Newborn Sleeps All Night, Will This Affect My Milk Supply?

K.,

"My newborn baby sleeps through the night, is that OK?"

Girl, hit your knees and thank God that your little one can do it. And sleep when she sleeps, because maybe she'll change sleep patterns as her brain & body develops in the coming months.

But you've got to know that the statement, "My newborn baby sleeps through the night, is that OK?" makes a lot of mommies jealous. It's like a super-fit woman walking around shoving donuts and candy in her mouth an saying, "I don't excercise and can never eat enough garbage food, but I always seem to have a nice, flat, toned tummy. Is that a good thing?" :)

You're a lucky girl. I had all 3 co-sleeping the first 6-9 months. It's magical. Do you have the little set of wedges or cylinders which keep her on her side (and ensure you don't roll onto her if you're a really heavy sleeper)? Those are great.
If you're really concerned about engorgement and keeping the supply, you could set an alarm (like a cell phone on vibrate) and pump a little bit just to relieve pressure. But your body will match production with demand (It's really cool.) So you could start off doing it more and taper it down as long as it looks like she is going to stay in this beautiful habit of sleeping all night.

Of course, you could always confirm with a quick call to your pediatrician. La Leche League has a LOT of info, too.
I'm over in Granite Bay but we work in Rocklin, so "Hi, neighbor."

B.

1 mom found this helpful

K.,

You are so fortunate that your daughter is sleeping so well. If she is doing well and gaining weight I wouldn't worry about it. Nature has a way of taking care of things. As long as you are breastfeeding regularly you will produce all the milk she needs.

If your newborn is sleeping all night, enjoy it! You'll probably find that your supply will keep up (more or less) with baby's demands. My 4-month old has been sleeping through the night for a couple of months now, and there's plenty of milk for her when she wakes around 8 or 9 in the morning. If baby is growing just fine, then you shouldn't need to wake baby in the middle of the night for a feeding. If baby is nursing enough during the day, don't stress it! You're doing a wonderful job with your first. Enjoy your little bundle.

Congrats!
B.

Your milk supply will most definitley diminish. It's based on supply and demand and if your daughter isn't nursing your body won't make more to replace it. She may not seem to need it now but, once she goes through a growth spurt it will seem like she's nursing non-stop. At that point you won't have enough milk to keep up and will probably result in you substituting formula which will also affect your supply. I went through a similar problem and I struggled with it for 9 months when I finally got tired of drinking mother's milk like crazy and taking 12-16 pills of herbs a day trying to increase my milk supply. Hope this helps. Good luck and keep up the good work!

If you are worried about your milk drying up, you might want to try a breast pump. Pump the milk and then store it in the fridge for your baby for later, this will keep your milk going.

K.,
my little girl slept through the night more or less from the beginning. i was ecstatic. but- that can be pretty normal behavior for the first six weeks or so before they start to really acclimate to the outside world and then they start eating more regularly- and, as a consequence, start waking up to eat at night.
my milk supply was fine (i started pumping around one month in order to start a milk bank in the freezer). if you are wanting to solely breastfeed and you are going to be working or school or just want dad to have feeding time too then i recommend pumping as early and as often as possible. its amazing how fast you will burn through the milk you save and! the more you pump the more you'll body will produce. :-)
unless your ped. tells you to wake her up then let her sleep! if she is hungry she will let you know! its so easy to worry that they are not getting enough to eat at this age but just think of it this way: all she knows how to do right now is make sure she is eating enough and sleeping enough. trust her, trust yourself and trust nature.
you'll do great!

I had a lot of problems with milk supply. It's best that you make sure you empty your breasts every 3 hours if you want production to stay up. It will go down if you don't make sure you empty them both often. If she will sleep through it then maybe you can get up and pump and save the milk for her.-J.

Hi, Don't worry about your milk supply. As I have learned with three boys that I had and breast fed also, is that your body will produce what your child eats and by night time there is only very little. Just like supply and demand, isn't that wonderful. I remember that when I delivered my first child, this great nurse gave me this great advice, to undress the child before nursing. Do to the child has to suck, which takes energy (just like working out), the child gets hot, and if they have clothes on, they will fall asleep fast, quickly rather than eating until they are full. I did that, and trust me it work. Well good luck and enjoy, time passes by quickly.

Your milk supply responds to supply and demand, so yes, if she is eating little or nothing at night your milk supply will adjust to that and your body will produce less at night. But this should not affect your milk supply during the day - that will also adjust to how often and how much she eats.

As for a 4-week old sleeping through the night - my first thought is, your're a lucky mom, BUT she may need to be eating more at night. I would definitely put in a call to your pedicatrician's office - talk to the doc or the nurses - ask them about her not eating much/nothing at night. My son woke regularly every 3 hours to nurse at night and I had read that was normal.

Congratulations on your precious bundle of joy! Hope I could help some.

