Sleeping Through the Night and Milk Supply

hi K.,
sometimes breasts aren't accomodating and you have to work harder by waking up to pump and other even more creative solutions.
but if you're blessed with cooperative ones, and it sounds like you are, quit worrying and enjoy it! you've assumed correctly and they've gone along with you. mine were nice enough to work around a wonky schedule too. thank them, relax and enjoy. enough new worries will come along without spending time on something that's working so well for you.
;) khairete
S.

Don't worry. My son slept through the night at two weeks and ever after. I had plenty of breast milk for him and he grew very fast. Your body will adjust to baby's needs. AF

K.,

My daughter, like yours, started to sleep through the night fairly early on. I did get up a couple nights to pump, but then I realized that I had been given the gift of sleep and decided not to waste it. As long as you don't end up with mastitis, I think you can go the whole night, without dimishing your supply. Your body produces more as your child nurses more. Your daughter will probably start waking during the nights when she has growth spurts (4 mos, 6 mos).

One of the things that I did was stay up a couple hours after my daughter went to bed, pump, and freeze that milk for her growth spurts. In between growth spurts, you can usually pump extra. That was my fail-safe.

Good luck and congrats on choosing to nurse.
J.

I do not agree with the 2 previous posters. I guess I am not as lucky as they were and had my milk start to diminish with my first son. He was a really good sleeper too and would sleep from 11pm-10am since around 2 months. Around 4 months we started on supplements of formula because he didn't gain much between 2-4 months and I think that him going so long at nightime without eating was a factor. Another factor was he wasn't getting enough of the hindmilk in those first couple of feedings in the morning since my boobs were so full but that's another story. It was clear to me that I didn't have enough milk. If I could go back I would definitely either pump or do some dream feeding while he was asleep. I was kicking myself when my supply had gone down which was happening before we started the formula(but of course was even worse after starting it), and wished I hadn't have been so selfish and enjoying those awesome sleep filled nights. I am nursing my 9 month still and I personally think it has to do with him still waking 2 or so times a night. So even though I don't get the sleep I'd like to I'd rather still be nursing him.

I'm nursing our third child and after nursing all of them and going through many changes in their appetites and schedules, just let me reassure you that your body will do what it needs to do when it needs to do it. Your child will want to feed more often when they're going through a growth spurt and therefore, your body will start making more milk within a day's time. At the end of the growth spurt, they won't be as hungry, so you'll probably be a little full for a few feedings (you can always pump once if it gets too painful) and then it will adjust again. You do not need to pump at night. SLEEP!!! Take advantage of the full nights rest without needing to get up, since I'm sure it's been a few months since you've been able to anyway (middle of the night potty breaks, etc). If your baby is sleeping through the night, most likely it will want to eat as soon as it gets up and it will probably want a big meal, which is great because your body will have one ready and waiting. Congrats on deciding to breastfeed! Blessings!

You know, I had such a high pressure job when my son was that little that I rarely got a chance to pump at work (my husband is a stay at home dad) and I always worried about milk supply but, sure enough, as soon as I got home I would feel engorged and seeing my son would make me start to leak. As his schedule shifted back and forth throughout the months that we nursed my body would just adjust to it. Maybe the first couple of nights he would wake more frequently I wouldn't have much milk to offer but my body would quickly adjust and beef up production. I wouldn't worry too much about getting up in the night if you are nursing regularly during the day. At this point you need sleep more than anything. I nursed for about 20 months and I stopped pumping well before his first birthday. I never had an issue with milk supply. He would just nurse more frequently if he wanted more and that would always increase supply. It is an amazing thing how your body and the baby seem to know so you don't have to do much but let them do their thing. Rest, eating a balanced diet for yourself, and drinking plenty of water are probably more important than any amount of stimulation from the pump. My body never really responded to pumping anyway and no matter how often or how long I did it I never produced as much milk as I could just from nursing my son.

The beauty of how God created your body, is that it adjusts on its own! Your milk supply will be fine now that the baby is sleeping throught the night. If she is happy and not crying all the time of hunger, she has enough milk. It is silly to wake up in the middle of the night to pump (that actually might do the opposite, since you'd be robbing your body of much-needed continuous sleep.

When your daughter goes through a growth spurt and starts feeding more for a week or night waking again, your body should adjust fine.

Make sure that you're not skimping on nutrition and rest for yourself, and your body will self-regulate.

Congrats on making it through the tough up-at-night weeks! And congrats on nursing. It is the best thing you can do for your daughter!

I nursed all 3 of my boys. Your body will simply adjust. Don't feel like you have to get up in the middle of the night to pump. Be grateful you have one of those angels that sleeps! She may take more during the day and your body will adjust to that as well. If at some point, you feel that the supply is inadequate, then you can pump to allow the body to build up again. Our bodies were doing this long before all this technology and schedules. They know what to do and when!

I have always long heard not to wake a child when it is sleeping. It seems like the baby has developed a sleeping pattern in the sense that she is sleeping from 9pm -7pm already. If you wake up because you are feeling full then yes I think you should get up and pump away. Then of course when the baby wakes up I would breastfeed her not bottle feedher. The more you breastfeed the more your supply comes in. The less you breastfeed or pump that's when it starts to diminish/ Then of course your husband can do a feeding here and there so it will make him feel like he is taking part with her care as well. I am a mother of 4 and married for 20 yrs. Just my opinion.
Good Luck,
Annie R

K.,
You have been blessed with a baby who sleeps so well at night! If she is sleeping so well growing and happy during the day there is no reason why you need to pump at night. The breast works as supply and demand calls it into action. Should things change such as a growth spurt or illness your breast will kick into action with more demand. Why tax your body making extra milk your baby doesn't need now. Your body needs sleep! Should you have any other questions or need support later on feel free to call our company. Mothering Mommies, LLC ###-###-####

Unless you are uncomfortable when you wake, don't worry. Babies do start waking up again around 4 months. Your body knows what to do. For centuries, there were no pumps to deal with this and the human race survived. I think you are right in assuming that your body will adjust accordingly. There may be a two or three day delay, but those mammary glands will make the milk your baby needs.

Good luck!

Don't worry, K.-- enjoy your wonderful night's sleep! Your body will regulate itself as long as you stay well hydrated. If she starts waking up again (not all of them do), your body will adjust once again.

The nice thing about motherhood is that the Lord did create systems that work beautifully as long as we're normally healthy. It's always enjoyable to see everything working and adjusting without a lot of interference from gadgets. Just relaxing and letting the normal cycles happen is often the best (and easiest) thing you can do.

Sleep well!

Your body will adjust to have lots of milk when she normally wants it. However, that doesn't mean you won't be able to nurse her if she suddenly starts waking at night again--which she might when she's going through a growth spurt or teething. Your body will make milk while she's nursing in response to stimulation, so she'll get that at the time.

I was also worried about my son sleeping through the night almost from the very beginning. He was the same as your daughter. You're right, your body WILL regulate itself and you should be able to meet your daughter's milk needs. Mine never woke again in the middle of the night, actually maybe once or twice. But I wouldn't feed him at that time, just gave him a pacifier and he went straight back to sleep!
We are lucky to have a problem such as this to worry about when other moms can't get their babies to sleep more than a few hours at a time!

As long as you are exclusively feeding, your supply will adjust to baby's needs. Make sure that she gets plenty of feeding before bed and when she wakes up and it should all balance out.

Your supply will increase through several growth spurts between here and 4 months. I only pump when I need the milk because I am leaving my daughter with someone. Unless you have supply issues, there is no other reason to pump.