This is because the tummy to tummy position changes the angle of the infant's head to the breast. If the nipple or a finger is touched to the infant's lips or cheek, the child will turn toward the breast on the same side and open the mouth to grasp the nipple. If this technique is used, the mother must be careful that the baby does not end being positioned with the head turned, which is likely to cause the infant to suck poorly. As a rule, the baby nurses at each breast at a feeding. The breast used to initiate the feeding should be alternated.
Some babies nurse rapidly and some slowly.
They usually get most of the milk during the first few minutes, but should be allowed to continue. The average nursing time is 15 to 20 minutes at first, but after 2 to 3 weeks, when the milk begins to flow more rapidly and the baby sucks more efficiently, the time may be reduced to as little as 10 minutes. A new set of definitions of breast feeding which recognizes levels of breast feeding behavior has been proposed. Occasional, irregular breast feeds are referred to as token or comfort feeding, a category set apart from breast feeding. This appears to be an issue of the process of breast feeding.