If she needs more, your body makes more. It is the ultimate example of supply and demand. Don't worry. Congratualtions on a sleeping baby and your choice to breatfeed!

If she is sleeping through the night then let her. Trust me, it took me years to get mine to sleep through the night. Don't worry about your supply. If she is gaining weight then you are producing enough milk. It's all about supply and demand. As long as she demands it your body will supply it.

Try a breast pump during her nap time to keep your milk flowing . I was even told to take wey powder or wey protein ( it works )to build up more milk production if I thought my milk was going to diminish.They also told me its perfectly okay to wake her up to feed , do so gently by tickling her feet or brushing her lips . Those were a few things they suggested to me . My son also slept through the night but never really had a problem feeding at night . My only problem was at nap time during the day so I used a breast pump and stored it in the freezer and warmed it back up by boiling it in water , dont put it in the microwave because it changes the composition of the breast milk.You can buy one from a baby dept store or rent one from the hospital .After a while my body adjusted to what my son needed. My son is now two years old and healthy as an ox.Hope this helps.

Hi there! First off congrats on your new baby..you are in for a lifetime treat! My daughter is 21 months and I am still just as in love as the first time I saw her. Well I had to respond to your message because my daughter did the same thing. She slept through the night and I thought it was the best thing ever and that I was so lucky! It did not effect my milk supply at all...in fact after a year I decided to stop breastfeeding so I stopped for about 2 weeks. Then she got really sick and to comfort her I started breastfeeding her again until she was better. The milk was still there and came back full force after the first day of feeding her.

Just remember that everyone's body is different. I also did not ever leak and when I decided I was done breastfeeding, I just stopped. There was no pain and no leaking... not even once. I was surprised because my breasts went up about 3 sizes so I thought for sure I would have a problem.

The only reason I would suggest waking your baby is because she needs to eat. Going through the night all night is too long for a newborn to go without nutrition. That is what the le leche nurse told me who visited me at my home. So, instead of waking her 3 times a night to feed her, I watched her weight and decided only to interupt her sleep once a night. She did fine and she gained weight at the appropriate pace as every other baby her age.

So, that is my story and just a suggestion. Congratulations again on your new baby girl and being a new mommy...it is the most precious gift we will ever be given in life so enjoy every minute while you can! They grow so fast!!!

You don't have to wake ker up. I would get a breast pump and while she's sleeping just pump your breasts and put them in a bag with the date and time on them. Then stick them in the freezer. That will keep you milk supply going. But I don't think that her sleeping and not feeding through the night should affect your milk supply as long as she feeds during the day. Good luck!!

My son started sleeping 8-9 hours a night when he was 6 weeks old. I nursed him until he weaned himself at 11 1/2 months old, and never had supply issues. I would have to say...YOU'RE LUCKY! Most moms only WISH their babies would sleep through the night.

For some reason our breasts are magic!!

They only supply milk when your child feeds. so if she feed everyday at noon, you'll always have milk everyday at noon. so if she doesn't feed at night you just wont have milk at night. All you have to do to stimulate milk production during a part of the day is to pump or have her feed. And when she needs more milk to be supplied she'll stimulate that by nursing longer and then your breasts will know to produce more milk the next time you feed!

pretty cool huh!! :)
Don't wake her up!!! you are a lucky woman!! let that baby sleep! :) Congratulations!! on your baby.. :)

I am reading Mommy Made and Daddy too because I'm starting to make my own baby food. Anyway- they have a section talking about food needs from birth-6 months and it says that it takes 4-6 weeks for you to build up your milk supply and in that time your baby should eat every 2-3 hours.

That being said it looks like you made it through 4 weeks without it diminishing, so I wouldn't worry. You can always call your pediatrician just to make sure.

I have to admit I am extremely jealous she is sleeping through the night. My 8 month old has yet to do that.

Good luck!
M.

As long as she is gaining weight just fine, let that blessed angel sleep! And you too!!!

Your supply will be fine and the engorgement (if any?) will subside.

Now if only MINE would stay sleeping...

newborns dont know when they are hungry they havent developed hunger yet, it is very important for you to wake her up to feed her. i suggest reading on becoming babywise. it will tell you how to do everything you want to know. the baby should not be in the bed with you that is very dangerous. you could roll on her, your blanket would be too heavy for her and cover her face, or she could turn over on your bae and not be able to breathe because your bed is too soft. a bassinet would be better that way she is still in the room. and yes it will affect your milk supply. you might get engorged over night and hurt so bad that you wont want to feed her.

