Many breastfeeding preparation books will state that babies need to nurse every 3 hours. It is important to realize that is the bare minimum; meaning babies need to eat at least every 3 hours. Some babies may nurse every hour or hour and a half, especially when newly born and just getting the hang of breastfeeding. They also have very small stomachs, so frequent feeding is typical. Babies who nurse for shorter durations per session tend to eat more frequently than those who nurse for longer durations.
A baby may nurse 5-15 minutes then be offered the second breast and may or may not accept the second breast. Then there should be a solid chunk of rest after nursing. That may be a 30 minute nap on your chest or something more lengthy. That content resting period between feedings indicates your baby is feeding well.
If it seems that your baby is eating for 45 minutes out of every hour or two and it seems that there really aren’t breaks where your baby is comfortably resting between feedings, that would indicate you may need to reach out to an IBCLC for some breastfeeding support.
