My Newborn Sleeps Through the night...BAD???

I beleive the reason for your being so full at night is because she feeds until you are dry and your supply believes it should replinished for a night time feeding when you aren't having one. It's not bad at all for her to sleep through the night. IT's actually great that she does. I know many other mother wish they had the same thing. However it's going to have to be some way you will need to eliminate that mid-night pumping so that your milk supply will respond to not having a feeding until the next morning. Don't worry it will all fix itself. Don't pump unless your are uncomfortable, and even then only express enough to be confortable. Your breast will respond accordingly. Hope this helps

Count your blessings! And don't be concerned to get up and pump, your milk supply will adjust to her needs. All my babies were breast fed and all slept through early. I counted it a BIG blessing! : ) May God give you peace and joy - Grami

It sounds like you have a wonderful baby. You could try giving her a water bottle so that she will wait before she nurses you dry. Then you could also try giving her a formula scoop of rice cereal in a 4 oz bottle of breast mil or formula as well to satify her hunger. You don't want the mixture to be to thick but it will have more substance.I know doctors say don't but take it from a 54 year old mother of 2 with 7 grandbabies & a huge family as well. It won't hurt her. Just satify that evening hunger. Water will make her feel full & she will hold off on nursing so much. I would try that first. Good luck & God Bless.

Hi A.,
I had the exact same situation with my baby girl. Even though during the day she would eat about every 3 hours - after about 5 or 6 pm - I called it the melt down time - she would need to nurse every 1 1/2 to 2 hours until she finally went to sleep at 10pm. It made it hard to go anywhere in the evenings with her because she was always nursing. But the good news is that it didn't last more than a month or so. According to the experts, by 6 to 7 weeks old, their bodies are able to go 7 to 8 hours without food in the night. And by 3 months, they can go even longer. My 6 1/2 month old sleeps 12 hours every night and hasn't needed multiple nursings in the evenings since she was probably 3 months old. My suggestion for increasing the milk is just to keep letting her nurse like she wants in the evenings - even if you're dry. It's the extra stimulation of the nipples that causes your body to tell itself to produce more milk at that time of the night for the next time. Don't worry your body will catch up soon enough. And I would not pump in the middle of the night - or else this continues to send the message to your body to make milk at that time. Just give it a few days and any engorgement should end. Also, it will only take a few days for your body to begin making the amount of milk that your baby girl needs. Don't worry she's not hungry, even if it may feel like she is. It's amazing the way God designed our bodies and they work so well. Just know that not only will your daughters bedtime begin to come forward within the next couple of months - but also she will not have to nurse all evening long forever. Her body is just preparing to shut down digestively for the evening and she is getting all the extra calories that she needs for that event. Best of luck to you and your baby girl.

I wouldn't worry too much about it. By two months your milk is essentially established and if she is gaining weight, I think that her sleeping through the night is great. It is normal for your supply to be lower in the evenings. A lot of babies cluster feed in the pm to sort of "stock up" for the night. Your prolactin levels(hormone that causes milk production) are lower in the evenings. If you don't pump in the middle of the night, you will eventually feel less engorged and your body will adjust. Personally, I would try to pump in order to have some stored milk. I don't think it is necessary to feed it to her the next evening, if she is gaining OK or unless you need a break. If you are feeding it to her, I would pump during that time, so your body thinks you are nursing to keep up with supply and demand. My LO was a big cluster feeder for a few months, but did get better around 3-4 months. It could be a growth spurt too, they do hit one around 2 months. Hang in there, it is hard to be constantly nursing when you have other LO's to care for and just other stuff in general. Around that age, I literally felt like she was constantly attached to me for 3 hours every night, I can promise, it doesn't last forever. Take one day at a time! There are herbals supplements that you can take if you truly feel like it is a supply issue. I think a lot of women feel like they have supply issues when they really don't. I know because I am always struggling with "do I have enough milk" and she is 6.5 months old. I would also talk to a lactation consultant, they can give you lots of help and support.

My little one slept thru the night starting at five weeks. I would always pump during the night and continued to let her nurse at her next regular feeding. I felt that the more times she nursed or I pumped that my milk levels increased! Good Luck!

Let her nurse as much as she wants before going to bed. Try not to pump in the middle of the night and let her nurse as much as she wants in the morning. Breast milk works on a supply and demand schedule.And it takes some time for your body to adjust to a schedule change from the baby. You may want to wear a bra to bed so that you can be more comfortable when you have milk come in. I had the same problem with my kids my body took a little time to get use to the new schedule but then it did.

From what I remember, about the time that you think you are on a schedule in the early months, then things change. And the greates thing is that your body seems to adapt so well to what your baby needs. I do agree with others that said try not to let her drink you dry at 5pm - your body is saying "oh, I better completely re-fill because this baby needs FOOD!"

It sounds like you and baby are doing great, all things considered. Just remember that this time is confusing yet wonderful for everyone - you two will figure out what works best for you, I promise.

no it is not bad it not only gives you some sleep but there get better about sleeping. my son will be 3 soon and he started sleeping through the night at 2 weeks and he still does.he is a very good little man and it haskept him calm and happy. so let her sleep. it wont hurt.

From experience you should wake her and feed her! While her sleeping is great for you in the rest department, you are causing yourself discomfort.
Here is the thing: your body will only produce what it knows you NEED in order to satisfy your baby. If you do not stay on a "schedule" with the feedings your body will think you are trying to cut back and in turn not produce as much. Hence, the reason she "drinks you dry" before bed. The more you feed, the more your body will produce. The more you are able to produce, the longer (in one sitting as well as in months) you will be able to breastfeed.

My suggestion is to feed her the pumped milk at 5, and let her nurse at 9. don't let her "drink you dry" at 5. If you don't pump in the middle of the night, but just enough to relieve yourself, I think your body will adjust, it will really be ready for her to wake up at 5 at first , if you were like me. Hope this helps.

It seems like you need to simply wait out the transition for your body to adjust. If you're trying to adhere strictly to something like babywise, you might need to loosen up the routine a little. And, in the middle of the night, just pump enough to relieve the pressure.
It might mean that for a few days you let her "cluster" feed in the late afternoon/evening. My son (now 3) did that. He'd eat about every hour (luckily with a 15 min nap at dinner time!) between 5-9 then sleep from 10-5. After several days of that he was finally getting more at 5 so that feedings were something like 5, 6, and 9, then 6 and 8...

Of course, it's hard to manage the other two kiddos when the baby wants to eat every time you turn around. I kept the DVD player and snacks ready to go in case my husband wasn't home from work yet, or, now that it's summer, turning on the sprinkler might do the trick to occupy the others!

I wouldn't feed her from the stored milk in the evening. Let her nurse. Breast feeding is supply and demand, the more they nurse, the more you produce. Be sure to drink plenty of water, and eat healthy foods. Sleep?? Thats for people that are not parents of nursing infants!! Freeze the pumped milk so you can use it on a date night with your husband.