BF'ing: How do I get a break w/o losing milk supply?

CubbyMama

I noticed yesterday that I'm having random moments of...not really dizziness, but more like I'm momentarily disoriented, and realized it must be that I haven't slept more than 3 consecutive hours in over 2 weeks (plus the stellar sleep you get when you're hugely pregnant...). 

In the next week or so, I'm going to bust out the pump and try my luck with it--but, say I go to bed after her 9pm feeding and let DH give her a bottle at midnight, so I can sleep from 9pm-3amish straight.  Wouldn't I have to wake up to pump anyway?  Or would I just get mondo engorged but have no overall effect on my milk supply?

You'd think I'd know this, being a 2nd time mom, but DD nursed so constantly that I never got a chance to pump, so this question never came up with her!

gibs

skipping pumping sessions early on will decrease your supply?

EMT

gibs:

skipping pumping sessions early on will decrease your supply

SORRY but she's right

Andrewsgal

I would wait a while before skipping a feeding, you are in the essential time im establishing supply, so yes you would need to pump.

CubbyMama

Rats.  Okay.   At what point is the milk supply considered "established"?  It's definitely not worth risking at this point, so I'll just try to get in some good naps and hang in for a while longer, then.

CubbyMama

Oh, I just meant doing it once--not having DH take over the midnight feeding permanently or anything.  Does that make a difference?

Zenya

I wouldn't worry about it to be honest.  I did with Christopher but with Sara I don't.  One feeding shouldn't affect anything.  I went out at 6 weeks (out with my friend to a bar) and skipped many feedings with no impact on my supply.

maxebook29

I guess it is different for everyone because I did this pretty early on and had no trouble. I pumped after nursing so that my body knew to keep producing and ate lots of oatmeal. (A friend did this as well but took fenugeek.) I didn't have any supply issues, but I did wake up very full. You can always try it and evaluate from there. Good luck getting some sleep soon!

Andrewsgal

Oh once should be fine, I thought you meant as a normal event.

squishywife

to be honest, i would just do it.  it sucks.  but that early in the game i never skipped a feeding fearing my supply would tank. 

A-baybride

I believe 6 weeks is when you're considered established.  I started producing a lot less at that point - and probably lost a whole cup size (much to my dismay!).

triplea1819

I did not skip a pumping session, but it was quicker for me to pump then to nurse DS to sleep.  so I would pump while DH gave him a bottle.  I ran to put them in the fridge and went to bed.  I could then sleep till his next feeding.  whether it be 2 hours or 4 hours.  it worked out pretty well. 

 

kittycarr

You just had a baby, it's something you have to deal iwth if you want to nurse.  Period end of story.  I don't mean to sound like an ass but that's just that.  You need to establish your supply.  It's gonna suck for a while.  A loooooooooooooooooooooooong while!

marrymemylove

Well for a start the first time you do it you'll probably get engorged and need to opump anyway. And you think you'd love to sleep through a feed but you're probably programmed to wake so you might wake for a while even if you're not feeding (DS took a year to STTN and when he finally did we still woke every 2 hours for a week!).

I would say after 3-4 months you should be fine to miss the occasional feed, I wouldn't do it for more than 1 every couple of days until 6 months or so. Then again I'm low in prolactin so though I had no supply issues I had to be extra careful.

If you miss the same feed consistently you'll stop producing then, but you know that.

 Actually it wasn't possible for us to sleep through DS waking, we'd both get up. Unless your DH is in another room with bubs you'll be up anyway.

marrymemylove

btw 3 consecutive hours of sleep sounds blissful to me. DS didn't do that more than twice in the whole first year - always woke at 2 hours or less, usually less as 2 hours between feeds. Gitmo has nothing on a newborn for sleep torture.

The only 2 times DS did sleep 3-4 hours straight he was jetlagged out of his brain and so were we, so were didn't feel like it was an improvement :-) 

CubbyMama

I'm right there with ya, MMML--DD1 was the same way, and didn't sleep more than 1.5-2 hours straight until she was something like 5 months old.  I'm definitely not complaining about 3 hours straight at this point!  

kitty, in all honesty, you do kind of sound like an ass on this one.  I'm not proposing to sell her on craigslist, or even b!tching about what a hassle it is to BF--I nursed DD1 for 15-20 hours out of every day for a solid 4-5 months and am well aware of the commitment.  It's just that since Ellie is much more of a "normal" baby and I might actually have the opportunity to catch one decent night's sleep occasionally, I thought I might take it as long as it doesn't hurt my supply.  Either way, I'll survive just fine, though.