How to Know Baby is Done Nursing at the Breast

Time spend at the breast ≠ amount of breast milk consumed.

Babies can spend 1+ hrs latched to the breast and weigh less than they did when they first started. They can also spend 5 minutes at the breast and consume a full feed.

In general, I avoid recommending a specific amount of time for baby to be at the breast and instead ask: does the feeding frequency and length of time at breast feel good and sustainable for you and your baby? I also recommend that parents learn to watch their babies for signs of active feeding (hearing swallows, wide jaw movements) and feel their breasts for noticeable softness after nursing. Timed feedings cause more focus on the stopwatch (usually on the phone) which can be distracting and stressful if you forget to start the timer. Timed periods at the breast may be helpful when a parent is also incorporating frequent bottles/pumping and we need to limit the amount of time spent in a feeding cycle, but this is a temporary intervention.

There is no inherent concern with time spent at the breast while not actively eating (aka non-nutritive sucking) as many babies find it incredibly soothing to suck at the breast, but if a baby is not gaining weight appropriately despite lengthy amount of time spent at the breast, it is time to get curious about what is going on and why baby is not effectively removing milk. If your care provider tells you to feed your baby for 10-15 minutes at the breast, you should be asking why they recommend this approach.

If your baby is gaining weight well and nursing feels like a positive thing for both you and your baby, time at breast is not a concern 😊

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