milk supply and sleeping through the night?

Question

I just asked the question about going to the gym and my milk supply...

If my daughter is sleeping 6-8 hours a night without waking to feed and therefore my milk supply is decreasing...will it decrease until it dries up completely? Or does that just mean that it is decreasing from what it was before? I have heard people say that they quit breastfeeding once their baby sleeps through the night...is that because you eventually decrease milk and then have to suppliment and then the next thing you know, you aren't breastfeeding? I really want to continue but do not want to wake her in the night since she sleeps through the night on her own...

Answer 1

what i know is that hte breastmilk if demand and supply
your breast will produce the milk that your daugther needs,
even if she do not drink at night!
as long as she still drinks during the day you will have milk for her.
and pleaseeeeeeeeeeee dont wake her up! enjoy that she sleeps thru the night!..

Answer 2

You will keep making milk as long as you are still breastfeeding, but here are a couple of things that factor in:

The hormones that regulate your milk production are at their highest levels in your body during the early morning (like 2-6 AM) hours. Nipple stimulation from either nursing or pumping during that window helps take advantage of the high hormone levels, making this an opportune time to try and increase supply.

Many women start to "dry up" shortly after baby begins sleeping through the night, due to the way they choose to handle the change-- particularly by giving formula supplements when baby seems not quite full enough after breastfeeding. The body will take anywhere from 2-10 days to adjust, depending partly on how consistently the baby is actually sleeping through. But as the nighttime supply decreases, baby still has the same need for the same overall amount of milk during a 24-hr. period; she just needs to get all of that milk in fewer hours once she's sleeping through the night. The body needs to adjust to this *increased* daytime need, as well as the decreased nighttime need.

Many women start to feel like they don't have enough (they *don't*-- but it should only be temporary if they nurse more during the day!), and begin supplementing with formula. More formula = less nursing = less milk production = more formula = less nursing = less milk production... and so on. So yes, you are correctly seeing a pattern there, that lots of moms end up weaning shortly after baby begins sleeping through the night. BUT it doesn't *have* to be that way. Readjust the timing of daytime feeds to add another feeding or two if you are in a pretty set routine, or if you are still feeding on cue, just pay attention and make sure to let baby nurse as long and as often as she wants for a few days, with no limit. That should do the trick nicely. ;)

Best of luck, and enjoy the extra sleep!

Answer 3

Your body will know when it is that your daughter needs to nurse, whether it is at 2:00 am or at 2:00 pm. If she isn't eating in the middle of the night, your breasts won't store a lot of milk during that time. As long as you feed her from the breast on demand, your body should make however much she needs whenever she needs it. If she decides to start waking up in the middle of the night (as some children have been known to do even after sleeping through the night for months on end), she will still get a little bit of milk from you and that will stimulate your body to make more milk. Your breasts are never truly empty, because your body is constantly making milk for your baby, so she will be able to get some milk anytime that she wants to nurse while you are still lactating. I certainly wouldn't wake her up if she's sleeping through the night. Enjoy it while it lasts!

Answer 4

Sorry, I didn't read your first question yet. So I'm not sure how old your baby is.

My son, 14 months now, stopped eating at night at 10 months. I've still got tonnes of milk, no problems! I've been back at work for over two months now, not pumping, so he only nurses first thing in the morning (both sides), in the tub in the evening (one side), and before bed (other side). On weekends and days I don't work, he nurses two other times as well.

Your body will shift to adapt to your baby's needs. The more she nurses, the more you produce, for the most part. But that doesn't mean that your supply will dwindle to nothing if she cuts out a feeding or two. There's no reason your milk will dry up from 6-8 hours of not feeding her! If you find that it's seeming to dry up, contact La Leche League or a lactation consultant perhaps, or visit www.kellymom.com for info on supply.

Answer 5

My baby slept through the night at 4 weeks so I was very worried about my supply because I worked so hard to establish it. However, we found that the body will adjust.

For me, my body seems to know when my baby needs to eat. She likes to take her time nursing (30 min to an hour). Yet if bottle fed, she polishes it off in 15 min. If in a rush, I often ask my husband to bottle feed pumped milk while I pump fresh milk. After a while, I notice that my body would produce more milk when I pump at the times my baby would normally eat and not so much when I pump off schedule.

Answer 6

Your supply will lessen but your baby will feed more regularly on occasions to build up your supply again. My maternal health nurse (and she is one of the best in my wider community) said that it would be difficult for your milk to dry up completely if you are still feeding regardless of how regularly.
I have a 12 week old baby (my third child) and he is now sleeping through and my milk is fine and he just feeds more regularly during the day if he needs more or if he needs to build up my supply again.
I guess it is not a bad suggestion (from reading the answers) to get up at night and express. Alternatively, express before you go to bed so you can still get a good night's sleep.

Answer 7

When you are breastfeeding your body is constantly adjusting to make sure that you have enough milk to meet your baby's needs. When your baby sleeps through the night your supply will decrease a little, but not by that much. Your body will recognise that you are no longer needing to feed at that time so it stretches out accordingly.

My daughter would have her last feed at around 10pm and then she would sleep through to 6 or 7am... she started doing that at around 2 months and I continued to breastfeed without any problems for many many many more months after that!

You can also check out www.kellymom.com or www.lalecheleague.org for more reading material!

Good Luck!

Answer 8

My baby sleeps through the night and I am still giving him breastmilk. There is no basis to baby sleeping through the night and quitting breastfeeds.

Once your supply is established, its okay if you dont empy it through the night. The next day mornig you should be exploding with milk. When I dont pump through the night, I get 12 to 15 ounces of milk. Make sure you empy your breasts last night before you go to bed and first thing you wake up.

Answer 9

maybe try getting up at night and pumping that way you dont have to wake the baby and you will have milk for the first thing in the morning. or if she doesnt take a bottle just pour it down the drain. maybe thats all you need is to pump a little at night to keep the supply up.

Answer 10

My opinion, you need to get a hospital-grade breast pump. I have one from Ameda, it's great, but ask your doctor what is best for you. To keep up your milk supply you need to pump frequently, for like 20 minutes each, or else your milk will go away. That's what happened to me, and I got my pump too late and had to switch my son to formula, it sucked and made me really sad because I was really wanting to breastfeed him for the first year. Get a pump, and pump frequently, for short amounts of time. Get up at night and pump, like three times, and you should keep your milk. Getting up and pumping for 20 minutes is easier than feeding your baby and changing them and fussing over them, and your milk will still be there. Also you can take Fenugreek, it's an herb that will help increase your milk supply. You can also take Marshmallow ... root I want to say - it's another herb, it makes the breast milk creamier and thicker, more filling for your baby. Talk to your doctor and he should be able to help you with all this. Or contact someone from the La Leche group, I know some of them are a little nutty, but they know their breastfeeding! And they know what will help keep your milk up.