Baby Development – British Study Finds Short Breastfeeds Best for Baby

By Colleen Hurley, RD, Certified Kid’s Nutrition Specialist

A common worry for breastfeeding mothers is knowing when your baby has had enough to eat.  Just like babies let you know when they are hungry; they typically stop eating when they are full.  This has also been touted as one of the many benefits of breastfeeding because it prevents over-feeding which can lead to weight problems later in life. Traditionally, advice had been aimed at limiting the amount of a time a baby nurses.  Yet over the past several years, recommendations have shifted to allowing the baby to dictate how long and when feedings take place.   New research, however, has found that shorter breastfeeding time may be more beneficial for the baby.

The baby-led method of breastfeeding allows the baby to feed for as long as she needs from the first breast and that switching breasts during feeding is not necessary.   Dr. Anne Walshaw and colleagues discovered that regular feedings at 10 minute intervals on each breast resulted in both a higher rate of breastfeeding and increased weight gain.  Midwives warn this method is not a one size fits all approach.

Why would increased weight gain be beneficial?  Researchers noted a significant decrease in weight gain in breastfed babies after the baby-led method became more common.  Observing 63 mothers who exclusively breastfed, Walshaw and associates divided the women into 2 groups. The first group was instructed to feed their babies for a maximum of 10 minutes on each breast about every 3 hours throughout the day as well as at night if needed.  The rest of the mothers were told to feed their babies as they wanted and to only offer the second breast if the babies appeared to be still be hungry. 

It turns out, three quarters of the mothers who followed the traditional method of about 10 minute feedings per breast were still nursing at 12 weeks while less than half of the mothers from the baby-led method group continued to nurse.  In addition, babies who were fed for around 10 minutes from the breast had increased weight gain during the first 6-8 weeks of life. While the results may seem counterintuitive, researchers conclude that extending nursing time can actually interrupt a mother’s internal system for milk production. 

Release of the hormone oxytocin is necessary to trigger a mother’s “let down” reflex, which sends the milk from the breast cells to the nipple.   When babies stay on a breast for too long, oxytocin production is disrupted.  Also, if babies to do not nurse on the second breast, which is full of milk, a protein is produced that signals the mother’s body to stop producing milk.  This process can alter the feeding process for several hours, possibly days. The researchers conclude babies feeding from both breasts actually receive more milk and the shorter feeding times can lead to increased weight gain and other positive benefits.