How long does your 2-3 week old breastfeed for per session?

It's hard to tell but it looks like he may have a shallow latch and that's why it's taking so long. He really should be covering more of the areola. Squishing your breasts really only needs to be done for the latch and not necessarily after as it can then move your nipple away and then cause that shallow latch. Hands on help will definitely be beneficial for you.

However, it's pretty normal to feel like all you're doing is nursing, even while they sleep for the first few weeks. Have you gotten checked for a weight gain yet? It's absolutely normal for them to lose up to 10% of their birth weight and then slowly gain it back

Maybe share another picture of his latch?
Newborns nurse a lot. I would wonder if you’re giving a “top off” because his latch isn’t good. Does he have any oral ties?

It usually takes 4-6 weeks to get the hang of breastfeeding. It’s tough and takes work. In my experience once you get it you’ll be fine.

The more you pump the more your body will think it needs to create milk. It’s a good way to build up some of a supply but it can also make your body think it needs to produce more. I always pumped till I was comfortable vs empty.

Looks like the latch is shallow and he is having a hard time transferring milk. Get with an IBCLC to resolve the latch issues and the super long feeds should resolve too

There’s a 3w growth spurt- he’s cluster feeding. On top of that, your milk doesn’t fully establish until 6-8w. So hes signalling to your body to make more milk and when it finally does, and your body makes the right amount of milk, he will sleep longer each time. Just keep feeding be patient and keep persisting. 0-6w is the hardest time for most mums, I spent it mainly in the couch w a walk fit in every couple days

Latch looks a lil shallow. Lemme find a video of mine Xx If baby latched properly we shouldn’t need to keep readjusting- the suction should be there but it doesn’t look like he’s latching/suctioning properly. I needed to slide in my finger and break the latch/suction for him to come off

I may be wrong but I was being taught the baby’s position should be aligned with the mother in the horizontal way and skin to skin. In the video baby is not on you breast and not touching your body.
He is unable to comfortably latch and then suck
You are doing all the hard work.

Clusterfeeding doesn’t last long, but it’s real! He’s establishing your supply, so you want him to do this. A top up really isn’t necessary unless he’s not adequately moving milk from your breast.

YouTube saved my breastfeeding journey and my sanity 1-2 months post

He isn’t latching properly. Lips need to be like fish lips, spread out. You would see a lot of lip top and bottom if done correctly.
He will also take the other side if he learns to latch properly.
He will feed faster too. But at the beginning it’s a learning process for both of you!
Cluster feeding happens too, those can last hours but they don’t happen each and every time.

Hope you baby and you get the latch properly so you can also avoid any nipple / lip problems, blistering, blood etc. GLx

Have you practiced the different holds? I struggled with this in the beginning when my son was a newborn. I'd have a different hold for each boob since one is a bit bigger than the other

It takes time and practice. Breastfeeding is tough but be patient with yourself as it's a new skill! I watched a lot of YouTube videos to learn the types of holds and what position your baby should be in for a good latch (I'm a visual learner)

Best of luck and it gets easier once you get the hang of it

Try using nipple shields that literally helped my baby latch I never looked into it until a friend told me cuz she would not latch but now she latches, but def pump more and try eating oatmeal it really helps.

I just ordered a pair! Hope it helps

he likes football hold and recently started liking cradled hold for right boob. But I tried different things for left, and he’s like 🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️🙅‍♂️

pretty much every feeding lasts about 1.5 hr to 3 hours

Definitely try different breastfeeding positions:

Cradle hold

Football

Cross-cradle

Side lying.

usually have your stomach and their stomach face each other and angle their head think of as if you were drinking you tilt back your head or else it’s constricting for them to drink if their chins are tucked in.

Also top part of areola should be exposed while baby’s lips are fish lips around are while eyes are gazing towards bicep.

Definitely talk to lactation consult if there is any oral ties.


