Dropping a Feeding

michellepete824

My son is 15 weeks and transitioning sleeping through the night. Until now, I have started feeding him at 7:30, and he's sleeping by 8. He would wake around 3:30 or 4, eat, then sleep until 7 or 7:30. During that feeding during the night, I would feed on one side while pumping the other. That always gave me an extra bottle for daycare.

Here has been a typical weekday schedule:

4:00am one breast AND pump other home
7:30am one breast home
9:30am 4oz bottle daycare
10:30am pump both breasts work
11:30am 4oz bottle daycare
2:30pm 4oz bottle daycare, pump both breasts work
5:45pm one breast home
7:30pm one breast home

If he sleeps through the night though, that drops the 4am feed and pump. What do I do so that my supply doesn't drop, and also that I'm not engorged by the time he wakes?

And two, how do we make up for this missed feeding during the day? He's obviously guaranteed 12oz at daycare with bottles. Does he just adjust the amount he takes while nursing? If he had been taking 4oz with each feeding, that would have put him at 28oz for the day.

Thanks for any advice!

jlsimon56

You may be engorged at first but your body will respond within a few days and you will wake up ok.  Very full, but not painfully engorged.  It just takes a few days though.

Your supply won't drop.  Your body registers that you are feeding fewer times, so the milk it's producing will change.  It becomes fattier and more caloric.  This ensures that your LO still gets the calories/energy he needs, with fewer feedings.  He will probably still take the same amount.  He will just be getting more out of it. 

Nature is fabulous, is it not?  Hopefully this all makes sense!

michellepete824

What about the milk I have in the freezer? Will it not have enough calories to satisfy him?