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Breastfeeding/4 months old baby nursing only 5 minutes one breast
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Question
my baby reaches to 4 months in next week. He just suck only 5 minutes each side and he seem doesn't want more. I think because i have no more milk anymore, he sucks really strong and quick. Then, i have to change to another side. Every time i nurse him, at first, the milk is not coming out yet, he sound like don't want to. He put his mouth in and out. I try to distract him by singing and talking to him, and finally the milk come out( i feel it) and he suck really strong and quick. He poop 2 or 3 times, and pee 5 or 6 times a day. My question is if i just nurse my baby 5 minutes on 1 side, would my milk is reduced, and is it ok if i feed my baby every 4 hours? thank you very much and i am so appreciate for your answer.
Dear Faye,
First, congratulations for giving your son the best start in life by breastfeeding him!
If your baby is gaining well and seems healthy, he is probably a very efficient nurser and is getting enough milk by suckling for 5 minutes on each breast. Sounds like his urine and bowel output are good.
I am afraid that if you nurse him for only 5 minutes on only one side, he will not get enough milk. And yes, your milk supply would be reduced. As far as feeding him every 4 hours, if he seems satisfied with this kind of schedule, it would probably be okay. However, you have to see whether he seems hungry and whether he continues to gain weight and to have enough wet and soiled diapers.
He may be ready to start solid foods in addition to breast milk. Ask your pediatrician about this.
Best wishes,
Sally
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Author, THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING: Eiger & Olds, 3rd edition 1999, published by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books, and available in most public libraries, bookstores & La Leche League chapters. Now in revision for a fourth edition, with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D.
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Sally Wendkos Olds
Expertise
What do you want to know about breastfeeding? I can tell you what`s good for the baby, what`s good for the mother -- and the father, how it`s related to a woman`s sexuality, how working moms can nurse, how to overcome obstacles, and lots more. As the author of THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING and author or coauthor of 8 other books and more than 200 articles about child and adult development, I can offer sound, sensible advice on breastfeeding, child care and family issues.
Experience
I nursed my 3 daughters and am the grandmother of 5 breastfed children. My book THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BREASTFEEDING (written in consultation with pediatrician Marvin S. Eiger, M.D.) was first published in 1972, and in 1999 came out in an updated 3rd Edition by Workman Publishing & Bantam Books. It is now a classic, with over 2 million copies in print. I am now revising this book for a fourth edition, consulting with pediatrician Laura M. Marks, M.D. This new edition will be published September 2009. I welcome any and all suggestions for the new edition. I coauthored college textbooks A CHILD'S WORLD: INFANCY THROUGH ADOLESCENCE, and HUMAN DEVELOPMENT; both are leading texts in their fields and have been read by 2 million students. I am the coauthor of HELPING YOUR CHILD FIND VALUES TO LIVE BY and RAISING A HYPERACTIVE CHILD, and author of THE WORKING PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE & THE ETERNAL GARDEN: SEASONS OF OUR SEXUALITY. My newest book, A BALCONY IN NEPAL: GLIMPSES OF A HIMALAYAN VILLAGE, published in 2002, tells the story of the way of life in a remote village in Nepal, where all the women breastfeed! My book, SUPER GRANNY: COOL PROJECTS, ACTIVITIES, AND OTHER GREAT STUFF TO DO WITH YOUR GRANDKIDS, will be published March 2009. I speak often to professional, parent and general audiences and make many radio and TV appearances.
Credentials I received my B.A. in English Literature from the University of Pennsylvania, where I minored in Psychology, was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and graduated summa cum laude.
Other points of interest
I have received national awards for my writing, and am a former president of the American Society of Journalists & Authors. I am listed in the World Who's Who of Women, International Authors & Writers Who's Who, and Contemporary Authors, and am a member of several professional and civic organizations. I believe: that all parents are working parents; that parents employed outside the home need special support; that mothers' well-being is crucial to their children's welfare; and that the family is the best institution in the world and the one for which we are least prepared. My thrills come when parents or kids tell me they were helped by my writing or speaking or just understanding.
To find out more about me, go to
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