Breast-feeding

Sounds like you are doing just fine! Newborns have very very small tummies, so even though it seems like they nurse for a while, their tummies empty again very quickly. So eating often is normal. He will stretch it out longer as his tummy gets bigger and he learns to nurse more efficiently.

Bigger on one side than the other is also really common and nothing to worry about. Make sure you alternate which side you start on and you'll be fine.

You are making enough milk as long as your baby is having 5-6 wet diapers per day.

Let him nurse as long as he wants to on each side. One of my babies was a slow eater and took 20 min a side so each feeding was about 45 min long. The other baby was really efficient right from the start and was less than 10 min per side. It sound like yours might be slower, and that's ok. Just relax with a book or a tablet in hand and let him nurse. It really is precious cuddle time with your newborn.

Here is a website to get you started: http://kellymom.com/bf/normal/newborn-nursing/

In generally kellymom.com is (IMO) the bible for nursing. I read it a million times through my years of nursing babies. It has reliable answers for almost all nursing questions (and of course you are welcome to ask here too. There are a bunch of moms who nursed here with lots of experience).

Nursing very often is normal at this early stage.

Your 'size' issue may simply be how you are. My left side was always a better producer than my right. Don't worry about it.

Stop looking at the clock first of all. Start his feeding on one side. Let him nurse on that side for as long as he wants to. Do not end the feeding after a certain time frame. Do not end feeding on one side just because a clock said it is time, let him dictate when he's done. When he is done with that side, give him a minute to see if he has any gas bubbles and then offer him the other side. If he doesn't want it, don't worry. If he falls asleep before you can offer the second breast don't wake him up just to try. Just make sure that is the first breast you offer him next time.
Repeat the same thing next feeding. Offer the breast that was second or not taken at all as the first to feed. Let him tell you when he is done eating from that breast. Give him a minute to make sure he has no air bubbles and then offer the other breast. Again, not worrying if he takes it or not.
Growth spurts are incredible common at this age. A baby's stomach is only the size of their fist. Look at how small your baby's fist is and consider how little fits in there at a time. Breast milk is also digested a lot quicker than formula because it is perfectly formulated for baby's needs. Your body also hasn't had enough time to really accurately gauge how much baby needs at any given time.
The best way to tell if you are making enough milk is to watch baby. How much you pump is no indication. How often or for how long baby nurses isn't either. Does baby have enough wet and dirty diapers? Is baby gaining weight? http://kellymom.com/bf/got-milk/supply-worries/enough-milk/
The best way to increase and keep your milk supply is to nurse on demand, not on a schedule. When baby is hungry, nurse. When baby is full, stop. Nursing is all about supply and demand. Baby will demand as much as needed, your body will make enough to meet that demand.
Kellymom is one of my favorite sites with a ton of information for breastfeeding. I highly recommend you take a look around their site. I am certain you will find all the answers you are looking for. Put away all of the ill-informed information I am betting you were sent home with from the hospital. Information I am betting was supplied by formula companies.

To even out, start on alternate sides. A lot of moms put a safety pin or ribbon on their bra strap, so they know which side they start on. If you start getting too lopsided, start on the smaller side more often until you find some balance. Some moms just naturally stay a bit lopsided though- in order to be even,mi had to start on yet right side EVERY time, or it would be crazy lopsided. :/ I also tended to let my dd empty" one side before putting her to the other side.

Also, don't look at the clock- my daughter was an extremely slow nurser. It took her 30-45 minutes per side to be done nursing. Instead of giving him so many minutes per side and calling it done, maybe let him nurse for the 20 minutes on one, then switch and let him nurse until sated. If he starts fussing at the second breast, try switching him back to the first to make sure he really is full.

You know you are producing enough based on how much is coming out of baby, NOT how long baby nurses/ how much you pump. You should see 5-6 wet diapers, and 3 dirty. Don't be alarmed if baby doesn't seem to poop enough, because breast milk doesn't always produce the same amount of waste. For breast fed babies, wet diapers and weight gain are the primary tellers.

