Breastfeeding how long

The natural food source reduces the risk of asthma, obesity, sudden infant death syndrome SIDS , gastrointestinal problems, ear infections, and pneumonia, according to the CDC. So it's not surprising that nearly 84 percent of moms breastfeed their newborns after birth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC.

But despite the countless benefits for Mom and Baby, only 36 percent continue nursing for the recommended time. Don't worry if this is the case; many studies show that formula-fed infants fare just fine. In other words, babies should be fed only breast milk or formula—and absolutely nothing else—for the first six months of life. These will provide all of the nutrition she needs for growth and development.

After six months, you can start introducing solids into her diet while continuing regular nursing; you'll have to experiment to find a feeding schedule that works best. Keep breastfeeding until your baby turns one year old, if you can. You can definitely nurse beyond the one year guideline; in fact, extended breastfeeding has plenty of benefits for brain development, the immune system, and mother-child bonding.

I'm a huge advocate for breastfeeding during infancy until 12 months of age and understand the benefits of continued nursing until the age of 2, but I had no opinion or even background education about extended nursing. What are the benefits of extended breastfeeding? Most of us have heard that "breast is best.

Breast milk contains water, fat, proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and other necessary elements 1. These nutrients double as anticancer agents, antibacterials, antivirals, as well as immune-boosters1.

Breast milk adapts to the needs of the baby and can provide immunoglobulins specific to the illness the baby has1. Due to these components of breast milk, there are several benefits to the infant and child.

These include reduced risk for infections, childhood cancers, cardiovascular diseases, type 1 and 2 diabetes, obesity, dermatitis, asthma, sudden infant death syndrome SIDS , and infant mortality 2.

Breastfeeding is good for both infants and mothers. Breast milk is the best source of nutrition for most infants. Breastfeeding can also help protect the infant and mother against certain illnesses and diseases:.

Breast milk provides the best nutrition for most infants, including premature and sick newborns. However, there are rare exceptions when breast milk or breastfeeding is not recommended. Learn more about contraindications to breastfeeding. Only a few medications are contraindicated not recommended while breastfeeding. However, health care providers should always weigh the risks and benefits when prescribing medications to breastfeeding mothers. Learn more about safe prescription medication use while breastfeeding.

In the United States, the World Health Organization WHO Growth Standard Charts are recommended for use with both breastfed and formula-fed infants and children, from birth to 2 years of age, to monitor growth. The WHO growth charts reflect growth patterns among children who were predominantly breastfed for at least 4 months and were still breastfeeding at 12 months. The WHO growth charts establish the growth of the breastfed infant as the norm for growth and are the standards for how children should grow when provided optimal conditions.

Clinicians should be aware that healthy breastfed infants typically gain weight faster than formula-fed infants in the first few months of life but then gain weight more slowly for the remainder of infancy, even after complementary foods are introduced.

Visit the Growth Chart Training website for a set of self-directed, interactive training courses. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that infants be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months with continued breastfeeding along with introducing appropriate complementary foods for 1 year or longer. WHO also recommends exclusive breastfeeding up to 6 months of age with continued breastfeeding along with appropriate complementary foods up to 2 years of age or longer.

Mothers should be encouraged to breastfeed their children for at least 1 year. The longer an infant is breastfed, the greater the protection from certain illnesses and long-term diseases. The more months or years a woman breastfeeds combined breastfeeding of all her children , the greater the benefits to her health as well.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children be introduced to foods other than breast milk or infant formula when they are about 6 months old. Very few illnesses are transmitted via breast milk.

It's important for your baby to nurse long enough at each breast to get to the hindmilk, which is higher in fat and calories. Ending a nursing session before let-down also leaves your breasts full of milk.

It can put you at risk for painful breast engorgement , plugged milk ducts , a decreased milk supply , and some of the other common problems of breastfeeding.

Try to keep your baby awake and actively sucking at your breast for as long as possible. If your baby is only nursing for a short time less than 5 minutes at most feedings, contact the pediatrician. Poor nursing could indicate a health issue, and you will want to have your baby examined right away. During the first few days of breastfeeding , it's not uncommon for a baby to nurse for a more extended period, or to nurse very frequently.

However, by the fifth day, your milk supply should increase, and your child should be able to get all the breast milk they need within 45 minutes. If your baby is actively sucking at your breast for over 45 minutes at each feeding, it could mean that they are not getting enough milk.

Call your doctor, your baby's pediatrician, or a lactation professional to evaluate the problem and help to resolve it as soon as possible. Babies suck differently on the bottle compared to at the breast. Now, some babies have a difficult time with the bottle and feedings can take long, too. But, since the flow of infant formula or breast milk from a bottle nipple is steady, a bottle-fed baby with a regular, consistent suck can generally finish a bottle in about 10 minutes.

The flow of milk from the breast is not steady like a bottle. Breast milk may start out slow then flow faster once the milk lets down. The flow slows down again as the milk empties the breast.

Breastfed babies adjust their suck speed to the flow of breast milk. They suck approximately once per second or slower when the milk is flowing quickly, and speed up the sucking when the milk flow slows down.

So, the time it takes to breastfeed depends on the amount and flow of breast milk and the baby's suck. If you are worried about how long your baby's feedings are or if you have any questions about breastfeeding your baby, you should talk to the baby's doctor. You should also call the doctor if your baby shows certain signs.

Every baby is different, and so is every mom. Your baby may latch on and breastfeed well from the first feeding or take a while to catch on. You may have no trouble at all with your let-down reflex and building up a healthy breast milk supply, or you may have a difficult let-down and a delay in your milk production.

There are so many things that can affect how long a feeding will take. In the beginning, patience is the key. You and your baby need time to learn together. It can definitely be tough and exhausting if you're breastfeeding for forty minutes every two hours. But, don't give up.