Opinions please. So my guy is ready to sleep through the night at least sometimes but my LC says I can't since my supply is already on the lower end. Would you:
A. Pump at 1 and hope he doesnt wake up early or
B. Wait as long as possible to pump knowing you'll probably have to bottle feed if he does sleep longer. Sub part:
If you do the 1 am feed and he wakes up right after you pump do you try to get him to go to sleep without eating?
Again LC is good with whatever I just can't decide. Help!!
I would go with A and try to get him to go to sleep without eating. If he won't, just give him the bottle you pumped. Would that work?
Eta: obviously, that's if he wakes up after you pump.
Opinions please. So my guy is ready to sleep through the night at least sometimes but my LC says I can't since my supply is already on the lower end. Would you:
A. Pump at 1 and hope he doesnt wake up early or
B. Wait as long as possible to pump knowing you'll probably have to bottle feed if he does sleep longer. Sub part:
If you do the 1 am feed and he wakes up right after you pump do you try to get him to go to sleep without eating?
Again LC is good with whatever I just can't decide. Help!!
I haven't read ahead so forgive me if someone else suggests this but I would do this...
1) pump at a reasonable time before you go to sleep
2) pump during MOTN (which he may sleep through) before you suspect he would wake
3) if he wakes then breastfeed if he won't go back to sleep without eating. He won't get a full feeding (potentially) which will encourage him to start getting used to not being full during middle of the night and encourage eventually STTN.
Added bonus: Pumping and feeding will help to stimulate you to produce milk so this would maybe help with the low supply?
Eta: spelling and flushing out my thoughts in a more understandable way!
I have a question for the EBF ladies. How often (not how much) is your LO nursing? And the age please. DD is eating every 2 hrs still. Sometimes 1.5 hrs in the morning and closer to bedtime. I read somewhere that she should be eating every 3-5 hrs. I have no problem feeding her as often as I do, just starting to get concerned for when I return to work. DD is 16 weeks. Thanks!!!
I have a question for the EBF ladies. How often (not how much) is your LO nursing? And the age please. DD is eating every 2 hrs still. Sometimes 1.5 hrs in the morning and closer to bedtime. I read somewhere that she should be eating every 3-5 hrs. I have no problem feeding her as often as I do, just starting to get concerned for when I return to work. DD is 16 weeks. Thanks!!!
Mine does the same as yours and we're at 18 weeks.
He's 17weeks and eats every 2-3hrs except at night.
I saw an info graphic at our paediatricians office and it suggests at 4months babies will start eating 4times daily (going on average 4hours between meals).
Not sure if this is realistic... I don't think we are close to that at all. We still average about 8 feelings a day which is what the infographic suggests for babies 0-3months need to be getting.
Lo is 19 weeks? Usually goes 2.5-3 hours between eating during the day. She started eating for only 10 minutes instead of 20. I want to try to get her to eat longer and maybe she won't be hungry as soon?
We are EBF. LO is 19+ weeks and eats every 1.5-2 hrs during the day. If he gets to 3 hours, he's frantic. At night he can go as much as 5 hours, but more often it's 2-3.
He only nurses one side per feed, and less than 10 minutes. I'm experimenting with using both sides before bed, but during the day it makes him spit up.
Well, this is a catch 22. I'm glad I'm not the only one having this issue, but it sucks that we're all in the same boat. I also feed one side at a time. I've tried offering her more from that same side, and the opposite. She won't take it. I would love to get her to eat more per feeding at some point. That may only happen once she's being bottle fed. I have no idea how to go from 8 feedings a day to 4. If you find something that works, please share!
Opinions please. So my guy is ready to sleep through the night at least sometimes but my LC says I can't since my supply is already on the lower end. Would you:
A. Pump at 1 and hope he doesnt wake up early or
B. Wait as long as possible to pump knowing you'll probably have to bottle feed if he does sleep longer. Sub part:
If you do the 1 am feed and he wakes up right after you pump do you try to get him to go to sleep without eating?
Again LC is good with whatever I just can't decide. Help!!
I'd pump and then nurse him to try to stimulate supply and only let him have the bottle if he really isn't satisfied. I pump at 9pm when I get home and LO often wakes up between 10 and 11. I just nurse him even though I am pretty empty. I figure it stimulates supply and helps him go a little longer stretches since he's not getting much.
I have to nurse at night because I don't pump much during the day. So I guess I'm happy LO isn't sleeping through. It keeps us breastfeeding. Honestly I'd probably wake him up once a night if he was willing to nurse but sleeping through. Right now he's up 3 times which keeps us going. I'll reevaluate once we reach our 6 month ebf goal but I hope he continues to wake 1-2 times a night until he's closer to year.