Also Great thing to do so you’re not hand expressing so often is give your breasts a massage or ask your partner massaging near the armpit areas there are milk ducts in there. Just soft circles around the breast and also two fingers walk around the breast to get things flowing from those hidden pockets near armpit towards the milk ducts. Think of clearing the highway creating flow and movement. Hope this helps ✨

My current baby rarely nurses more than 5 mins per feed but she does want to eat more often when she's awake but never longer than 9 mins at a time. She is gaining weight normally but what I focus on is her general behavior and she is acting great

The first 2 weeks are absolutely the hardest. Every baby loses some weight after birth but then starts to gain it back. You are almost to the other side, hang in there it will get better!! A lot of mamas give up in the first few weeks because of difficulties nursing and feeling like they “aren’t doing it right” but it looks like you are doing great.

To keep awake on the boob gently blow on baby or rub their feet. Mine used to take ages but I’d do this to keep him awake for a proper feed x

5 min lol. She would drink fast tho

He is absolutely beautiful! Congratulations!
My little one never liked the left side, I found tricking him into thinking it was the right worked well (he usually fed cross cradle, which I always offered first, then when he refused I’d swap him to rugby hold on the left only so he was laying in the same direction as if he was feeding on the right). Used to work quite well. Try not to avoid using the left altogether because it will impact your supply. If he really won’t feed on that side, make sure you pump in place of every feed to stimulate your supply x

I agree with the latch situation. Although my little one doesn’t have a recommended “deep” latch, it’s deeper than this. She struggled at first to feed due to it but then adapted and now feeds are no longer than 5 mins a time.

Although babies can deal with shallower latches than people may think, this one does look to be far too shallow. Babies can’t pucker lips like we can in order to gain a strong suction, so to create this vacuum like latch, more of the breast needs to be in his mouth. You can stimulate the nipple and squish it but equally you also need to encourage baby to move towards it and open his mouth. I would try a few different holds too! The position you have him in means he can’t really search for the breast and he also wouldn’t be able to get much breast in his mouth due to how far away it is 😊 skin to skin contact is also really beneficial in encouraging baby to efficiently latch and feed as they can smell, hear and feel where you (and the nipples) are.

We used nipple shields the entire time because my little one couldn't latch, we still use them now and she's 15 months x

have you tried without them now that she is older?

I remember when I just gave birth I really struggled to get my son to latch and then eventually when I did manage, he only wanted one boob. I had to continuously offer the boob he didn’t want over and over and over and eventually by the time we got home he would drink from both, however he then switched and only wanted the other boob for a period. It was because the let down in each boob is different and they can favour the one that has a quicker let down or sometimes a slower let down depending on the situation. My son had horrible latch issues for months so it was really painful for ages. I was recommended to tilt his head back slightly and put the nipple pointing his nose with the under side of the boob on his mouth and when he opened wide, to push the nipple in there and bring his head as close to your boob as possible! He should look like his mouth is open quite wide over your nipple. My son hated this and would always unlatch just to latch as he wants.

Also I was told in the hospital before I leave that he won’t feed for that long and will want to latch and unlatch frequently. When you start to feel a fluttering/vibrating sensation he is no longer feeding and he is pacifying. I was told when he does that I can unlatch him until he is ready to feed again.. as he got older I could recognise when he was actively feeding and pacifying but those early days it all feels the same

He isn’t latching properly and might be lethargic. My 2nd who absolutely restored my faith in breastfeeding started out this way. A visit from a well experienced midwife will help. That’s what helped me ♥️

Looks like baby just has the tip of your nipple. I found these online classes very helpful https://www.thethompsonmethod.com/

I’m not sure if you have this support where you live but in the uk we have a free breastfeeding support phone line which we’re really helpful for me. Any questions you have they can answer. Hopefully you’ll be seeing your lactation consultant really soon so they can help with latch and things x you’re doing great mama x and congrats on your beautiful little babba

La Leche League also does local meetings in the states. And they have LCs that can zoom you for free!

Omg he is so cute🥺🥺

Thank you everyone for your advice! I really appreciate it ❤️