When a child feeds very frequently, it may mean a number of different things. The most common one is that there is a temporary imbalance between what she wants and what your milk supply can give. Many people call this a "growth spurt". Periodically, the number of calories she needs will increase, and by feeding more frequently, she tells your body to make more milk each day. Usually a growth spurt is over in 2-3 days. If her frequent feeding continues longer than this, the next step is to weigh her at the doctor's office. If she is gaining weight nicely, you know she is getting plenty of milk. (If she is not gaining well, then she may need a supplement, but first talk this over with your child's doctor.)

Feeding for 45 minutes is usually due to the fact that your child enjoys the pleasure of sucking and probably is not related to how much milk she is getting. If you would like, try this experiment: after nursing for about 20-25 minutes, end the feeding. See if she will be satisfied sucking on your finger or a pacifier. If she is satisfied, all she wants is to enjoy the pleasure of sucking.

Giving water to an infant is seldom necessary. Eight ounces of breast milk or of formula contains about 7 ounces of water. (When formula is made from powder, we add a small amount of powder to a lot of water.) So if a baby drinks his/her usual amount of breast milk or formula, he/she receives more than enough water. Supplemental water is not needed.

After a year of age, drinking cow's milk is the best beverage, but if another beverage is desired, you can use juice or water. Avoid excessive amounts of water or juice, because this can interfere with your child's appetite.

The scenario you are describing is pain from sore nipples/ cuts in the skin of the nipple. The cause of this condition is trauma from your daughter's sucking. If she does have teeth, she may be biting you. (If this is the case, immediately stop the nursing when she bites, tell her sternly "No biting!", and resume nursing. Do this each time she bites and she will soon stop. Another cause of sore nipples is one due to the position of the infant. If the child is pulling on the nipple or sucking with her head angled up, down, or to the side, it can result in soreness and pain. If the child gets a few drops of blood in the breast milk, it is harmless except in the unusual situation where the mother has an infection spread by blood, such as hepatitis B or C, or HIV/AIDS. Occasionally, a child who has swallowed milk and some blood, spits up the milk and there is blood in it. The blood is the swallowed blood from your breast.