Another bf question

battybtags

How do you get a "break" from nursing? I laugh when I read things that say to give a bottle of expressed milk to give mom a break...if they have a feeding from a bottle, Aren't  you technically supposed to pump at that time to simulate a feeding? To me, if I have to pump, I might as well just nurse her since I still have to get up, etc. DH thinks I'm crazy and being too strict but I don't want to mess with my supply either. I'd love to have a break and have him do an overnight feeding now and then but I just don't know how to do it without me having to pump at the same time and I dont want to do formula either. Is there something I'm missing? How do you get a break?  

octoberbridesrule

I don't remember getting that kind of break with DD#1. I haven't done anything like that with DD#2 but I do have DH get up with our older daughter especially if she gets up before the baby.

ArcticFox

I EP'd with my kids, and I would get up in the middle of the night to pump.  It was for quite some time.. I don't remember how long, but I didn't want to mess with my supply, I was uncomfortable (full) and the baby didn't STTN for a long time anyway.  Hang in there!  I know it's hard, but in hindsight it wasn't long..

Telyco

At night if I needed to go to bed a little earlier- I would pump for like 15 minutes and then go to bed. Then DH would feed the baby a bottle and rock to sleep. If she had a good 3 hr stretch that was at least 4-4.5 for me. So that's a good break. But I nursed for a least 20minutes on each side. So pumping a quick 15 mins was definitely faster and stimulated enough to not drop my supply. I probably only did that twice though. 

We did a nice big bottle at night before bed. I think that helped with keeping her full and sleeping for longer. I never nursed to sleep because I wanted to make sure their bellies were full. 

olivia_eve

In the beginning I never skipped a feeding, because I'm always afraid of messing with my supply, especially in those early days. Now if I'm out I sometimes skip a feeding and have DH give T a bottle and I don't pump to replace it. I only do that about once a month because again, I don't want to mess with my supply. We do a bedtime bottle of pumped milk, and I usually make more than enough for it, so we just use the extra for those times when I'm out. 

jnk062602

I am really crazy about needing to not miss a feeding at this age also.  First, I don't want it to affect my supply.  And second, if I go too long, my boobs ache.  The most I have done in the first couple months was a few times with Elizabeth.  If I fed her at 8pm, and she was due to eat at 11pm, I would pump at 9pm and give that to DH to feed her and then sleep until her 1am feeding.  That way I got a xouple extra hours of sleep.  But haven't done that with Clayton - more bc DH has taken on most of Ellie-duty, so he is needing a break whenever he can too.