To increase supply, you can try to nurse more often. Put baby to breast and encourage nursing- but don't try to force it. You can also pump after each nursing session. This is the route I took, and it have me a great supply and allowed me to stockpile some milk in the freezer for when I went back to work. At first I barely go an ounce after my daughter finished nursing, but by 6 weeks I was able to pump 6-8 oz after each session. :)

Relax. When baby is hungry, baby gets fed. Try not to worry about how long it's been or how long baby nurses. Babies are different. Some eat fast, some it slow, some have a really strong suck, some don't. There are many factors that go into how often your baby needs to eat and for how long your baby will actually eat.

When I nursed my oldest I tried to just let him nurse for as long as he wanted. If he emptied one side and still seemed hungry, I offered him the other. I usually then offered that side the next time.

Don't worry about your supply. As long as your baby is gaining weight and producing enough wet and soiled diapers, you're doing just fine. Many moms worry about producing enough, but truthfully most don't have an issue unless they need to pump or supplement with formula. It can be difficult to produce the same amount with a pump, and if you supplement with formula, your body doesn't usually get stimulated enough to produce enough. I'm not saying there is anything wrong with pumping to make bottles or with using formula! Just letting you know that that can affect your supply.

For now, just try to feed your baby when he's hungry. If he tends to snack a lot right now, just know that that is normal for a newborn. The first few weeks can be a bit rough on a new mom because it really can take that long for the baby to get into an eating and sleeping routine. That's normal! But it's not always easy on a new mom's sleep schedule. What baby really needs is for you to follow his cues - feed him when he's hungry, help him sleep when he needs to sleep and hold him whenever he wants.

Best feeding:
Left side -let him drain it. That may mean 25-30 minutes at this breast.
Burp
Right side-offer it. He may only eat 5 minutes. He may eat 20 minutes. That's ok.
Next feeding, start on right side. Let him drain it ...maybe 25-30 minutes, maybe longer!
Burp.
Left side -offer it. He may only eat a little. He may eat a lot. Both are fine.
Repeat pattern. (Start on left side next feeding)

Doing it this way is important because the hind milk (the milk baby drinks at the end of a breast) has higher fat content. The foremilk is mostly water. Getting that good fat not only helps have a healthy baby, but he will stay fuller longer, and having more fat & less water will make him less gassy.

Good luck! I'm nursing my 5 month old as I type this. I've read a lot about nursing and colicky babies.

Oh and your breasts will work themselves out. They will learn to produce what they need I produce. I have one "stud" and one "dud ". Both produce milk but one just makes more I think because I am more comfortable holding my daughter on one side so I tend to favor that side. I wouldn't worry if I were you. The hospital should have lactation consultants you can call for free.

I think I read this website page 5 times! Please do read even if your baby isn't colicky.
http://www.nbci.ca/?option=com_content&id=13:colic-in...

Sleep deprived and can't remember which side you should start on next? Wear a ring that you switch from hand to hand. If one side is painful with a "knot" in it, start baby on that side. While he nurses, massage your breast at that "knot" to loosen it and relieve pain.

Newborns eat every 2 hours from the start of the last feeding, so it does seem like they eat every hour. Get a good book :-) enjoy having to sit!!!! I love newborn stage :-)

And yes, frequently they prefer one side. It all evens out eventually. Don't worry about it. Also, with all three of my kids, I over produced, so I'd feed one side multiple times to make sure they get to the hind mild. My point is that we don't know your body, so there is no "normal." Feeding on each side left me overproducing.

It sounds to me like you are doing great. Good for you!

Congrats on the new baby!

Marie is right. Start on opposite sides - for now, you could even start on the larger side but not if the baby is nursing often. Mark the side that is to be the "starter" side next time. You can use a pin or you can just use a 2nd nursing pad, whatever you want. The baby will usually nurse more and harder at the beginning of the feeding, rather than when he's filling up or getting tired. If you just are fuller on one side, that's normal. If anything hurts or you feel like you have a clogged milk duct or anything else, that's another story. I'm assuming he's latching on fully because you say things are going well. But it's a tough go for some new mothers to make sure enough of the nipple is in the baby's mouth. But it usually hurts if it's done "wrong" so you're probably okay there!

