Take your time and enjoy the breastfeeding period
Breastfeeding frequency varies from time to time. Sometimes your baby might drink breast milk up to 12 times a day with one session ranging from 10-30 minutes. Sometimes the baby might breastfeed for 30 minutes and then sleep for 4-5 hours. This will keep on varying.
During the early stages, it might get a bit tough for the mother because of the varying and unstable intervals of breastfeeding. It is important to stay calm during this time and make sure that the baby is getting enough breast milk and that both the baby and the mother are enjoying this time.
Too short breastfeeding period
When the breastfeeding intervals are just a few minutes long and the baby isn’t getting enough breast milk, moreover the baby cries are every 30 minutes. There can be the following reasons:
- The baby can’t latch on
- Poor health and frequent vomiting
- There are problems with the mother’s breast.
Too long breastfeeding period
The following can be the reasons for too long breastfeeding periods:
- Baby not being able to latch on well
- Baby drinks breast milk out of the feeling of security and not just for nutrition.
- The bond between you and your baby.
It can be a sign of weaning
It is possible for some babies to stop breastfeeding during the early stages at around 1 year even though WHO recommends keeping breastfeeding until the baby is 2 years old. It can be a sign of weaning. Consult a professional and don’t go for force-feeding the baby or force weaning.
