skipping at night?

[SteffyRae]

I breastfeed and pump (occasionally, like once or twice a day) am I going to dry up if my husband uses the bottles of breastmilk at night so I can sleep? I miss 1 or 2 feedings.

 

[seaweed eater]

No, you should be fine as long as you are pumping enough to keep up each day, or at least within a 2-day period. In other words, don't pump a lot one week and then have your husband use it all the next week without pumping to make it up.

I just saw your tickers -- how old is your LO? You will want to be careful with pumping before about 3-4 weeks because you can give yourself an oversupply.

 

[MommyJogger]

You're not going to dry up, but your supply can suffer from regular missed night feedings, especially very early on. If you're desperately in need of sleep, occasionally taking a night off should be fine, but if you plan on making the nighttime bottle a regular thing, pumping that same volume during the day may not cut it. Removing breast milk from the breast at nighttime increases supply during the day. Not removing breast milk at night decreases even daytime supply in a majority of women. Night nursing in the early weeks leaves a permanent impression on the number of prolactin receptors a woman has long-term, and therefore the amount of milk she's capable of producing at 3 months, 6 months, etc. Each woman's body will respond differently, but the majority will have a supply decrease and an unlucky bunch will have a severe supply decrease.

 

[Dk1234]

My first slept through at 5 weeks til 5 am and at 7 weeks til 7:30 and my supply was fine. This baby only wakes 1 time between 9:30-6:30 and he is only 3 weeks old and I'm not worried. I'd just make it occasional to catch up until maybe 6 weeks or so.

 

[seaweed eater]

You're not going to dry up, but your supply can suffer from regular missed night feedings, especially very early on. If you're desperately in need of sleep, occasionally taking a night off should be fine, but if you plan on making the nighttime bottle a regular thing, pumping that same volume during the day may not cut it. Removing breast milk from the breast at nighttime increases supply during the day. Not removing breast milk at night decreases even daytime supply in a majority of women. Night nursing in the early weeks leaves a permanent impression on the number of prolactin receptors a woman has long-term, and therefore the amount of milk she's capable of producing at 3 months, 6 months, etc. Each woman's body will respond differently, but the majority will have a supply decrease and an unlucky bunch will have a severe supply decrease.

Might it help if the nighttime bottle were earlier in the night rather than later? I think I have read that prolactin is highest in the early morning so I'm guessing supply would be most sensitive then too. An LC told me that it was ok to regularly use milk pumped in the morning to give a bottle in the evening when supply is naturally lower.

 

[MommyJogger]

Might it help if the nighttime bottle were earlier in the night rather than later? I think I have read that prolactin is highest in the early morning so I'm guessing supply would be most sensitive then too. An LC told me that it was ok to regularly use milk pumped in the morning to give a bottle in the evening when supply is naturally lower.

Some babies cluster feed until quite late. I'm really basing that advice on her ticker and assuming she's still in the newborn phase. If she were a few months in, I'd say go for it the way you describe, but in the evening and early nighttime before you get the early morning supply boost, that constant stimulation is pretty important, imo.

 

[SteffyRae]

Yea she is just a week old (today) she is already I assume cluster feeding at night, she doesnt stop eating, she will nurse for like 45 minutes and fall asleep and like 20 minutes later ready for the boob again. and does that for about 3 hours. Im trying to not use the bottle at night but the hubby woks over nights and has like 3 days off a week so on those nights I normally get my uninterrupted sleep. If it is better for me to breastfeed or pump at night for my supply right now I rather be sleepy for a few weeks and keep my supply up

 

[flashy09]

Your body will adjust. My baby starting sleeping through the night 6pm - 7am at 7months and I was still able to nurse all day long no problem. It wasn't until I started supplementing during the day that I had a supply issue, but that was intentional as I didn't want to stop cold turkey!