BFing Moms: STTN?

acmayn01

Do you BFing/EPing moms sleep through the night if your kids do? I EP and while on maternity leave I woke up once to pump. Now that I started back to work though I'm just not sure if I can do it.

Does everyone else wake to pump? Am I going to kill my already low supply if I sleep?

Christina_Diane

My son was sttn, and when he did I did too. The engorgement was painful and it would usually wake me up around 3-5 a.m. Once he his 3.5 months though, and once I went back to work, he doesn't. He will wake 2-3x a night. 

The first week back to work was rough, but my body adjusted to getting less sleep.

If you are worried about your supply, wake up and pump. You will probably be back in bed after a short time. Or, pump right before going to sleep and wake up an extra 15 minutes to pump in the early morning.  

jlsimon56

My LO also stopped STTN at 4 months.  She still doesn't.  But on the rare night that she does, you bet I sleep right along with her!  :-)

If I were having supply issues though, I would definitely wake to pump.  The first weeks back at work are hard b/c you're getting used to a new schedule, etc.  I remember being so worried that I wouldn't pump enough.  Lots of moms see a dip b/c of the stress. 

runrinserepeat

Lurker here - my LO started STTN early, and I never woke to pump. I pump one side first thing in the morning (I'm usually pretty full by then), and then feed DD the other side. The morning pumping takes me from not pumping enough during the day to pumping more than enough, so it's non-negotiable for me. I'm not sure I would wake up in the middle of the night, unless DD was waking up, too.

DallasHorn

I'm BF my 3rd. First, let's define what STTN for a BF baby is - - that is sleeping for 6-7 hours without waking. All my kids do/did that, however #3 is doing the 9 months challenge...she is so curious about everything that is going on around her during the day that she is waking up 2-3x/night to get in the bulk of her milk intake. She does sleep pretty consistenty from 7 pm to 1 or 2 am, but then she gets up every couple hours to nurse. I don't go to bed until 10, so obviously not ideal to be waking up only after a couple hours.

 As far as how I handle...I do one of two things. One is that I pull her into bed with me and we co-sleep. Or, I've gotten good at nursing her in the glider in her room and sleeping. So while I wake up, go get her and then fall asleep. At some point, I'll wake up, put her back down to bed and return to bed myself.

mexicolombiana

With my first she started STTN around 4/5 months and I would still get up to pump because I was crazy and thought I would run out of milk, etc. 

Now with my 2nd I absolutely do NOT wake up to pump.  She started STTN around 4 months and she continues STTN! Once in a while she might wake up to eat once and goes right back down.  I wake up super engorged but I just feed her on one side and pump the other and that's it.   

kjbachel

My daughter just turned one and I literally just stopped pumping in the middle of the night! I know Im crazy but I cant get enough milk when I pump at work for her bottles and for her cereal. Im trying to be ok with having less milk, but its hard and I still cant force myslef to get on board with making her cereal with water. She is dairy and soy intollerant so my milk is still a crucial part of her nutrition!

acmayn01

Thank you all for your responses! I'm EPing but can only produce about 15oz a day even with LCs, meds, etc so I obviously have to supplement. It's been really hard to stick with it so I guess I'm looking for a reason to give myself a little break for the 7 hours or so that she STTN right now. I definitely don't want to see my supply drop any lower though! It's been consistent for at least 6 weeks.