Source
r/breastfeeding•
Susie_M

Should I be concerned about my baby's changing sleep patterns impacting my supply?

Hi, everyone,

My baby is six weeks old this Wednesday, and all of you here have been such a wonderful source of information and encouragement to us while we have been figuring out breastfeeding. I have a few more questions I could really use some help answering.

Over the course of this last week or so, Baby seems to be adjusting his sleep routine. Until now, he has been a pretty clockwork baby, and even though I have been available to him for nursing on demand, after week three or four, he has only really wanted to nurse every two and a half to three hours during the day. On nights when he is sleeping well, this was also the case, and he would wake up every three hours, wanting to eat.

More recently, he has been sleeping for longer and longer stretches at night and has basically started skipping one nighttime feeding. For instance, last night, he ate at 9:00 PM, went to bed at 10:00 PM, and slept until I woke him up at 3:00 AM to eat (because I am a worrywart, and that is how I roll =P). I have no idea how long he would have slept or whether he would have missed a second feeding, had I just let him be. When I asked her about it, my LC seemed unconcerned, as he is making enough diapers and gaining weight well, and I have no known under-supply issues. She told me that I am fine to make sure he eats at least every three hours during the day but to let him sleep as long as he wants to at night.

However, I can't help being worried about my supply, because I return to work next Monday and will be replacing two feedings with pump sessions (my husband will be a SAHD and bring Baby to me to nurse at lunchtime). Also, there seem to be mixed opinions about this, so I wanted to ask what your thoughts are about the following:

Should I be letting Baby sleep for as long as he wants to during these overnight stretches between meals, if his weight gain and diapers are otherwise fine? I know that the 8-12 feedings a day recommendation is just a guideline, that there will be individual differences, and that Baby has always tended toward the low end of this range anyway...but this would drop me to 6 or 7-ish feedings a day, and falling outside that range makes me feel like I am doing something bad.

Is there some kind of upper limit I should put on how long I let him sleep before I try to feed him, to prevent my supply from suffering, or do I trust him to wake me up if he needs to eat?

He sleeps swaddled and in a swing - will either of these things make him sleep through hunger (prior to the swing, his sleep was awful, and he was basically crying inconsolably unless my husband or I was holding him and walking around)? When he was still waking up to eat every three hours, he never really cried but made it very clear that he was awake and needed something. Now, he is really out like a light and will occasionally make little noises that wake me up, but when I check him, he is still sound asleep. I'm worried I'm missing cues or something.

Thank you all in advance for humoring this high anxiety person and her long, rambling posts, and for any wisdom you can share! I honestly do not know what I would do without all of your wonderful advice.

Posted Nov 25, 2014, 12:21 PM UTC

1510
I_pet_pigs•

Definitely let the baby sleep! If he goes a long time at night, he'll probably add a nursing session during the day to make up for it. My son also dropped to 7-8ish feedings per day at the same age, but then bounced back to 8-10 a few weeks later. If he's got the diaper output and is gaining weight, you have no need to worry.

If I were you, I'd try to start weaning him off of sleeping in the swing soon, but you do what you must at that age to get some rest! Don't worry about missing cues... unless you sleep through screaming fits (sounds like that's definitely NOT the case!), he'll let you know if he's hungry!

8
typingthings•

Another thing you can consider, since you're planning to use a pump anyway, is if you wake up feeling over-full and baby is still asleep (or if it will just give you peace of mind regarding your supply), you could do a pumping session at night and let little one stay asleep as long as he likes. I've had to do this with my 16 wk old son on and off as his sleeping patterns have changed.

6
PeacheyPie•

FYI, first time I did this LO woke up in the middle of my pumping session. Little brat :)

3
sellyberry•

Yep, same thing happened to me last night. I still got a few ounces out of it before I could hear him crying from the other room, I'm not sure if DH woke up or not, which troubles me a bit.

3
emrose28•

Let him sleep. If he's hungry he will let you know! My pediatrician said that when they sleep longer they will eat more during the day to make up for it. The number of calories is equal, just over fewer sessions.

3
DesignChick01•

You may notice a drop in your supply when you go back to work. Pumping doesn't remove milk as effectively as baby, so your body doesn't know to make as much. I have suffered from supply issues and my lo was slow to gain so we still nurse at 9 pm then wake up for 5 am feeding even at 15 mo. We dropped the 12/1am feeding around 1 yr. If you aren't having supply issues and your lo has 6-10 wet/dirty diapers per day than I would let him sleep. If your supply dips, you could do a mid-night pump session as pp suggested.

1
repurposedpotato•

When you return to work baby might increase his night feedings. That's what happened to us, but I went back at 12 weeks. We co-sleep, though, so I don't mind it. Plus it's kept my period at bay and I'm about 9.5 months postpartum.

Just be aware that their routines change very rapidly. Maybe now he's sleeping through the night, but it could change. You may want to enjoy it while it lasts :) but I know what it is to worry about sleeping too long. I used to wake up and dream feed him while I pumped the other side. Helped me get a good freezer stash that I've been rotating out. Soon, when I stop pumping at work, I'll be able to use that stash to slowly wean him from the bottle and transition to goat milk while I'm gone. You have a while before you have to worry about that, but it is always a good idea to have extra in the freezer.

1
caitlinboon•

i'd say don't worry too much about your supply. no matter what you do, there will probably be times when it feels like your supply is low (growth spurt times), and no matter what you do, you'll probably have some times when you feel overfull (when baby starts sleeping longer). if your supply dips a little, you should be able to bring it back up with a few days of work (extra pumping, fenugreek, feeding baby at night, whatever it is).

1
sellyberry•

When LO is sleeping at night and my boobs wake me up is when I pump a little to relive the pressure and save the milk.

It sounds like you could pretty easily switch from a feeding to a pumping session. Think of it like this, your boobs don't know that it's not a baby eating but is a pump pumping, so as far as your body knows you are doing night feedings and fewer day feelings. It's a good chance to build up a little freezer stash to help ease the transition of when you return to work and your pumping/feeding times get all out of whack.

1
saramace•

My baby sleeps 5-6 hours at night and my LC has me wake up to pump (even if I can only manage a few minutes with a manual pump because I'm tired) because if not, I run the risk of my period coming back! I wouldn't worry so much about your supply so long as you aren't going more than 6 hours without stimulation...but the risk of my period returning was enough for me to realize I have to wake up and pump, whether I can manage a full session or just a quick one.

1