BF and sleep question... Please help!

MN82

My Hank is 1 week old and since he was born I wake him every 3 hours and BF and then pump for 20 mins after.  I am having a hard time sleeping in between bc I feel stressed that I just have to wake back up in 2 hours.  Is it ok to let him go a 4 hour stretch or will that screw us up supply wise.  Should I be pumping after every time?  My Lactation girl told me to.  I hate waking him when he is so peaceful and I am so exhausted at this point I feel like I am falling apart.  HELP!

kelly321

My MW told me letting them go 5 hours at night is fine. Do you have a low supply? Why are you pumping after every feeding? If you're not having supply issues and are just pumping to build up a freezer stash, then I would stop pumping at night just to give yourself a bit of a break. Supply is created based on baby's demand, and if LO is only demanding to be fed every 4 hours at night and every 3 during the day, then your supply will adjust to that.

wifeofadam

I'm a big fan of feeding on demand.  If your kid wants to sleep four hours, let them sleep.  If they need to eat every hour, feed them every hour.  I feel like babies are just like adults in that they are individuals with differing hunger levels and sleep needs.  I wouldn't do well on some random schedule of eating and sleeping picked for me by someone else, so why would a baby?

If you rbaby is having enough wet diapers and your supply is fine, there is no reason to pump after every session.  If I were you I would pick some of the times during the day where you have the most milk and pump after those sessions to build a stash or pick the times of the day where your milk is lower and pump after to increase supply if that is what you are trying to do.  You don't need to do it all day long.

kstephens21

Thank you ladies! I think I'm going to stop pumping all night now. It's just way too much!

beanersmommy

With DD, I would feed on demand and then pump one time per day in the morning after the first morning (daytime) feeding (I have heard that you are most full in the morning, which is why pumping in the morning is typically recommended). In the beginning I just wanted to have enough in the freezer in case I had to go out and my mom or DH needed to watch DD. Once I went back to work (and as going back to work approached) I pumped more so there was a supply for daycare.

kleigh926

Don't wake him to feed him, and you definitely don't need to pump all night long! If he is hungry, he'll wake up and let you know.