How Long Should a Breastfeed Take? One Side or Both

The honest answer

La Leche League GB puts it in one sentence: length of feed is irrelevant — some babies take a full feed in four minutes per side while others take forty minutes to get the same amount, and you cannot tell anything about the milk from the length of the feed. The Australian Breastfeeding Association makes the same point in describing feeding patterns in the early months: patterns vary, and what matters is watching the baby rather than the clock.

That is unsatisfying if you are trying to work out whether something is wrong. So here is what the ranges actually look like, with the caveat that they are descriptions, not targets.

Roughly what to expect by stage

• First few days. Feeds can be long and disorganised, often 30 to 45 minutes, with a lot of pausing. Colostrum is small in volume and babies are learning.
• First few weeks. Commonly 20 to 45 minutes, though evening feeds can run much longer as babies cluster feed.
• Six weeks to three months. Often 10 to 20 minutes as babies become efficient.
• Three months and beyond. Five to ten minutes is common, and some babies do it in four. This is efficiency, not a supply problem.

Frequency matters more than length. The HSE says that in the early days it is common for a baby to feed 10 to 12 times in 24 hours, dropping to around eight as their stomach grows. The ABA gives 8 to 14 feeds or more in 24 hours in the early months.

One side or both?

The workable rule is: finish the first side, then offer the second.

"Finish" means your baby comes off by themselves, or stops actively swallowing and starts fluttering. La Leche League GB's explanation of milk fat is why this matters: fat content rises as the breast is drained, because fat globules are gradually released by successive milk ejections. Swapping sides on a timer means your baby gets two lots of the lower-fat milk that sits at the front of a full breast, and misses what comes later.

• If they take the second side, good. Start the next feed on that side, so both get used.
• If they refuse it, that is a complete feed. The ABA notes that to start with, babies may be satisfied or fall asleep after only one breast and then wake soon for the other, and that over time they usually start taking both at each feed.
• If they always refuse the second side and are gaining well, nothing needs changing — though it is worth alternating which side you start on.

When switching sides is deliberately useful

Switch nursing — moving your baby to the other side each time they stop actively swallowing, several times a feed — is a technique for babies who fall asleep quickly or are not transferring enough. It is used alongside breast compression to keep milk flowing. It is a fix for a specific problem, not a routine.

What to watch instead of the clock

The NHS and HSE both describe the signs that a feed is going well, and none of them is a duration:

• A deep latch, with more of the underside of the areola in your baby's mouth than the top.
• Rhythmic, deep sucking with visible or audible swallowing, and the jaw moving as far back as the ear.
• Rounded cheeks rather than dimpled ones.
• Your baby coming off by themselves, looking relaxed and satisfied.
• Feeding that does not hurt. A strong tug is normal; a pinch is not.
• Six or more heavy wet nappies a day from around day five, and weight gain over time.

Why timing feeds causes problems

The ABA lists timing feeds — limiting how long a baby feeds — as one of the causes of a dropping supply, because a baby who is taken off early removes less milk and signals for less to be made. Feeding schedules and rigid rules about ten minutes a side belong to an era of bottle-based advice and do not match how breastfeeding works.

Feeds that are too long or too short to ignore

Ask your midwife, health visitor, public health nurse or an IBCLC lactation consultant if:

• Feeds routinely last an hour or more and your baby is still unsettled and not gaining weight.
• Feeds are very short and your baby is not gaining, or has few wet nappies.
• Your baby falls asleep within a couple of minutes at every feed and cannot be roused.
• Feeding hurts, at any length.
• Your baby is under two weeks old, sleepy, and not waking to feed at least eight times in 24 hours.

Short feeds plus good weight gain and plenty of wet nappies is one of the most common non-problems in infant feeding, and one of the most common reasons people are wrongly told to top up.

Feeds that get shorter suddenly

A baby who was feeding for twenty minutes and now takes five has usually just got better at it. This happens most obviously between six weeks and three months, and it often coincides with breasts becoming soft, which makes the change feel more alarming than it is. If nappies and weight are unchanged, nothing needs doing.

Feeds that get longer suddenly

Longer, more frequent feeds for two or three days usually mean a growth spurt or a period of increased demand, and they resolve. Longer feeds that persist for a fortnight, with a baby who never seems satisfied, are worth assessing — it is usually a transfer problem rather than a supply problem, and it is fixable.

Distraction after about four months

Older babies pull off constantly to look at what is happening. It shortens feeds dramatically and is a developmental stage, not a rejection. Feeding somewhere dim and quiet, or when they are sleepy, usually restores the longer feeds until the phase passes.