Am I Breastfeeding Enough?

You may want to talk to the doctor about his weight and developement is you are concerned. Also while you there ask about starting the cereal.

To find out if he's getting enough you should multiply his weight X 2.5 ounces. That's how many ounces he should be getting in a 24 hour period. With breastfeeding, that's easier said than done. Your body should adjust to his demand and timing. He is more than likely getting more at each feeding than you realize. If he wasn't getting enough he would be fussing and waking up at night. I wouldn't wake him or you will train him to wake up and want to eat and having him sleep through the night is a real blessing. Around 6 months he should be ready to start on some rice cereal and eventually fruits and veggies, so that will help fill his tummy up during the day as well. You are doing great! I wish you all the best!

you have one of those easy babies that I have heard of!! It sounds like you are doing just fine= be thankful that your baby sleeps that well-- if his weight starts dropping on the weight percentile curve then worry- but otherwise let it be!

L.,

Great for you and your son that you're breastfeeding! My son is also almost 5 mo old and he also sleeps 12 hrs at night (7 to 7:30am). I also 100% breastfeed him and I love it. I plan to breastfeed until he no longer wants to (or until he's 2 yo, whichever comes first).

I hope to help you by sharing with you what I do. First of all, your baby will tell you when he's hungry. He may be taking in a lot of milk each feeding and thus only need 4-5 feedings each day. My son feeds every 3 hrs as well... 7, 10, 1, 4, 7... That's 5 feeding each day. He's been sleeping 12 hrs / night since he was 2 mo old and I used to wake him to feed him until my pediatrician (female) told me to stop waking him and pump and store the milk instead. She said he will not sleep through hunger. :)

I listened to her, and he's currently a happy & healthy 19lbs & 27in long! Not fat, just looks like a 9 mo old!

Please don't interrupt your son's sleep -- he's on a great schedule and obviously his body needs it. There have been studies done linking ADHD with sleep-deprived children.

So, here's my routine: every night, my baby goes to bed around 7pm and I feed him some breast, some bottle (to keep bottles rotated and keep him accustomed to the bottle nipple so he won't reject it if I ever need him to use it). Around 11pm, I pump all the milk I can get out and store (freezer or fridge, depending if fridge milk is low or not) before I go to bed. My breasts used to be extremely engorged and wake me up when I first began to sleep 8 hrs, but they have since adjusted and they're just somewhat engorged in the morning. Raymond just gets a big breakfast then! I'm guessing the same would happen to you, since this is also what the pediatrician and some books have said. :)

To increase your milk supply, pump in the mornings right after he feeds, too. Your body will get the signal that you need to produce more milk b/c you're using more (by pumping). I've pumped in the mornings on occassion, like after travelling across country (physical stress decreases my milk supply temporarily, but that's why it's nice to have stored milk). I don't pump in the mornings regularly and I continue to have plenty of milk.

Oh, and I also take multivitamins, fish oil (no mercury) and recently added a garlic suppliment. I read babies like the taste of garlic in breastmilk and that garlic increases milk supply. You might want to try that when your milk is low.

All in all, remember that we were built to breastfeed our babies. It is a natural thing. Before the time of watches and clocks, women breastfed their babies and their babies slept through the night like ours do and everything worked out. You'll be fine as long as you keep in mind how it works (suppy & demand).

Best of luck to you! Feel free to contact me anytime! It's neat that our sons are the same age!!!

