[Blakes'Mum]

Hi.

DS is 9 weeks old and has started sleeping more at night- most of the time anyway- and I was wondering if when he does start sleeping though the night should I still get up and express to keep up my supply or will it be fine if he is still feeding well during the day?


Thanks.

[ubermum]

As long as every feed comes from the breast your body will adjust. If you are using formula or bottles for any feeds, I would express.

[AryaStar]

If you are feeding on demand you'll continue to produce the volume of breastmilk your baby requires and won't need to express extra feeds. I would actually caution against expressing at this early stage because if you create an oversupply situation it can lead to engorgement, blocked ducts, mastitis etc

Dropping night feeds at 9 weeks is quite early for a BF baby but if he is getting plenty of milk during the day and is steadily gaining weight, having the right number of wet nappies etc everything should be fine.

[TwiceThe Woman]

^^^ShadyLane is spot on.
Just make sure you allow liberal feeds during the day. Keep an eye on the wet nappies - that there are at least 6 a day and pooing ok too of course. Weight gains should remain satisfactory too.

My first slept though from 5 weeks and never woke again until she was sick at 15 months old. She had nothing but breast milk for 6 months and slept 10 hours a night - scary huh - I really missed the overnight cuddly feeds.
As it was so early in the peace, I just had to make sure she fed liberally - no dummy etc.,
She's still a good sleeper now at 29yo.



This post has been edited by TwiceThe Woman: 04/05/2012, 12:48 PM

[lucky 2]

PP's are spot on.
I only got up once to express when bub was asleep and that was because my breasts were very full and sore as she had suddenly slept longer than usual. I intended to express off enough for comfort (I wasn't concerned about supply, just sleep!), but of course as soon as I got organised to express, she woke up for a feed. She must have caught a whiff of breast milk .

[Blakes'Mum]

Thanks heaps ladies You have been a big help.

[WinterIsComing]

OMG, enjoy your sleep lucky lady!:)

[CurlyTops]

No need to do it for supply, but you might want to do it for comfort for a short while. Just take enough to stop the pain.

[Leee]

My DS2 started sleeping through around 11 weeks and even after a week my breasts didn't adjust and I ended up with mastitis. I would wake probably an hour or two before him as they were so full and painful. After a week I would have thought they would have settled down but didn't. I wouldn't express, but maybe once you are up you might need to take a little off just so he can get on.

My doctor told me that I should get up and express but there was no way I was going to do that, I was enjoying the sleep.

[trishalishous]

If youre exclusively BF on demand, I wouldnt worry about expressing, and just enjoy the sleep!