Brenda: Some mothers take longer than others to have a letdown of their milk. Some factors that can contribute to a delayed or inhibited milk ejection reflex are: sore nipples, engorgement, smoking, alcohol or caffeine consumption, hormonal problems, or stress due to emotional or physical reasons. If a baby is a lazy nurser, a sleepy baby or has a weak suck and not nursing effectively switch nursing may help to keep the baby interested in breastfeeding but under normal circumstances baby should be allowed to nurse until satisfied and finish with the first breast before being offered the second breast. As a feeding progresses, the fat content rises steadily as the volume decreases therefore restricting or timing feeds can lead to to a baby that is receiving too much foremilk and not enough hindmilk resulting in slow weight gain, fussiness between and during breastfeeding and greenish, liquid stools (Woolridge 1988). Resourse: The Breastfeeding Answer Book, LLLI, Revised 01/97, Page 25. With my first child (who is now almost eleven years old), I was also told to limit feeds to 10 - 15 minutes and it was only when she reached approx. 6 months old and was projectile vomitting along with the above symptoms (and I had enough milk to feed an army) that I was finally told to stop switch nursing, to stop clock watching and to follow her lead by letting her decide when she had enough. It did not take long for things to turn around - maybe a week to ten days - and life became a lot easier for both of us from there on. Since then several mothers attending our local LLL meetings have been given the same information - "to finish the first breast first" - and typically the mother reports that the baby is happier, is less gassy and spits up less, is easier to nurse and starts to gain weight at a faster rate. It has been my experience that these mothers tend to be happier about breastfeeding and therefore tend to breastfeed longer as a result. A win-win situation for mother, baby, and everyone else who lives under that roof. Leona Simoes, LLLL P.S. We also had a mother that was told by her doctor to not bother breastfeeding for longer that 10 - 15 minutes because her breasts would be empty after that much nursing. I explained to her that her breasts manufacture milk during breastfeeding and are therefore never 'empty' as well as giving her the above information from the BFAB.