He's still learning though, so what's happening now is now what's going to be happening in 2 weeks.

To keep your milk supply up, keep up your fluids, nutrition and rest. Yeah, I know - "rest" with a newborn?? Eat smaller, more frequent meals. It's really hard to know how much is "going in" but DO stop and burp a few times so that the baby isn't filled up with air and just feels full but then is hungry an hour later.

And you measure baby's intake by his output. If he has plenty of wet diapers and poopy ones (often right after nursing), then plenty is going in. You'll be going in for frequent appointments anyway, and most pediatricians will let you come in anytime for a free weight check with the nurse - without paying. Weight gain = food going in.

work towards full feedings. You don't want a snacker. Babies who eat every hour can really tax and exhaust mommy, making her milk production slow. A baby who takes a tummy full can go 2-3 hours before the next feeding. If baby can go 2-3 hours before getting hungry, and gaining weight at a healthy rate, then you know you are making enough milk. When I say "work" towards full feeding, I'm not suggesting you don't feed on demand. But there are things you can tweak here and there. Encourage baby to latch and offer breast until they show you they are really done (baby will turn head away). If baby is showings signs of hunger after only and hour or two, then distract or have someone else distract them for 15 min or so to get them good and hungry and more likely to take a full feeding.

There are lots of reasons why baby may be wanting to eat every hour. I had one who did this and it nearly killed me. Turns out she had a weak suck and was not extracting enough milk. In turn I was not stimulated to make enough. It was a downward spiral, but I worked with a lactation consultant and with the right tactics we eventually made it work. I just made that sound so easy, but in all honesty, it was one of the most difficult challenges I've ever had.

You may want to pump after a feeding and top baby off (at this age that would just be a couple of mls) with a syringe of expressed breast milk to encourage baby to make it longer between feedings. You and your body really need that rest. In fact, its very important to your success at BF. PM me if you want me to give you more details.

Start on the smaller side, which will encourage that one to produce a bit more. It's normal. Check with the hospital or your OB/GYN to see if they recommend a lactation consultant. They can be very helpful. They also have special scales that you can weigh the baby on to see how much they're drinking. Stay hydrated. My LC said fenugreek supplements would help - I believe you can get them at any pharmacy. I think there's also a tea.

Output tells you about input. Do you change a lot of diapers? Then baby is fine. Some babies nurse very slowly. Some are very intense. My DD was a 10 minutes, one side, we're done baby. So you'll figure it out with your child. Or perhaps one side will be an underachiever and you'll have to nurse from one side only or mostly on one side. That can be done successfully, too. I was always slightly larger on one side (my better producing side) than the other but it was never a major issue.

I also think Kellymom.com is a great resource for all things breastfeeding. Please also look for a local certified lactation consultant and not hesitate to call if you need help. Most have a "warm line" to speak to someone if you can't make an appointment.

Remember, newborns eat, sleep, and make diapers. If he's eating often, that's just because his stomach is so very tiny. It will space out.

Congrats and try not to fret too much.

I worried so much about output when my daughter was breastfeeding. She could finish both sides in 5 minutes, which was bad for me because she was a crier and it was the only 5 minutes of quiet I could get. :) My pediatrician told me that every visit, DD was gaining weight, so she was just an efficient eater. That carried over to her toddler years, she was the neatest eater. She didn't want to miss a bite. She is now 10, eats every veggie and fruit out there and is a serious swimming and volleyball player.

So, if you are changing diapers and your baby is gaining weight, baby is getting enough. Try to relax and enjoy the ride. I miss those days especially as I am moving towards the teen years!!

Congrats on your baby!! And yeah. For it going well..Great advice below...no worries!! You got this!!