It is absolutely amazing to me what

As long as he is growing don't worry about it. There is no need to rush into feeding him cereal either. When he has a growth spurt he'll probaby start waking more often and fussing to be fed. Your milk may take a day or two to catch up to his needs. If you need to supplement with cereal or formula be sure to pump so that your supply can keep up with him. I'll bet as he grows up you find you have a kid who likes routine and lots of naps. Count your blessings. :)

Hi
My daughter did the same thing at night. I still got myself up to pump though. It will keep your supply up and give you the chance to store some milk for future when you stop nursing. I stopped nursing at 10 months and still had enough in the freezer to last me another month and a half. If he is gaining weight then he is getting enough to eat. You should start rice cereal in am and pm to get him ready for real food at 6 months. Just a couple spoonfuls to give him the taste. I don't think there is anything to worry about. Babies will eat whent they are hungry. He is getting to the age where he will probably start having some nightmares and waking up in the middle of the night. My baby started that at 6 months. good luck

L.,
my daughter did the same thing and even though she always seemed satisfied after eating, she went from the 35th percentile to below the 5th! i felt awful, but my doctor told me that i should just make sure to offer her more milk an hour or so later. i would suggest either trying to nurse again a little later or getting a pump and pumping after he nurses then offering him the milk a little later. in my opinion i wouldn't try waking him up at night. sleep is so important, that if his body needs the sleep, just let him sleep and just try to offer him more milk during the day. my duaghter ended up giving up nursing around six months and refused pumped milk, so we had to switch to formula, which actually made her bulk up much faster. i wanted her to nurse longer, but she just wasn't interested and everything worked out fine. you can always talk to your doctor about starting solids or supplementing if you need to. good luck with everything!

L.,
I would say, trust your baby. He will let you know if he needs more and his needs will go up and down as he grows. For a more educated answer, call the local le leche leaders at ###-###-####. Good luck, M.

L.,
have you ever thought that your son maybe weaning. Some babies start early. That might be something to consider. Also make sure that he is eating enough like baby food, to make sure he is eating. He could also be going thru a growth spurt. That is really good he is sleeping thru the night. When my kids went thru a growth sprut their appetite would slow down then in about a week or so they will eat like they were starving. I hope that you figure out what is happening, and good luck to you and your son.

As long as he is gaining a healthy amount of weight, he is nursing enough. I breastfed my daughter for a year and sometimes I felt like she wasn't drinking anything. She started sleeping through the night at 4 weeks, and rather than waking her to nurse, I just let her sleep. Because she gaining weight normally, her doctor said, "just let her sleep!"

Your milk supply will not diminish. Just keep doing what you're doing! Your body naturally will adapt to whatever your son needs. When he goes through a growth spurt, he will nurse more often, which will make your body produce more milk.

Good for you for breastfeeding! Keep up the good work!

Wow sounds like you have the perfect schedule for a baby. Do not force feed the baby, he will eat when he is hungry. He must be content. When I breast feed, I swear my brest would engourge and he was hungry at the same time, it was great and he slept all night too. You might want to check into starting him on cereal in the bottle at this age if you are worried. Each person is different on their milk supply, I only pumped when we were taking trips. I had to much milk, but I had to stop, because I would leak a fill 5 pads a breast at a time. If he is gaining weight and the doctor says he is doing fine then he's ok. Let your body be your guide. If it dries up then it dries up. Their are great alt milk products out there for your baby. Good luck.
you might want to look into www.mommyandme.com

This sounds like a La Leche League question, but I'd just like to raise the observation that it's not always quantity, but quality of the milk. Over 30 years ago when I was nursing my daughter, my pediatrician said she wasn't gaining enough weight, and I should stop nursing and give her formula. Instead, I talked with a La Leche-connected pediatrician who recommended brewer's yeast to "enrich" my milk. That did the trick! She gained weight, nursed more, and I nursed her until she was almost 3 years old!

Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) when my original pediatrician, happy with my daughter's weight gain, asked how much formula she was taking, and I told him the above story, he fired me as a patient, saying that obviously we had two different philosophies about baby care! In other words, if he couldn't be the boss, he didn't want the job.

I personally would not listen to advice on here. This is something you should ask you Dr. If your baby is gaining the proper amount of weight than it is probably not a problem and you are the luckiest mom around for getting your baby to sleep so well so early on, but definitly check with the Dr.!