Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for your little one till he or she is 6 months old to 1 year old. Research has further shown that the touch of your body and your eye contact with your cuddly little one at the time of breastfeeding can help develop his or her brain and enhance future learning abilities.
Along with these, breastfeeding is the most beautiful way to establish a unique bond with your baby immediately, helps in burning those pregnancy calories, helps in mitigating postpartum depression, and so on. Here, all you need to do is, take the breastfeeding position that suits you best and follow a healthy diet to increase your breast milk supply.
However, just understanding the benefits of breastfeeding is not enough, sometimes you might even question how long your baby can latch on to your breasts:
How Often Do You Breastfeed Your Little One?
Normally, your newborn will feed 8 to 12 times in 24 hours in the first 2 to 4 weeks of his or her life. In fact, the average time, your child needs to feed is about 10 to 45 minutes. However, not all babies fit the same size. You’ll notice that some babies’ feeding times and lengths will differ from the others. Moreover, since your newborn is most of the time sleepy, the time that he or she is going to take to latch on to your breasts is lengthy and you might really need to be patient while your little one is latching on to your breasts during the breastfeeding sessions. You’ll notice, that while most of the babies are going to feed from both breasts, some of them are just happy feeding from one breast only. If your newborn is feeding from only one breast, try not to stop him or her from sucking, suddenly. Allow your little one to do so until he or she stops latching. Allow the baby, until the hands are no more clenched and your little one slowly doses off again. In fact, during the first few days of your baby’s life, your newborn might breastfeed every hour or many times in an hour – maybe in the evening or at night. (Babies’ feeding for several hours together is known as “cluster feeding”).
In fact, the length of your little one’s feed depends a lot on how long will it take for the milk to flow from your breasts to your baby. While for some of you, and your babies, this might happen quite early, for some of you this might take some time. Well! The amount of milk the baby receives is similar in both cases and if your let your little one to feed at your own pace, she’ll be able to develop a good control over his or her appetite.
How Do You Know That Your Little One Is Getting Enough Milk?
There are several ways through which you will understand that your little one is getting enough milk. They are as follows:
- Your baby might begin with a few rapid sucks, followed by long, rhythmic sucking and swallowing.
- You will be able to hear and see your little one swallowing.
- You’ll notice your little one’s cheek to be rounded at the time of sucking.
- Your little one seems to be really relaxed during the feeding sessions.
- Your newborn’s mouth is moist after the feeding sessions are over.
- Your baby seems to be happy after most feeds.
- You will feel your breasts to be softer.
- Your nipple will not look flattened after the feeds.
- In fact, you’ll feel sleepy after the feeding sessions.
How Will You Know That Your Baby Is Feeding Well?
In fact, there are several ways for you to understand that your little one is feeding well and they are:
- Your little one gains weight easily and rapidly, after the first 2 weeks.
- Your little one will look healthy.
- In fact, from the fourth day onwards of your baby’s life, he or she will pass yellow poop of a size of a coin.
- From the fifth day onwards of your little one’s life, you will notice your little one making the nappies wet quite often. In fact, in the first 48 hours, your little one is more likely to wet 2 or 3 wet nappies.
Breastfeeding is both fun-filled and challenging. But, to properly notice how long is your little one taking to latch on your breasts, it is essential for you to feed your baby continuously.
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