Nursing Question

Don't worry about it. I put my 7wk old down about 11pm and she wakes up around 5am, aside from my breasts being full and ready to feed her, I'm not worried about drying up. Enjoy the sleep!!

I was just reading everyone's answers and thinking, "Wow,the breastfeeding process is such a MIRACLE"!!
I just wanted to tell you that it does get easier, and you realy reap the benefits as the baby gets older (way less engorgement issues, soooo convenient, baby eats more effieciently...mine can do a full feeding in 6 minutes!). plus the money you save...whew! I just wanted to say you are doing a GREAT job, keep asking questions or for support, and that we are all here for you!:)
Take care!

T.,
congratulations on your new baby! I have a four month old and you wouldn't think that two months makes a difference,but it really does. The breastfeeding thing becomes like second nature by this time. I would suggest getting your rest b/w 9-2 when the baby is asleep. If you feel like you are engorged during this 5 hours just keep a manual pump next to your bed and extract some milk from each side for about 2 minutes just to take the pressure off. Otherwise, sleep away! By six weeks your milk supply is sufficient and as long as you are breastfeeding most of the time, you won't run out of milk. Your body will adjust no matter what...it really is amazing. Feel free to ask me any questions...I am learning as I go, but everyday gets easier!

hi T... I nursed my daughter and boy did she love to sleep. She would go to be around 9 and not wake up until 7 am for a feeding. (ouch) I had started setting my alarm to wake us up for a feeding. I told the doctor about this sleeping habit she had (and how painful it was if i didnt get up to nurse her) He had told me that your body wont stop producing milk. I asked about pumping as well and he said that i didnt have to. Your body will adjust to baby. We adjusted and things worked out great. Also, a 5 hour spread between feedings is normal. My best advice would be call your pedeatrician and ask. They usually have lactation consultants that can give you good advice. Congrats on new baby and good luck with everything..

no. your body adjusts to make less at night while maintaining the normal supply at other times

Hi T.,

Congratulations on your new baby!! It is great that she is sleeping so well. You don't have to pump in between as your body will adjust to her schedule and will learn to make milk when she needs it. If you are uncomfortable, you can pump to relieve the pressure. Or if you want to build up a frozen stash, you can pump to build up your frozen supply. I used to pump after my son went to bed to build up my frozen stash. It also helped with engorgement because he was a good sleeper too. Your supply will regulate to when your baby is feeding - but if you want to keep it up a little so you have extra, then you can pump. It really just depends on what your goals are.

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

J.

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Hi there! It's wonderful that your 2 month old will sleep from 9-2! There is no need for you to pump between those feeds. Your body will adjust to your baby's needs, especially on a routine like that. It's a beautiful process!

I am not a lactation expert but I am a mom who has excusively breastfed two children, one to 22 months (he's now 15 years old) and one till ? (still going strong at 25 months). If you are providing all of your baby's milk and your baby doesn't feed between 9p and 2a then you are not going to "dry up." Your body may not make as much milk during that particular period of night but you will continue to be able to supply the other feedings. I have always found that amazingly enough, your baby seems to know what she needs and will command your body to meet those needs... and even more amazingly your body will. Example, my toddler is now in full-time childcare but on weekends he wants "mommy milk" during the day. My body still manages to provide enough mommy milk on weekends during those midday feedings even though Monday through Friday I'm not even pumping anymore??!!! Worse case scenario, if your baby starts waking at 11p and wants milk all of a sudden, she will start nursing and it will be slow going at first (and there may be some frustration on both sides) but eventually your body will provide her what she needs. Now, it's a different story if you have stopped nursing all together... but for now, don't worry and trust that your baby knows what she needs in terms of "mommy milk."

Your body learns to supply the milk as needed. You will not dry out if your baby is nursing every day. You are fortunate if your baby only wakes up once overnight at 2 months. She must be getting enough milk to satisfy her hunger when she nurses before bedtime. Use the time to get the rest you need.

Supply meets demands. Your breast will adjust to what your child needs. As long as nursing continues at other times, your breast will have what is needed. When growth spurts happen, your child will nurse more and magically everything she needs will be there. 9 to 2 is great!! enjoy it. Just make sure to sleep when she is sleeping :)

You don't need to pump during the night, you won't dry up! your body will miraculously adjust to your schedule. If you're feeling engorged, you can pump a little, but it will stimulate more milk coming in at night. It's best to just go with the flow. Literally. Keep up the good work!

Hi Theresa,
There is no need to worry about your milk drying up. Your body is a perfect production machine. Your daughter sets the program and your body responds. It does take a couple of days...If your daughter nurses every 2 hours, then your body produces milk for every 2 hours. If your daughter only nurses in the mornings, then every morning your body will produce milk...pretty cool huh? At 2 months old, your daughter should be able to sleep more through the night...it will take about 2-4 days for your body to adjust (so you may have some leaking), but then it will produce only when needed! Also, as she hits growth spurts...she will eat more frequently, signaling to your body that she needs more...once she has "boosted" production, then she will resume a more relaxed schedule at a higher level of production. I'm amazed at how perfect God made us to feed our little angels!

