Mariah is 3 days old now and has been nursing well from the beginning. My milk came in last night but how do I know if she is getting enough? She nurses for only about 15-20 min every 2-3 hours. Sometimes 30 min sometimes only 10 min. She is actively nursing the whole time and is having the appropriate amount of wet diapers/stools, but it seems too short amount of time to me. She usually ends up falling asleep and I try to wake her up to nurse her more but she is passed out. She is acting satisfied but I am just a worried new momma. She doesnt go to the pediatrician till Tuesday and I just dont want her to lose a bunch of weight. She was born at 7lb 12 oz and when we left the hospital she was 7lbs 2 oz, which they said was fine since she was nursing well and just waiting till my milk came in. So I didnt have to supplement. So my question is how long do your little ones nurse for (I know each baby is way different though). I would just like to hear your experiences and any advice. Thanks so much!

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First of all...I LOVE your siggy picture! She's so cute in her blue!

To answer your question, sounds like she is getting enough to eat. Aspen slept a lot and didn't seem to eat enough the first week, but now she is eating much more frequently. I think the first week they are just so tired that it's hard for them to wake up and want to eat a lot. Aspen usually nurses for about 30 minutes each time. She "grazes" all day though for 5-10 minutes. Last night I think she was doing the cluster feeding for the first time, because she was eating all night. She must be going through a growth spurt or something.

As long as she is having enough wet diapers and poopies I would say Mariah is fine. Aspen was 7 lbs 3 oz when she was born, 6 lbs 11 oz when we left and 6 lbs 15 oz two days ago. Even though she hasn't regained her birth weight yet, the LC said she was doing great!

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it's really quite amazing how efficient our little ones are at getting their nutrition.I had the same worry until I went to a lactation consultant, they weighed my son before and after eating and he took in about 2 ounces in 10 minutes. i would say if she acts satisfied then I wouldn't worry too much about it.

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I think what you described sounds exactly right! She may just be an efficient little sucker (pun intended,LOL) but I would worry more if she was going 4 hrs between. Every 2-3 is more normal for a newborn. Especially If your milk came in now, she might be faster at getting full.

If you are worried she is falling asleep after ten minutes, annoy her (change her diaper, jostle her, etc) and change sides to try and get her to pay attention!

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Oh, she is SO cute!!! I totally agree w/the other ladies. Sounds like you are doing a GREAT job and that she is doing wonderfully. Some babies are more efficient nursers, so it takes them less time to get a good amount of milk. I'm glad it is going so well for you. Keep up the good work!!

I agree with the other ladies sounds like shes doing well. Mariah is a cutie pie.

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Yep, just like the other said...she is doing just great. I had really efficient nursers and they powered nursed so they were like done in 10 mins or under. From the sounds of it, sounds like she is doing wonderful and she is so cute:-)

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Thank you ladies for all the advice and encouragement. Nursing is something that is really important to me and I was determined to make it work even if it took a lot of time and energy. I am blessed that it has been smooth sailing for us so far! Now I can relax until I take her to her Pediatrician on Tuesday. It is so nice having this board to come with questions, and get good answers from experienced moms. Thanks again.

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She sounds like she's doing perfect!

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~ Rebecca ~
Drew 04.09.04
Landon 02.21.06
and Max 05.28.08

You're doing great! I agree - it's all about the diapers. As her tummy gets a little bigger she may stay awake longer (for us that was about day 6 or 7 this time.) If you think shes having trouble getting enough at the start of a feeding you could put a warm, damp washcloth over your breast for a minute before starting a feeding. That makes a world of difference when I'm really full & latching on has been hard for him.

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