Never wake a sleeping baby...but what if??

BallerinaK

DD goes to bed around 8pm. She pretty consistently STTN until around 6am or sometimes even later. On the days I work, I am at work by 6am, meaning if I were to feed her before leaving, the latest I could start feeding her would be 5:15am. If she has STTN, should I wake her and nurse her prior to leaving or should I just let her sleep and take her first feeding from a bottle and pump either before I leave or right after arriving at work?

Jenny952

If it was me, I would wake her to feed before I left.  But that's just because I'd prefer to have that time with her and wouldn't want to have to deal with pumping and cleaning it.  If you decide to let her sleep, it's probably easiest to pump before you leave and use that for her 1st bottle of the morning. 

Good luck, wow that's so early!

BallerinaK

Jenny952:

If it was me, I would wake her to feed before I left.  But that's just because I'd prefer to have that time with her and wouldn't want to have to deal with pumping and cleaning it.  If you decide to let her sleep, it's probably easiest to pump before you leave and use that for her 1st bottle of the morning. 

Good luck, wow that's so early!

Indeed it is. I wake up at 4:30am on the mornings I work. I'm a morning person though, so it works out.

I've been waking her to feed her unless she's had a rough night, but this morning I just felt so bad waking her up. She looked so cozy in her crib I do enjoy our last moment together before I have to leave her for the day. I also want to nurse as often as possible to maintain my supply, and I'm tired of cleaning pump parts and bottles. DH has washed about 2 bottles ever. The babysitter doesn't wash any. I wash them all... I go through lots of lotion

VMRRN23

Wake and feed. That's what I did and still do ( even though we are down to nursing in am and before bed). You'll more "empty" since you lo is more efficient than the pump, and you will have time together or just dream feed. 

TeaForMe

I've often got a similar scenario in the morning. I tried going a few mornings with just pumping, but went back to waking him to feed. No real reason why... just felt it was worth it for me. I say give it a try for a few days and if you don't think it's working well, go back to nursing her then instead.

jlsimon56

I did that when my LO was that age.  I leave the house at 5 so at first I was getting up at 3:30 and pumping, which of course took forever b/c I was so full!  So then I started pumping for a little time, then waking her to nurse afterwards.  THEN I realized I could sleep until 4:00, wake her to nurse her, then go to work and pump there.  Genius!  :-) 

Once my LO hit ~3.5 months, she stopped STTN and was waking once between 1-3am so I was getting up at 4:30.  I liked that schedule best, actually.

I don't know when it happened, but now my LO wakes 3-5 times per night, and my body has regulated to this schedule.  This morning, she was up at 4 to eat so I just left for work once she was done and I was dressed.  Yesterday morning, she woke at 5....juuuuust as I was leaving.  (I was late to work, haha!)

We follow The Sleep Lady so we wake LO after 3 hours during the day.  I am not afraid to wake a sleeping baby. 

BallerinaK

OK...I'll continue to do what I've been doing then. I've been waking her, but I didn't want to interfere with her good sleep habits. I generally nurse/feed on demand, so there's no set time between feedings.

cottonlily84

I would let DD sleep.  I hate having to wake her to go to the sitters.  I don't have to leave as early as you but if she's "due" for a feeding before my mom comes over (on days she keeps her) I just let her sleep and take a bottle when she wakes.  Makes us both happier.