All of the sucking he is doing now is strengthing those jaw and tongue muscles. I would say give it another 1 to 2 weeks. Also, may sure the bottle you are using is a slow flow bottle. Get the bottle that is the hardest for him to get milk out of. This should also help! Also, contact a lactation consultant or the La Leche League for help. There may be tricks or things to do to help strengthen his sucking abilities.

One other thing you can do is co-sleep for a few weeks. Give the baby free reign to nurse all night. The more he nurse, the faster and better he will get at it.

Don't quit! And nurse as much as you need to. If it takes all day, then use all day! Forget the floors and the dishes; they will be there another day. Also, I would probably ditch the bottles; they are too easy to drink out of. Your nipples take more work. Don't worry about him getting enough. Trust me; your body will make enough to feed him, and the more he nurses the more you will make. If you don't have to work, hold your son, and nurse him as long as it takes. If you feel depressed or crying, remember your hormones are crazy. Ask your doctor for help; that is not the fault of your son or nursing! A few meds for a short time can help! Keep your chin up. Nursing is the most rewarding experience I have ever held with my children.

I know exactly what you are saying. My son, who is now 2 1/2, was a lazy nurser. That is all we did for the first 3 months. I thought, oh my goodness.
I would feed him, have enough time to run to Wal-Mart and then home. By the time I got home he would be crying for me wanting to eat. It really does not leave any time for yourself. However, we stuck with it and he nursed until he was one year and two weeks. He was easy to wean, he has hardly ever been sick and I am so glad I stuck with it.
There were many times in the first 3 months I wanted to quit but I didn't. After you get over that hump it will be so super easy. No cleaning bottles, worrying about buying formula or did you pack enough for while you are out. It is great! And so good for them!
I know three months seems like a long time but he will get the hang of it. I remember a lactation consultant telling me if I had to bottle feed him, always leave it on the newborn nipple because if you let it come out faster, they will only want the bottle because it is easier.
Hope this helps. :)

Hi T.,
I nursed my son for 26 months. He was my first and he was a 24/7 nurser at first. I thought for the first month and 1/2 to 2 months I was not going to make it because that's all I seemed to do. Rock and nurse, rock and nurse and so on. I did feed on demand as I am now doing with my daughter. She get's more to buisness. I let both my babies nurse on demand and supplemented very little with a formula. Hated pumping! But the bottom line is that breastfeeding is all about supply and demand. The more your son nurses, the more milk you will make. After about 2 or 3 months, they really do slow down. Also, I think that what they are really wanting is the closeness and comfort offered to them. So you might try feeding on demand and supplementing only when necessary to get your milk supply up and he should begin tapering off well, by 3 months. Then it becomes really easy! Hang in there and good luck! Newborns have very small stomachs so they need alot less milk than you would think! Just think, the colostrum they live off of for the first few days is plenty! God made it perfect so don't second guess that he isn't getting enough milk. If he has like 6 wet diapers a day, then he is getting enough. Again, good luck and congratulations!

Hello T.. I nursed my four girls for approx. 18 months each. The first couple of months it does seem all you do is nurse. But, it will get better. Just stick with it! I agree with the other mom in not giving him bottles yet. Bottles do not take as much effort to get the milk as nursing does. So, he will get confused between the bottle and breast. That is why it is usually best not to introduce a bottle for at least 6 weeks to avoid this problem. If he is already a lazy nurser, I think the bottle will make it worse. I know it is very frustrating when all you feel like you do is nurse, but that is how it is at first. I breastfed all of my girls and all nursed a little differently. Two of my four are a set of twins. Just hang in there and it will get better. Call a friend or get online for support when you feel like SCREAMING b/c we have all been there. I know nursing is not for everyone and that is okay. But, I would not of missed it for the world! It was the best choice for me. Good Luck!

i had this problem with my son. we had a nursing vacation. this is when you collect books, magazines and movies, and you plan a day were all you do is lay around and nurse all day. it really helps get baby on a good feeding pattern. if you do this with no supplementing at all, baby will learn that if he is hungry, he has to nurse better. when i did this, i just spent the day topless. if you don't, you spend all day pulling up your top.

