Is your breastfeeding baby having very long breastfeeds?
Sometimes a breastfed baby will seem to feed for hours on end and gets distressed if mum tries to end the feed.
Although in many cases the baby may be comfort-feeding or using his mum as a human soother, often the most common reasons for this are incorrect positioning or growth spurts.
Check that your baby is tummy-to-tummy and nose-to-nipple when you position him. Ask for help if you are unsure. If he is not positioned properly he may not be able to suck and swallow properly. If this is the case then the baby will not be getting enough breastmilk quickly enough and unfortunately if mum ends the feed he will still be hungry!
Sometimes, when a baby is having a growth spurt he will demand frequent feeding. This is simply your baby's way of increasing your milk supply and usually eases off within a couple of days, once the supply has matched baby's demand.
Most babies have growth spurts at 3, 6 and 12 weeks of age.
Another reason for long feeds is that the baby may be using you as a soother. Watch the baby sucking and listen carefully for swallowing sounds. If he is not swallowing you should genltly remove baby from the the breast by placing a clean finger between your nipple and his mouth in order to break the suction. If you think your baby is using you as a soother a lot then at this point you may want to consider introducing one.
