Please advise-should I pump with baby sleeping through the night?

[redmom3]

My new dd is 6 weeks old and sleeps 7 hours per night. She is nursing every 2-4 hours during the day and gaining weight-very peaceful-she is not a fussy baby.

I have had two dc before with slow weight gain and I get very concerned. I am not a milk truck :) I don't engorge during the night. But-I just started my cycle again-it seems soooo early-could this be from going over 6 hours at night? Does this mean I could lose my supply? I guess I need to wake up and pump at night-

HOWEVER, with two toddlers that get up with the sun, I just hate the idea of getting up(I can't nurse or pump half asleep) to nurse while baby sleeps.

I will talk to the midwife tomorrow-but I'd love to hear what you guys think.

Thanks:001_smile:

[Chris in VA]

I wouldn't. I think a mom's body makes milk for her child--the child determines how much she makes. If you start pumping when she doesn't need it, you run the risk of oversupply. Get the rest you need. It's one of the best ways to continue making enough high quality milk.

[Ellie]

If you're *really* concerned, you could try sleeping with the baby to see if she'll nurse. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it, and for sure I don't recommend that you pump. Yes, it could be why you've started your period again.

 

You must understand that pumping will not necessarily increase--or continue--your milk supply in any way. See [long quasi-scientific explanation follows], when your baby nurses, he presses the nipple up against the roof of his mouth. This stimulates a hormone (I forget which one...oxytocin??) which causes the blood vessels in your br*asts to expand, which presses the milk out and into baby's mouth. You can feel this as tingling in your br*asts; we call it the let-down reflex. IOW, baby doesn't necessarily get milk because he's sucking; he gets it because it has let down first. And it's the let-down that causes milk production. OTOH, a pump only sucks. There's no let-down (although some women do experience it), and there's no resulting milk production. It is why you canNOT tell how much milk you have from pumping: the milk is not being forced out, as it were.

 

So, no, don't pump. If it seems as if you're not producing as much milk as you think you should--and the only way you'd know this is from baby's lack of wet diapers or not gaining weight--then take baby to bed with you (and make sure you're not substituting a pacifier or something else instead of nursing).

[Carol in Cal.]

I believe that as long as the baby is nursing at least 3-4 times per 24 hour day, your supply keeps going, unless you take decongestants or something like that.

 

If you're awake anyway in the middle of the night, it's not a bad time to pump, but I would not feel I had to wake myself up to make myself do that.

 

And, yes, I think that the dropping of the night feedings is probably why your cycles started up again, but lots of women nurse for months or years with cycles running. The two are not mutually exclusive. What does drop supply is getting pregnant again.

[Renee in NC]

If you're *really* concerned, you could try sleeping with the baby to see if she'll nurse. Otherwise, I wouldn't worry about it, and for sure I don't recommend that you pump. Yes, it could be why you've started your period again.

 

You must understand that pumping will not necessarily increase--or continue--your milk supply in any way. See [long quasi-scientific explanation follows], when your baby nurses, he presses the nipple up against the roof of his mouth. This stimulates a hormone (I forget which one...oxytocin??) which causes the blood vessels in your br*asts to expand, which presses the milk out and into baby's mouth. You can feel this as tingling in your br*asts; we call it the let-down reflex. IOW, baby doesn't necessarily get milk because he's sucking; he gets it because it has let down first. And it's the let-down that causes milk production. OTOH, a pump only sucks. There's no let-down (although some women do experience it), and there's no resulting milk production. It is why you canNOT tell how much milk you have from pumping: the milk is not being forced out, as it were.

 

So, no, don't pump. If it seems as if you're not producing as much milk as you think you should--and the only way you'd know this is from baby's lack of wet diapers or not gaining weight--then take baby to bed with you (and make sure you're not substituting a pacifier or something else instead of nursing).

 

Really? Huh. I always had let down while pumping - I didn't realize it wasn't common. Learn something new everyday!

[CactusPair]

Your supply shouldn't drop if your cycles return. I continued to nurse for a year after menses returned.

 

I wouldn't wake a sleeping baby. Rest is good for everyone. My dd started sleeping thru the night at about 6 wks. and I haven't noticed any drop in my supply.

 

I used to dream feed ds, but I had engorgement issues bec. he slept so long and deeply.

[SonshineLearner]

I kept an Avent Pump by my bed.... If I woke and he wasn't awake, I'd pump for ten minutes or so... stick it in the fridge or in a lunch bag with a blue ice... and go back to sleep. (Or run to the restroom which is what I usually had to do when I woke up:-) I built a great supply of milk in the freezer which was important to me, as I hate formula. I wanted enough for 3 days.. in case I ever needed to use it. I used a system of a Rubbermaid box.... I would put my milk in the bags that seal with a "zip" seal... and lay them down in the box to freeze. Every 8 bottles... I would put in a Foodsaver bag to save... so they lasted:-) Worked for me.... I also gave him a bottle and paci at the hospital... (with pumped milk) and nursed him past toddlerhood... so it didn't interfere with anything for us. I am a "nurse wherever I am" mom... but liked to include my husband...mom and his siblings with feedings, too. I used the Avent bottles and was able to nurse/bottle feed... with no problems.

 

Good Luck!

[Suzanne in ABQ]

My new dd is 6 weeks old and sleeps 7 hours per night. She is nursing every 2-4 hours during the day and gaining weight-very peaceful-she is not a fussy baby.

