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We’re often asked how long an average nursing session should last. There is no right answer to this and no relationship exists between the length of a nursing session and how much milk is consumed by baby.
In terms of breastfeeding basics, the best rule of thumb is to allow for cue-based feeds and let baby set the pace of their breastfeeding schedule. How are baby’s poops? How is baby’s weight gain? Are you seeing/hearing lots of active swallowing at the breast? Is baby content after feeds? If so, you likely have nothing to worry about.
How long is a typical breastfeeding session for you?
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Comments
My little is 27 months and she nurses for 5-10 min each side x2. 4-6 sessions during the day and sleeping 8 hour stretches at night. A bit o representation for those “extended nursing” mamas. ❤
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Legendairy Milk replied:
❤️
My 8 month old nurses for about 5-10 minutes each side. Just enough for a letdown and onto more play! At night hes a bit more patient and will go for the second one or pacify me and then eventually gets a second letdown.
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Legendairy Milk replied:
😊❤️
When my baby was a newborn to about 3 months he would nurse 30-40 min. Now he’s almost 5 months and it’s been varying from 5-10 with a couple burp breaks, he’s also been getting more distracted and seems uninterested after 3-4 min on one boob then I try to switch. I worried he’s not eating enough but he’s been gaining weight. At night his last feed before bed is varies between 12-20 min
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Legendairy Milk replied:
Babies begin to get creative while nursing around 3- months! 😊
Some experimenting can be helpful. Some people find having a toy handy or tied to a bra strap helps those fidget fingers to have something to play with and twiddle and still focus on nursing. Singing to your baby while they nurse and are hands-y can be distracting for them enough that they are engaged with you and not fidgeting with fingers while feeding.
If you are having weight concerns, following up with your pediatrician is also a great start.
My 6 month old has about 5-10 min sessions at this point. When he started it was 45 min feeds and slowly became less time. He’s 19lbs 10 oz, happy and healthy.
My 6mo old nurses anywhere from 10-30 min. He does seem to distracted as he gets more observant of his surroundings, so that’s partly why he takes longer at times. He also likes to fall asleep at the breast for his naps, so sometimes it’s just nurturing and not actively sucking. I gauge his full meter by being able to put himself to sleep – if he’s still hungry he will not sleep! Up until I started cash cow, around mid-day I’d have to supplement with a bottle of pumped milk because he was getting flustered at the breast due to not getting enough and wanted to go down for a nap but couldn’t until he was satisfied.
Happy nursing mamas!
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Legendairy Milk replied:
Thank you for sharing, and congratulations on 6 months! We’re excited to hear Cash Cow is working well for you and your little one! ❤️