Absolutely do not pump! The neatest thing about our bodies and what the baby needs is that your body will adjust to exactly what your baby is taking. At night when she sleeps longer you will at first be a little more uncomfortable until your body adjusts to this schedule. Then your body will reduce a little what it is producing at night. If you start pumping, your body will take this as a cue and start producing more. Then you will set yourself up for this new schedule and you will always need to pump at this time. Let your baby regulate your milk supply. And be thankful that she is sleeping!:)

No, you don't need to get up to pump if your daughter is sleeping for longer stretches at night. Your milk supply is a total supply and demand system, it will regulate itself to what your daughter needs. The one caveat to it would be if you need to build up your stored milk supply. In that case, you could continue to wake to pump and freeze for awhile. If you are anything like I was when my children were 2 months old though, you are going to want all the sleep you can get! Good luck!

Hi T.~
Don't worry about pumping. Get yourself to bed by midnight, because 12am - 5am is when your body produces the most milk. Your daughter is smart to wake up during that time. Your milk will not dry out as long as she's nursing often during the day.
~C. (mother of a nursing toddler)

Relax, If you are comfortable(meaning not sore or leaking) until 2 am then just let your daughter feed when she is ready. Your body will do amazing things relating to breastfeeding. As long as there is a demand for milk(your hungry girl) there will be a supply. Simple rules of supply and demand. Relax I am sure you are doing fine. We breastfeeding moms always worry so much. Your body will change and adapt to your child and you will go along for the ride so enjoy it. Hope I helped if not contact the local leleche league, they are so helpful. Or contact me.

Pump if you want some extra on supply or if you're breasts feel too full since there is a big time gap. Otherwise, take the time to take a break from nursing. As your baby sleeps longer over night, your milk supply will adjust as well. You won't dry out! That's what I did with both of my daughters.

When my kids were infants, I didn't go to bed until about midnight, so I pumped right before I went to sleep. Usually my kids woke up an hour or so later, and there was enough of a supply to satisfy them and help them fall back to sleep. But you have to figure out what works best for you. Some mothers may pump only one side to leave enough on the other side for a feeding. There's many different ways to handle this, and I wish you good luck and congratulations on the new addition!

T.,

If she's eating well outside of that 5 hour block, there's no need to pump. Your supply will adjust itself and make more at other times and less while she's not eating. If it's convenient for you to pump, and you want to start a freezer stash, I say go for it. From 3-6 months DD was going to bed around 7 and not waking until 12 or 3 for a feeding so I'd pump at 10 or 11 before I went to bed.

S.

I also have a two month old that has a similiar schedule. I never even thought of that. He has been doing that for at least a week and my milk supply is fine, at first I had to pump to be comfortable to sleep but now I am fine. My son does nurse about every two hours during the day. My sister's kids sleep through the night - 6 hours - and her supply has always been fine. In conclusion, I would only pump if you are uncomfortable

Hi:
That's great that you are getting a five hour stretch! I would take advantage of that sleep period and get some sleep. Milk supply is supply and demand so your body will adjust and if you're nursing on demand you shouldn't have any supply issues. I wouldn't start pumping during that time because then you'll always have to pump then or else you'll get engorged. It's ok for a 2 month old to be doing a 5 hours stretch.

Enjoy~

Your milk isn't going to dry out, don't worry! The only reason I would say to pump in between is if you needed expressed milk stored for if she bottle feeds. Otherwise it's not necessary, really that just creates more work for yourself. Your body knows what to produce & when just by nursing baby.

As the other moms have said, enjoy your sleep. Your milk will regulate. And by the time your daughter is about 6 months you may not have any leaking... goodbye nursing pads :-) My daughter is 12.5 months and I'm just stopping nursing her. She was down to 1 time a day (in the morning) and she had enough milk every morning for a good 'snack'.

Keep up the great work!
R.

I'd call up a lactation consultant for the best advice. If your daughter isn't eating between 9 and 2, why would you pump if she doesn't need the feeding? I don't think youre milk will dry out, but your body would just get used to the schedule w/o the extra feeding.

Not usually. Are you feeding her during the day about every 2 hrs. When I breat fed all 3 of my children ( twins ) my last feeding around 11pm. I would make sure I would wake them every 2 hrs during. They are great sleepers too. A daughter who is 5.5 and my twin boys are 3.5. I hope this helped. Good luck and take care

Angela

Enjoy your sleep! Our bodies adjust to the baby's sleep schedule and she will probably have a bit more milk throught the day to get what she needs. What a great sleepy little one you have!