I have had two dc before with slow weight gain and I get very concerned. I am not a milk truck :) I don't engorge during the night. But-I just started my cycle again-it seems soooo early-could this be from going over 6 hours at night? Does this mean I could lose my supply? I guess I need to wake up and pump at night-

HOWEVER, with two toddlers that get up with the sun, I just hate the idea of getting up(I can't nurse or pump half asleep) to nurse while baby sleeps.

I will talk to the midwife tomorrow-but I'd love to hear what you guys think.

Thanks:001_smile:

 

 

I got my cycles at six weeks with all three of my kiddos. And, they all slept through the night early. I didn't ever lose my milk supply.

 

My first nursed for 11 months (stopped on her own when I was 4 1/2 months pregnant with my second -- I think the milk changed-- Baby made a yucky face and never nursed again.

 

My second nursed for 2 1/2 years. At the end, he was only nursing morning and night, but I never got short on milk.

 

My third nursed for 18 months. Again, she was down to just morning and night. But, I was 43 years old, and tired. We had thrush a few times. It hurt. I quit. :)

 

I don't think you have anything to worry about. I was so happy to be able to sleep at night, there was no way I was going to wake myself up to nurse. I had plenty of milk in the morning, and babies were always quite content.

[Amy loves Bud]

I think a nice long stretch of sleep will do more for your ability to maintain milk supply than pumping. Rest!

[redmom3]

Oh thank you so much for confirming my thoughts that rest is best:D

[IsabelC]

My new dd is 6 weeks old and sleeps 7 hours per night. She is nursing every 2-4 hours during the day and gaining weight-very peaceful-she is not a fussy baby.

I have had two dc before with slow weight gain and I get very concerned. I am not a milk truck :) I don't engorge during the night. But-I just started my cycle again-it seems soooo early-could this be from going over 6 hours at night? Does this mean I could lose my supply? I guess I need to wake up and pump at night-

HOWEVER, with two toddlers that get up with the sun, I just hate the idea of getting up(I can't nurse or pump half asleep) to nurse while baby sleeps.

I will talk to the midwife tomorrow-but I'd love to hear what you guys think.

Thanks:001_smile:

Not getting engorged is NOT a sign of low supply. It is a sign that your body and your baby are well attuned.

 

If you want to avoid low supply, you should be aware that the main causes of low supply are:

1. Baby sucking on anything other than you (bottles, pacifiers, your finger). Avoid this altogether if you can, or use as sparingly as possible.

2. Comp feeding formula. 99% of the time, comping is unnecessary. If it is really necessary, using a supplemental nursing system is the best way to go.

3. Timing or spacing out feeds instead of "feed to need"/feeding on cue for as long as she wants.

 

If your baby is happy to sleep through the night, that is great news. I would not bother waking up to pump, and in any case, a pump does not work as well as your baby does for draining the breast and stimulating milk supply. I would suggest that you make sure your little one is getting plenty of milk during the day (whatever the books say, she may NEED to feed every 2 hours with a heap of cluster feeding before bed if she wants to "tank up" for a long night sleep). Also keep an eye on her health and growth, as occasionally babies can get dehydrated and be so tired that they fail to "ask" for enough feeds. If you want to give your milk supply an extra boost, you could settle your baby to sleep at her normal time, then grab her and offer a sleepy feed just before you are ready to go to sleep for the night. This would be great for your supply because night feeding is more effective at increasing prolactin levels than day feeding. (Prolactin is the hormone that stimulates milk production, by the way. Oxytocin is the hormone that triggers the let down reflex. Pumping milk can keep your prolactin level from dropping off, however it is nowhere near a effective as a baby suckling.)

Edited January 5, 2010 by Hotdrink

[mhaddon]

I thought you could increase supply by pumping, but you have to pump for an additional 15 mins on each side after the last droplet of milk is express. That is a long time with other kids! I always pump extra to have it back, but I have been blessed w/ an abundant supply so far. Do you drink a lot of water, oatmeal, and mother's milk tea?

 

But yes, eventually your milk tapers off and you won't feel engourged. This comes faster every time you bf b/c your body has done it before :) And I agree if you sleep w/ the baby they are more likely to nurse more and this will help w/ supply as well. Enjoy your newbie :wub:

[Starr]

My dd started sleeping 6 hours a night at 3 days. She nursed while awake and we did just fine.

[vkay]

My dd started sleeping 6 hours a night at 3 days. She nursed while awake and we did just fine.

Same here. We started at 6 hours at birth and by 6 weeks my dd was doing 12 hour stretches at night and my milk was just fine. In fact, I had extra in the fridge and freezer. With my other two dc, during the early weeks I didn't have as much sleep and my milk supply wasn't as good. Go figure?! Maybe mom getting lots of sleep really does improve the supply.

 

So enjoy your sleep!!

 

;)

[Lolly]

Really? Huh. I always had let down while pumping - I didn't realize it wasn't common. Learn something new everyday!

 

:lol:I used to let down when I looked at my pump! (While babies were in NICU.)

[LibraryLover]

I advise you to enjoy the sleep. Sometimes newborns sleep through the night for a bit, and then they do not. If it continues, make sure to nurse her frequently (6 or more times) during the day. If she seems hungry or fussy , and/or someone suggests she needs solids, nurse her more frequently.