Will going too long affect supply?

JELM2004

Hi Ladies,

I've been googling about this question but can't find an answer that relates to my specific situation, so wondering if anyone might have any insight:

DS has exclusively bennett fed breast milk which is great. I nurse him 95% of the time but I also pump about 3 times a day. I am able to pump 16-20 oz a day and right now how a freezer stash, plus a bunch in the fridge. I feed DS anywhere from 1-3 am and DH will do the next feed at around 5 and then the next one around 7:30 am. He works from home and doesn't need to be in his "office" downstairs until 9 am so he lets me sleep until then. This is great because I struggle with anxiety and depression that gets really bad if I'm severely sleep deprived. Also, its lets us both get a good stretch of sleep. It makes me nervous though, because sometimes I go 7-8 hours without nursing, depending on when LO wakes to feed. He is 5 weeks now, and so far this hasn't affected my supply, but I'm worried it will.

I still manage to get 3 extra pumping sessions in during the day, to make up fircthe missed feeding at 5 am but I'm wondering if this mitigates the missed feeding at 5 am or not? I still get 8-9 nursing/pumping sessions in during 24 hours but I'm not sure if its the amount if pumps/feeds you get in or the time between them that natters as far as maintaing supply. Everything I've read pertains to exclusively pumping or nursing.

I know everyone is different but is it safe to assume that if it hasn't affected my supply thus far, it will be ok? And I couldn't find any info on how long it takes for a missed feed here and there to decrease supply. Does it need to be a consistent thing or will once or twice hurt it right away?

Thanks for any insight or info. I really appreciate it!

opheliainwaders

Hey there. Hopefully @AmyG will chime in, but I'll take a crack at this.

First, the easy question. Missing a feeding once in a while shouldn't affect your supply, so to your last question, don't worry.

Overall, it actually sounds like you might have an oversupply? Are you pumping 16oz in addition to what your LO is eating, or is he eating what you pump every day? Is there a reason you're pumping so much? (You mentioned pumping 3x to replace the 5am feeding?)

I think your body will just get used to your schedule, but I'm not sure whether going that long might put you at risk for clogged ducts?

JELM2004

gulickr said:

Hey there. Hopefully @AmyG will chime in, but I'll take a crack at this.

First, the easy question. Missing a feeding once in a while shouldn't affect your supply, so to your last question, don't worry.

Overall, it actually sounds like you might have an oversupply? Are you pumping 16oz in addition to what your LO is eating, or is he eating what you pump every day? Is there a reason you're pumping so much? (You mentioned pumping 3x to replace the 5am feeding?)

I think your body will just get used to your schedule, but I'm not sure whether going that long might put you at risk for clogged ducts?

Yes! I'm pumping that in addition to nursing all day! He doesn't go through that milk at all. At the most, he will have 3 bottles of pumped milk a day if I'm out or something but that's only 10-12 oz. I keep pumping 3x a day because my first pump in the morning, I usually get 8-10 oz after going 7-8 hours and I keep thinking my body will adjust and give me less but it doesn't. This is fine, because I've built up a freezer stash and I don't feel engorged between feedings. I'm pretty full/uncomfortable by the first morning pump after going 7-8 hours but not too bad.

ETA: I'm not sure about the clogged ducts, but I don't seem to have had a problem so far?

Thanks for your input!

JELM2004

AmyG* said:

Going longer than 8 hours consistently is likely to 1. cause an overall 24 hour a day drop as your body thinks you are nursing a much older baby that is STTN and takingin a lot of solids and 2. kickstart your period returning which also can cause a drop in supply.

You may not notice the drop in supply until you get past the hormonal driven phase of nursing, your supply switches to being only supply driven. this is somewhere between now and about 3 mos.

if you are pumping more than baby eats, you could certain slow down on pumping as you'll be filling the freezer.  I'd probably wake to pump or nurse one time in that 8 hour stretch if possible.

Thanks so much for this info! I really appreciate it!