K. -

You want advice, you've got it!
Kudos to you for co-sleeping with your baby!! Don't let anyone tell you that keeping your baby close to you is bad for her - it just isnt true.
As long as your newborn is gaining weight at a regular pace that her pediatrician agrees with and as long as she has a consistent number of wet/poopy diapers a day - You shouldnt need to wake her up.
Which sounds like the same advice you've gotten a few times over..
Your milk supply will wax and wan with the demands of your baby.. If you are anxious about her sleeping through the night without feeding (my daughter did this too) you can wake her to nurse her during the night - but it's not necessary.. again, so long as she's putting on weight and has consistent wet/poopy diapers

Hi K.,

How wonderful your baby is sleeping through the night. Your milk supply will produce what amount she needs, or if you are really worried you can wake up and pump or pump a little extra during the day and freeze it. I wouldn't wake her..
Take Care, T. Q

No your milk will be fine. Your breasts will stop getting engorged at night after a few nights but it will be ther efor her when she needs it. At about 6 weeks she will want to nurse more, and will most likely wake more durring the night again. It's a growth spurt and she will work your milk supply up to where she needs it to be. My son has slept through the night since an earl age but every month or so he wll wake durring the night several times for a few nights and nurse but gets back into his swing and I'll be engorged for a few nights but my body gets used to it and stops. Your body will make what is needed don't worry. :)

Dont ever wake a new baby to feed it unless it is underweight!! Count yourself as very lucky that your little one will sleep through the night at that age - my daughter did too (6-8 hours at a time is considered through the night at that age)- and it was such a blessing!

Rest assured that your body will adjust its milk production to how much your baby needs.
Your milk production may diminish during the night time hours when your child does not need it, but during the day, there will always be enough milk for your child. I actually had to get up and pump at night while my daughter slept because I continued to make enough milk for five babies. It is the sucking reflex of the child that causes the milk to "let down" so when the baby isnt sucking, there will be less milk, but when she does, there WILL be enough. A womans body is an amazing and intuitive thing.

Good luck and congratulations!

Hi K.:
As I'm sure you know your milk supply will adjust to meet your daughter's needs. If she is sleeping through the night (and count your blessings, my guy is 20 months and STILL wakes up 4x a night for his milk) I wouldn't disturb her. IF you find your breasts sore from being engorged, pump a few hours after your baby goes to sleep... that will releive the discomfort and help maintain an adequate supply.

Congrats on breastfeeding! and good luck with your little one.
K.

I have an 18 month old boy, and let me tell you... it's exciting for me to hear that other mothers have their kids sleep in bed with them. That's off point, I know, but it did make me feel good. In response to your question, as far as I understand, milk supply regulates its- self to your baby's schedule. Your supply will grow or reduce depending on her needs. If her feeding changes, your milk supply will too. Your milk supply will lessen, but only during the hours that it needs to.

Ali

...If you are feeding all day regularly, you should do just fine. This is great! Get the needed sleep!! Your breasts are adjusting to your daughter's schedule. After a while you will notice when your the fullest is when she is usually eating. it is a little uncomfortable until then, but it happens soon enough. If you have low milk supply I suggest a breast pump. You can pump once through the night if it makes you more comfortable. The "pump station" in Santa Monica california has a website, and Corky was my lactation consultant for both my boys (still breastfeeding a 13 month old). That website (and I am sure many others) can help a lot with ideas, supplies anything. I live in Reno now and call the pumpstation often.
Hope there was some help in here somewhere. Congratulations and good luck!!

N.

I would at least pump. I lost a lot of my milk by them sleeping through the night. It is wonderful that they but it is a catch 22. At least it was for me

Do not worry!
Your body will adjust to the amount of milk your baby needs when she needs it. By morning, you will have lots of milk for her saved up from all night and you will all benefit from the full night of sleep.

I've read most of this advice, and I really think most of it is great. I'm going to say you should pump before bed, and if you wake up when she's rooting around for you in her sleep, feed her like you've been doing, and if she falls and stays asleep, get up, pump again, and go back to sleep. I think as long as she's eating enough during the day, you don't have to feel guilty for letting her sleep at night.
You don't mention just how long "through the night" is for you, but if it's longer than 6 hours, I definitely think your supply will go down if you aren't pumping.
I hope this was useful to you.
A.

Talk to her pedi, but my understanding is that all babies that young should be eating every 3 hours, maybe every 4 at night. It's tempting to let her sleep, but you should probably wake her. Your milk supply is not well-established yet, so it's important to be consistent. I hope she's still a good sleeper when she's old enough for you to really take advantage of it! Kudos for co-sleeping, too.

K.,
My understanding is that milk comes and goes through supply and demand. Your body should sort out when your daughter needs to eat, and fill that need. If at some point she's going through a growth spurt, your milk supply will increase. If you are trying to pump at all, then I would recommend doing that before you feed her in the morning if she is sleeping so well. That is when you will have the highest milk supply, and can pump one breast and then nurse her on the other, essentially telling your body that she's emptied both breasts. I don't think you should worry too much about it. Count your blessings and enjoy the sleep!!!

Just rember you'r child is in-control on how much you'r body provids. If she gets hungury more she will eat more and u'r body is made 4 this and it will make more....If she is helthy and ganning and is happy thin I would not sweet it.I would just injoy the sleep she is giving u. hope u rest with eeeezzzz.

T.