When it comes to feeding infants, a mother has to rely on her instincts solely because the child is unable to communicate his needs. Be it with new mothers or experienced ones, feeding your child till he is full is an issue that needs time and understanding of the signs your baby gives when hungry. Apart from that, another important thing for mothers is how long should 2 week olds nurse. Here is some information about how to feed your two week old child, till his hunger is satisfied and other issues that often surround breast feeding.
How Long Should 2 Week Olds Nurse?
Breast milk is an excellent and a complete source of nutrition which your two week old will need for at least a few more months, so do not try and add alternatives such as powder milk and water unless prescribed by the doctor. Infants of this age prefer sleeping for short hours (around 5 to 6 hours) after which they may want to be fed. You should get the signal when they start crying or show jerky hand movements. It is important to note babies don't always just cry because they want to be fed, so if your baby is crying even after being fed, do not take it lightly.
Babies usually feed for around 10 to 15 minutes per breast, but each baby may vary in routine and duration, so try and note down a pattern and set a schedule. The baby will feed for approximately 10 to 12 times per day, do not over feed the baby, try and set a restriction time for him per breast so that he starts to settle himself in a routine.
Is the Baby Getting Enough Nutrition?
To answer this question, mothers should look for certain signs which are indicative in case of proper nutrition and health.
1. Frequency of Diaper Wetting
For a baby who is feeding at least ten times per day, a diaper change after roughly every four hours is generally considered normal. If you suspect your baby is not getting enough feed, then try and observe how often he wets his diaper. For babies who are 2 week old, around 3 table spoons of urine should be excreted after every feed. To try and get an idea of how heavy the diaper should be, take a wet diaper and pour 3 table spoons of water and hold it in your hands, this should give you a rough comparison.
Although this value is rough estimate of how much urine babies should pass, one must note that every baby is an individual case and amounts excreted in urine are also different. Talk to your doctor if you feel your child isn’t wetting his diaper enough.
2. Stools
Babies on maternal breastfeed usually have soft and runny stools (since their diet is mainly liquid based). It should be pale yellow in color and may even be curdled. Babies often tend to pass stool 3 to 4 times per day. Some babies will pass stool while they are feeding, this is not something to worry about, so do not panic.
3. Weight
A baby, who’s being fed around ten times per day, should gain around 170 grams of weight every week. Take tour baby for a regular checkup and compare his weight to the previous week’s weight, if it shows a steady rise, your baby is getting good nutrition and you have nothing to worry about.
If you are still not satisfied with your babies feeding time, make a small estimate of the amount of time he spends feeding per breast. According to the Wisconsin Association for Perinatal Care, a healthy baby should feed for around ten minutes per breast, and total feeding session on both breasts can last up to 40 minutes if the baby is sleepy.
For more information, watch the following video:
More Facts on Nursing Your Baby
1. First Growth Spurt
Growth spurts can start showing after 2 weeks. It has been observed that in some cases, these can cause irritation and pain to the child that is presented as grumpiness, agitation, irritation and crying spells. Mothers should try and feed the child more so that the baby gets proper nutrition in their growth phase.
2. Nursing Stress
For new mothers, keeping up with the babies’ routine can be stressful at times, try and take things as they come. Do not worry about your stress affecting your milk production. In such case, changing the feeding pattern and getting some extra help can be useful to cope up with the stress.
3. Coordinate with the Baby
Since it is the baby who will set the routine of feeding, sleeping and all other matters such as urination, try and set your routine in accordance with his needs; do not try and time him on the dot. Variations and changes are normal if the baby sleeps for a long time. Do not wake him up to feed him forcefully, let him wake up naturally. When he wakes up after proper sleep, he will feel hungry and hence will also feed well. In this way you can incorporate time for yourself and the baby. Additionally, do not keep track of time when your baby is nursing comfortably; let him nurse as much as he wants and as long as he wants on one breast before allowing the switch. Longer duration of suckling on one breast is suggestive of adequate milk production and it is also healthy for baby as hind-milk is more nutritious and higher in calorie content that is required for optimal growth and development.
Here is a video to further help you understand some nursing facts relating to a two weeks old baby.
