Baby suddenly feeding a lot less at 11 weeks?

[december05]

Hi everyone,

My baby is 11 weeks old and has been exclusively breastfed since birth. I've got 2 questions related to breastfeeding:

(1) He has been sleeping for longer stretches (6-8hours),which is GREAT. But then that means I wake up feeling quite engorged and painful. Should I pump to relieve the discomfort or will my breasts adjust themselves to the longer night sleep?

(2) Also, the past two days, he has been nursing a lot less (in terms of total time spent feeding). Usually he eats every 2 -3 hours for at least 20 minutes on one side, occasionally eating a few more minutes on the second side, with a daily total of 2.5 hours. But the past two days he has been eating a lot less.
For example, today, he slept from midnight last night to 7am this morning and then fed for 5 mins. Then nursed for 5 mins again at 10am and fell asleep. Then for 30 mins at 2pm and then slept through until 730pm and then fed for 10 minutes. He's had 5 wet diapers so far which is pretty average.

Is this normal? Is he getting sick?
My breasts feel full (although not painful) - should I pump to keep my supply up?

Many thanks for your feedback and advice!

 

[carang]

some babies become extremely efficient feeders. my two, by 3 months, would never feed more than 5-10 minutes/feed.

 

[lesliefu]

baby is more efficient at sucking, babies wont starve themselves so I wouldn't worry. It's Norma, for babies to feed less meals, that's what your aim is in the long run...to go down to three regular meals a day...

I'd keep pumping to mAintain the level of milk.

 

[Gracey]

That's great news! Sleeping longer and feeding faster are signs that baby is growing up -- and it makes life easier on mom, too.
Yes, your breasts will adjust. My baby started sleeping through at 12 weeks (on and off). And I just let my breasts feel a little full at night for a while, and they slowly went down as the baby fed less at night. It's a natural process. Just leave it alone, and enjoy the extra rest.