Is Your Baby Nursing for an Hour and STILL Hungry?

Is your baby nursing for an hour and still hungry? Here’s why it may be happening and what you can do to address this issue.

Baby Nursing for an Hour and STILL Hungry

As a first-time mom, I assumed breastfeeding would be easy and natural. Instead, I had blistered and bleeding breasts on top of a newborn constantly hungry and crying. Nursing would take an hour, which made me wonder whether he wasn’t getting enough milk.

Once he was finally done, he barely had enough time to be awake, burp, and get his diapers changed before it was time for his next feeding again. You can imagine why I felt like a milk factory.

How do you cope when you feel glued to your baby all the time? Thankfully, I learned a few tricks to tackle these long nursing sessions. Take a look at these tips to help you get through this stage. As these parents said about the article:

“Amazing. This helped me so much. Thank you!!!!” -Beatrice

“Thank you so much for this article because I was feeling like a failure.” -Rae

Keep your baby awake during feedings

The biggest culprit for hour-long nursing sessions? Your baby is likely dozing off. Sure, it might look like he’s still nursing, especially when you see his lips and mouth move. But sometimes, it’s hard to tell if a baby is hungry or wants comfort.

This is especially tricky with breastfeeding because you can’t see a decrease in milk the way you can with a bottle. And when you take him off the breast, you’re not sure if he’s crying because he’s still hungry or if he needs to suck to fall asleep.

To avoid this situation, make sure that he stays awake during feedings. Change positions or switch from the first breast to the second. Burp him frequently or tickle or talk to him while he eats.

Then, make sure he’s actually eating by listening for a swallowing sound and looking for movement in his throat. Even though his mouth is moving, he may not be swallowing milk.

And if he’s nursing for comfort, see if you can slip a pacifier in his mouth. This gives you a break while allowing him to comfort suck to sleep.

Expert tip

Feed him after he wakes up, not to fall asleep. This way, he’s not relying on cluster feeding all night to fall asleep and is less likely to doze off while eating. Other than the bedtime and middle-of-the-night feeds, nurse him after he wakes up.

Free resource: Do you struggle with getting him to sleep? His awake time just might be affecting how well he sleeps or not. Grab your copy of One Mistake You’re Making with Your Baby’s Awake Time—at no cost to you. You’ll also get my newsletters, which parents say they LOVE:

“Hi, Nina! I have enjoyed every email I’ve received from you, and find you to be such an understanding and genuine resource when it comes to motherhood. So, thank you! Your emails have been such a resource for me when I’ve needed it (which is often!).” -Mayen Ruiz

One Mistake You're Making with Your Baby's Awake Time

Empty each breast before switching

In the early days, I didn’t know that breast milk came in different stages.

The fore milk is the first to come out, which is more watery and easier to suck. The hind milk follows, and this is creamier, whiter, and fattier. You can see the difference between the two if you pump—the first few ounces are lighter and more watery.

Here’s the thing: the hind milk is more likely to fill up your baby, but if you switch too early to the other breast, he doesn’t get as much of it.

Instead, make sure to drain each breast so that he’s drinking from one side completely before switching to the other. This ensures that he’s getting both sides of the breast and that he’s filling up on his calories.

Expel excess gas

I didn’t realize until later that my baby’s shrieks and cries sometimes had more to do with gas than the need to nurse. What I thought were hunger cues were actually signs of discomfort.

Before assuming your baby wants to feed more, try a few baby burping tricks to expel excess gas from his body. You might hold him upright to burp, sit him on your lap and lean him over, or hold him on your forearm, tummy side down.

You can also try to squeeze the gas out in farts by laying him down on his back. Then, gently move his right elbow toward his left knee, as if they were about to touch over his body. Repeat the same with the opposite limbs. This elbow-to-knee trick helped my baby fart a lot of gas that wouldn’t come out in burps.

14 Baby Burping Tricks

Take extra care of your breasts

Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

When does breastfeeding stop hurting with all these constant nursing sessions? After all, your breasts may not be getting a much-needed break these days. Still, you can squeeze in proper care so that they’re able to heal when your baby’s not nursing.

First, apply lanolin cream (or breastmilk) on your nipples before and after nursing sessions. This can add an extra layer of protection while you feed and help your nipples heal after.

Then, try to air dry your breasts whenever possible. You might leave them exposed while you burp your baby, for instance, or take a nap without your top.

If going topless isn’t your thing, you can wear breast shells so that your nipples aren’t rubbing against your clothes. These were a lifesaver for me! They give your breasts space to breathe while still keeping you covered.

When Does Breastfeeding Stop Hurting

Frequently asked questions

Are long feedings a sign that I’m not producing enough milk?

Not necessarily. Instead, this may be your baby’s way of increasing your milk supply. The more you nurse, the more milk you produce.

Newborns have small stomachs that can’t hold as much milk as ours can. Lastly,
breastmilk metabolizes quicker than formula, which can make for more frequent and longer feeding sessions.

Conclusion

It’s easy to feel frustrated when your baby is nursing for an hour and still hungry for more. But rest assured, this will pass. You’re not doing anything wrong—nor are you destined for sleepless nights and blistered breasts.

With these tips, you can make sure that your baby is getting the milk he needs—without taking an hour each time.

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One Mistake You're Making with Your Baby's Awake Time

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7 Comments

  1. Shenandoah says:

    So not only is my baby doing all of this but isnt pooping the way he should either. Help, is he getting enough????

    1. Nina Garcia says:

      Hi Shenandoah! Start recording his poop and pee on a log, including the type of poop you see. That way, you can bring it to your doctor who would be able to assess any issues. I know when my babies were newborns, their doctor wanted us to record all of these, especially in the beginning, so she could pinpoint any issues if there were any. I hope that helps!

  2. Amazing. This helped me so much. Thank you!!!!

    1. Nina Garcia says:

      Thanks for letting me know, Beatrice!

  3. Omg this is exactly what I’m going through first time mom here with a 3 week old and he will switch between breasts for 2 hours sometimes and still be rooting and sucking his fists so I make a 2 ounce bottle and he downs it in 5 minutes. It’s so hard to be able to pump in between feeding him to build up a stash for when I go back to work. He has plenty of poop and pee filled diapers so I know he’s getting something. I’m going to try the gas trick bc I think he has a lot of gas most times. Thank you so much for this article because I was feeling like a failure.

    1. Nina Garcia says:

      You’re definitely not alone, Rae <3 Hopefully the gas trick works and he starts feeding smoothly.

    2. Simonmary says:

      Hello Rae
      Are you still giving bottles after the feedings? I have the same problem and don’t know how to deal with it. Thank you