I am cringing just reading this. Please don't put a breastfed baby especially 3 weeks old on a schedule. My little one at that time was nursing every 1.5 -2 hours for 45-50 minutes and then would nurse again within that time frame. Not a complete 1.5 - 2 hours would go by. THIS IS NORMAL. 4 oz for a 3 week old is IMO too much for a feeding. How do you know he is taking 1.5 ounces at a feeding if he is nursing? If he is crying after a feeding it could be many things he could need changing, gassy, something you ate is hurting his stomach. Let him nurse until he falls off the breast. Let him call the shots and nurse as much as he wants. As long as he is having the normal recommended bowel movements and wet diapers a day he is getting enough. Breastfeeding is a big committement and takes a lot of yourself to do. It does get so much easier I promise. My little one is now 4 months old and can feed in less than 5-10 minutes. It is not always going to be like that. Hang in there and please contact the Le Leche League or a lactation consultant.

T.,

I would not recommend getting your son on a schedule at this point. He knows when he is hungry and that is what he is telling you. His stomach is still very small and he may only be able to fit 1.5 oz in there at a time. I'm all for nursing on demand or cue. From what I know about schedules, they don't really take into account the growth spurts that your baby will have. Babies have one around (not necessarily exactly at) 2 weeks, 6 weeks, 3 months, and 6 months. Of course, by 3 months, he will probably have found somewhat of his own schedule. As he prepares to go through each growth spurt, you will notice an increase in nursing for a week or so (this is to increase your milk supply in preparation for the growth spurt - it's amazing how God designed everything). Schedules were not pressed until formula came around; the 3 hour feeding schedule really should only be used on formula fed babies. Your milk supply depends on the frequency and duration of feeding. This is a time when you need to nurse as often and as long as possible in order to establish your milk supply. It will even out eventually.

You won't be nursing for hours at a time forever. It goes by so quickly! Another thing to consider is that maybe he just wants to be close to you. He has been "carried" by you in your womb for 9 months and it's a bit much to expect him to not want that closeness some more. Nursing may be his way of getting it. Also, if you haven't already done so, you may want to introduce a pacifier. He may just want to suck "something" and if you don't want that "something" to be your breast, then a pacifier works great. You will still need to nurse frequently (every 1-3 hours) for a few weeks yet, but I promise, as his stomach grows, so will his appetite at each feeding.

Enjoy your time with him. It really does pass by quickly. My daughter wanted to nurse all the time and be held all the time. Now she's 9 months and doesn't even want to be held to go to sleep. I can't believe how quickly it all passed. She only nurses 5 times a day and by the last feeding, she's done in 10 minutes.

Hope this helps!
A.

I experienced what you're experiencing with both of my sons, now 3 & 14 mos. I bf my oldest until he was 9 mos & my youngest until around 11 mos. Both boys nursed for UNBELIEVABLY LONG periods of time & then when I felt they were still unsatisfied I would supplement with formula. I used slow-flow/newborn nipples on the bottles, and they never had a problem switching from breast to bottle or vice versa. The bottom line is that YOU have to do what works best for you and your family. I felt SO guilty supplementing, but the important thing is that I did everything the lactation consultants said to do (supplemental feeding systems, massive amounts of pumping, taking herbal supplements, nursing vacations, etc.) and I never seemed to have enough milk for my hungry boys! Looking back on it, I enjoyed nursing both of them for as long as I did. Dealing with the formula was a pain, but it was also a relief to know that my boys were getting the benefits of breast milk along with the extra calories they needed with the formula. (Not to mention that I was able to have a little relief once in a while.) Good luck, and NO GUILT!

T.,
First of all, congrats on keeping up the breastfeeding. It's hard work in the beginning! I have breastfed two babies, and am currently breastfeeding my third! From my experience, newborns eat frequently and for a long time. My boys actually started to space out feeding themselves after a while, and I did not supplement at all. Who says we have to keep on a 3 hour schedule, anyway?! If you want to encourage the 3 hr schedule, though, here's what I did....
Decide what time you want his first feeding of the morning to be. Feed him at that time, waking him up if you need to. (I know you should "never wake a sleeping baby", but if you want him on a schedule, I found it necessary.) If he gets hungry again before three hours is up, try and get him to wait five minutes. The next time, see if he'll wait ten, then fifteen, and so on. I have lots of thoughts on breastfeeding, but I don't want to talk your ear off right now. If you want to talk anymore, please let me know! I found "Managers of Their Homes" by Teri Maxwell to be very helpful for scheduling ideas. Keep nursing, don't give up, and rest now while you can! You shouldn't be getting anything accomplished yet... enjoy your baby!
C.