I have low supply & so we usually fight through feedings where I am doing intense breast compressions for 20 minutes on each side to get LO every drop, and then she has to get a bottle after. However, lately in the middle of the night, she has been finishing a side in like 5 minutes! My boobs will go from rock hard to super soft & floppy super fast... It's like when a cartoon character drinks something with a straw in one long sip! Is it normal for her to be able to drain a lot better at night? Is she really getting as much milk in such a short session? Why can't she nurse this quickly every time?
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She may get down to business better at night. My son used to focus very well at night but got distracted in the daylight. I had an over supply problem and while we had to fight to get latched during the day he could do so well at night. In five minutes he could easily drain my breast to feel about the same as the times I'd pump 5 or more ounces. When they want to be those little ones are very efficient! Is she content after her night feeding or still needs a bottle?
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@daniellemybelle: your description made me lol.
C eats a lot faster at night- no distractions and she's still half asleep so I think it's just instinct or something. I feel like I have a lot more milk in the motn so maybe that's why he is happy without the supplement? Plus I consider motn feedings more of a top off than proper meal, if that makes sense.
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@Beyond2: @Foodnerd81: She falls asleep on the boob but I give her a bottle because I feel like I am supposed to. I never thought of MOTN feedings as a not a regular feeding - maybe I could try not giving a bottle, but I'm afraid she'd be back up right away!
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Supply is usually at it's highest in the early hours of the morning when prolactin levels are at their highest. I also think that babies feed more by instinct as they're not awake enough to think about what they're doing.
Night feedings are a really awesome way to increase and maintain supply so you could always go without the bottle for a few nights and see if your supply increases?
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I would definitely start cutting the bottles at night. If your breasts are getting to the point of being engorged I think you have less of a supply problem than you think you do!
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@daniellemybelle: I don't know if this is the same thing or not, but during the day Lo eats from both sides roughly every three hours. During the night she only ever has one side and can go 4-5 hours in between motn feedings, if she wakes up twice. I was trying doing both sides and didn't notice a difference in wake ups, it was just taking longer and harder to put her down after. I would try skipping the bottle a few times to see how it goes. The worst that happens is you have one bad night, best that happens is you find you an skip that bottle going forward!
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@Kemma: Do you mean nurse more often at night instead of just once or twice plus a bottle like we've been doing? I'm not sure you can convince me to do that, haha!
@MamaMoose: I'm not sure I am engorged, just full, though I'm not sure? Engorgement is painful, right? I only get really full if she goes longer than 4 hours between feedings and she often does (sleep is only a 2.5-3 hr stretch though - she is a sleep fighter). I am afraid to drop the bottles because I know from weighed feedings & pumping that I only produce 1.5-2 oz every 3 hours.
@Foodnerd81: That makes sense! I think I will try it even though I am scared... I actually think giving the bottle wakes her back up so maybe just letting her fall asleep nursing will help with her sleep?
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Update: I tried skipping bottles last night. She fell asleep nursing at her first wakeup at 12am, but was up 30 minutes later, so I nursed again & gave her a bottle. She slept til 4am (in my arms but that's another story/issue) and I nursed again - this time she fell asleep until 8am with no bottle! She has seemed a bit extra hungry today though. Not sure if it's worth it to skip the nighttime bottles? Though it is nice to know she can be content with just nursing - makes me feel good!
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@daniellemybelle: A little hunger can be good, it's what keeps your LO at the breast and boosting your supply! It might take a couple of days for your supply to catch up with your LO's increased demand so keep yourself well nourished and hydrated and maybe try some lactation cookies or lactation tea to help give you a boost?
Just another questions but how many bottles is your LO having each day and how old is she?
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@Kemma: Oh trust me, I am on a steady diet of lactation cookies
I am also taking More Milk Special Blend, fenugreek & alfalfa. I've been trying extremely hard for 7 weeks to EBF! As you can imagine, I get very nervous about my LO being hungry, since early on she lost so much weight & was basically starved.To answer your question, she is 7 weeks & gets a bottle with 1-1.5 oz of formula after each nursing session. Based on weighed feedings, she gets about 1.5-2 oz every 3 hours from nursing.
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@daniellemybelle: I'm no way an expert but could you aim to build your supply by dropping one bottle every week? Maybe try dropping the night bottles first (especially if your LO nurses well at night) while keeping an eye on weigh gain and outputs then look at the day feeds?
And I totally understand worrying about keeping LO fed but you're doing a great job!
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@Kemma: Thanks for the encouragement! I have gotten to a point where I am okay with supplementing, and I'm just glad we have the breastfeeding relationship that we do. I think I am going to try to skip the bottles at night from here forward unless she seems hungry, but until I know for sure that she's getting more at the breast, I'm not going to cut back on the daytime bottles. Unfortunately I don't think I work like someone with a typical supply, where it's simply supply & demand. If that were the case, I'd have tons of milk because LO nursed around the clock in the early days!
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Totally independent of the issue of breastmilk vs. formula, I'd drop the night bottles just to try to shift the bulk of LO's calorie consumption to daytime hours. It might take a few nights of more frequent wakeups, but I think eventually she'd move to eating more (whether that's breastmilk or formula, whatever) during the day and getting used to eating less at night and hopefully sleeping longer at night. My LO is 8 weeks and I'm lucky that supply isn't an issue, but since we're not worried about his weight I kind of try to downplay night feedings (I still feed him when he wakes up, but if he seems done after a few minutes I just put him back to bed rather than trying to rouse him a little and get more into him). I ultimately want him to get used to not eating for longer stretches of time at night.
(This assumes your LO's weight is ok- if there's a worry about weight gain, I'd stick with offering food whenever she'll take it until you and your pediatrician are comfortable that she's where you'd like to see her weight-wise). -
@Lozza: That's a great point! I definitely am going to drop the bottles and make nighttime feedings more snacks than meals.
I am also taking More Milk Special Blend, fenugreek & alfalfa. I've been trying extremely hard for 7 weeks to EBF! As you can imagine, I get very nervous about my LO being hungry, since early on she lost so much weight & was basically starved.Reply
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