Thinking of Bottlefeeding at Bedtime

ludali · May 2014

Why is this causing me such anxiety!?! I know many will say that there's enough milk in me, but when I have a sucky pumping day like today (a total of 6 oz after 3 pumping sessions), I feel like she doesn't get enough during my after work and bed time nursing sessions. I'm becoming more open to supplementing and I have milk that can be used (I have about an 80 oz stash too).

I think about it and my belly gets a knot - I can't imagine not BFing her at bedtime. :-( She has DOWNED her bottles for my Mom today, so thinking it could be a good day to try. She's a small-fry still, so I hate to think she's not getting enough - but her diapers are good and she never seems to be complaining for more milk.

I know that things aren't as bad once you try them - so I really should just get the move on already.

Any other BFers (who are home at bedtime) not nurse before bed? How has it been for you? Why did you stop nursing at bedtime? And yes, I'll plan to pump.

TrueBeliever925 · May 2014

No advice (FFer) here but I can imagine how hard it must be to decide that. Good luck, sis!

Actually.. Just thinking of it now. What if you have your H bottle feed, say 2-4 oz (?), while you pump, and then maybe have her finish with nursing if you're that anxious? I don't even know if that's feasible or too much of a PIA. Just an idea.

Good luck!

kwrecks · May 2014

DH is convinced that I don't produce enough for her at bedtime. (This is probably the reason I have such production anxiety) He wants to give her a bottle before bedtime as well. We have tried, mostly because like @petey1106, we did it to see if it'd help her sleep. It didn't. What I do now though is I nurse her right before I give her solids for dinner, and then we have dinner, and then she nurses a little before bed. I know she has a full tummy. She usually then nurses around 12 or 1, so then I know she's getting the milk she needs. It might not be the right way to do it, but it works for us.

MitsB707 · May 2014

I've thought about not nursing at bedtime, but it still gives me such anxiety. I'm sorry, I have nothing to offer but hugs as I'm sure it will be hard, but you've got to do what's best for you both. Good luck!

ludali · May 2014

I like that plan @kwrecks I don't know why I overthink this - probably because I never have extra milk at the end of the day...which I guess is what you truly want, its just hard to get that mentality straight.

I also wonder what to do first - do we just start supplementing a bottle with formula and keep the pumping going...and (hopefully) make it a year that way... Or do we just go through the stash and then just finish up with formula? I don't know if there's more benefit to breastmilk one way or the other.

And @TrueBeliever925 Thanks sis, I like that idea too!! We'll have to play around with it - I'm not even sure I'm ready to try tonight.

I didn't pump before bed last night like I usually do...maybe I'll keep on that first and see if the wake ups change at all (maybe she'll get fuller if I don't pump). Such a mind game!

ludali · May 2014

Well this post was timely (not enough milk) - for the last 5 minutes, I didn't have a bottle connected to my right side - the milk finally soaked through my pant leg. UGH!!!! And sadly, I've done this before. :-(

ludali · May 2014

Ohhhhh yes @mwalker710 the few times my H has said "just switch to formula" - I almost backhanded him the last times. He knows that he's not allowed to suggest that ever again - its not his place.

@kwrecks men will never understand BFing. I'm glad its just a women's club :-)

kwrecks · May 2014

Thanks @mwalker710 and @ludali‌. We often argue because he thinks she should be eating 6-8 oz at a time. I told him that ff babies eat that much, but bf babies don't. He doesn't understand.

@ludali‌ when I supplement with formula, I generally split my bottles 50/50 bm and formula. That way, my milk is stretched further, and she is still getting the benefits of it, while getting formula. It eases my mind a bit.

KQuinonez · May 2014

We tried extra milk multiple times before bed, it never helped. Plus your night time milk is different from your day time milk. I always say if you think it will help go for it, but don't stress if it doesn't.

rh10264706 · May 2014

I'm sure you have heard this a million times but try and remind yourself that pumping output is not indicative of what your lo is getting during breastfeeding. She is much more efficient than your pump. I would continue nursing at night, bc she has enough wet diapers and seems satisfied. If you want to stop nursing at night that's different and fine too, but your post seemed to indicate that's not the case. Good luck!

carrotcake06 · May 2014

If she seems satisfied, she probably is. I know that's really hard to come to terms with especially after a crappy pumping day - trust me, I'm there - but if she's happy and growing, then that's what matters.

My boys are similar - I nurse when we're together and pump at work. I recently cut down to 2 pumps at work bc, frankly, I'm over pumping and I have the stash to tide me over until their first bday. But man, do I have some poor output these days. My boys are tiny garbage disposals, so I'm trying not to get hung up about their BM intake but it is hard. I'll continue to offer a min of 4x per day until they're one and then drop down to just morning and night nursing (and burn my pump, haha).

There have been a few times when I haven't been home for bedtime and they've gotten a bottle. It made no difference in their sleep whatsoever. You can give it a try and see if it fits your life better, but I wouldn't do it bc you think she isn't getting enough. If she's content - she's more than likely getting enough.

MommyBolty · May 2014

I did something slightly different.. So I'll offer what worked for me. Instead of cutting out the nighttime nursing, I gradually cut down on my daytime pumping sessions. That way my supply would be higher for bedtime. I gradually cut everything down over a 3 month period. I used my freezer stash up then did a mix of BM and formula until she was totally on formula. My supply was dwindling which is what fueled my decision but I wasn't ready to cut the nighttime nursing session. Good luck to you!!! Everything will work out. No matter what you decide to do!

ludali · May 2014

Thank you ladies for all the notes - you always offer such great suggestions/comments and I truly appreciate it. She was exhausted at bedtime last night, so feel asleep nursing sooner than usual - what was different about our overnight was that I didn't pump before bed. I don't know if it helped because she probably didn't have to work as hard for a letdown with a full breast (we had 3 wake-ups), but she definitely went down faster during each wake-up.

I'm on my first pumping of the day right now and I seem to be getting more than my usual first pump - so I'm hoping to make up for the missed evening pump in the morning. Who knows... So in the end, I'm still confused. LOL. The night before last, she didn't go to sleep after nursing and stayed up MUCH later than usual - I think her over-tiredness kicked in and I wasn't going to win, nursing or not.

carrotcake06 and yes, soooooooooooooooooo ready to burn my pump!!!!! Definitely the worst part of BFing as a working Mom!

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