I'm EBF and LO eats ever 2-2 1/2 hours. Usually both breasts. During the rough nights of this leap she's up around five times. On good nights it's two. She's cut down her nursing time at night to five minutes and only one breast. Still working on getting her to take a bottle. She's getting better, but I need to get on a schedule for pumping once a day to build up a stash. I'm going back to the gym next week and want DH to try to get her to eat while I'm gone. I need date nights and more balance in my life so I'm going back to yoga. Namaste.
I saw an info graphic at our paediatricians office and it suggests at 4months babies will start eating 4times daily (going on average 4hours between meals). .
Maybe this is another assumption by doctors that by now more babies are formula fed? Because my LO only eats 4x a day (actually, if I didnt wake him for a feeding before I went to bed, it would be 3), but his diet is mostly formula.
^I was thinking the same thing. We bottle feed but she definitely eats more than 6 times a day. But my ped thinks she should take 6 oz at a time. Ain't going happen every time.
@cait7425 my LO is also still nursing every 2 hours, day and night. Everything online is assuring that it can be 'normal' and not to worry, as long as LO is gaining weight, and seems happy and healthy otherwise,. It's also encouraging hearing how many others in this group are also in the same boat. Gotta love our happy snackers!
My son is huge, almost 19 lbs and 27 inches. He is EBF and eats maybe 6-8 times a day. He sleeps until 4 am. When I pump and give a bottle he only eats about 4-5 oz so 6 seems super ambitious @rklinge0! I have no idea what's normal though!
I am sooooo over pumping! I hate the time away from work and sleep spent pumping or cleaning for pumping or or packing for pumping and dribbling BM during clean up from pumping . Then worrying about how much she ate today vs how much we need for tomorrow. I'm OVER IT! but I really want to make to 6 mo with only BM soooo I'm on the countdown. ... 6 weeks x 4 days a week x 3 pumps a day = 73 more pumps!!! Then I hope to formula/ food during the day and nurse when home morning, night, motn (as needed...if needed). 73. 73. 73. 73
I haven't calculated my pumps but I did count my frozen milk. I have 10 days worth in the freezer. LO turns 6 months in 34 days. So 24 days and my goal is meet!! I hate pumping but I'll keeping doing it until spring. My concession is I pump once a day when I am gone for 8 hours or less. Twice a day when I am gone 12-13 hours. Still 24 days! Yeah, thought about not nursing this baby so I am proud we've made and this far. And thankful because I know luck, circumstances, support, and genetics play a huge role, not just effort or commitment. I'm thankful this worked out for LO and I.
I figure I have to keep pumping until I run out of prenatal vitamins. I have 500+ oz in the freezer and we'll be starting food soon. So hopefully I can get a stockpile to make it to a year. If not, well, it was a good run. I'm not going to beat myself up over it.
How do you get such a good stock pile?!?!? I'm dreading going back to work, because I know I'll have to start pumping more often to get a decent amount.
^^^ the only way I got my stockpile was to capitalize on early oversupply. I went back to work at 5 weeks so I started pumping when engorged at 3 weeks and pumped more than needed at work for those first several weeks to months back at work. I have 300-400 ounces now. We use 20-30 ounces of that every week now that I am.a pump.slacker. I know this isn't helpful, I'd struggle to build a surplus now. You are probably very in sync with your LO now and not producing a lot of extra. You might want to start adding a pump session in the middle of LO longest stretch right now.
Same here. Started pumping in the first week so I've always had an oversupply. I freeze about 4 oz per day. Once LO starts food, hopefully that will double. With DS, I kept pumping after he started solids and had enough in the freezer he made it a year on BM but I stopped pumping at 9 mo. I'm hoping to do the same.
@dancegurl1118 You have done an awesome job making it this far. Be proud. Every day is a bonus so don't worry about it and just limp along as far as you can. At this point with DS I had 4oz in the freezer and was struggling but we made it to 7 or 8 months without supplementing and 11 months before I quit. You might be surprised. But 4 months is fabulous and more important than what comes next. It doesn't matter now.
@mellymar my lo just turned 4 months on Thursday, so don't feel bad about Master P being young, we're in the same boat, and @klkonwi, too, cause our boys were born the same day. He's exclusively formula fed and eats 6 oz about every 3 hours. He'll go 6-8 hours at night. We introduced cereal a week ago and are starting solids today....
@KarasTwin yes! You, me, @klkonwi@slr1229@JessHeppell and I know I'm forgetting someone (sorry) - we get to see the future with everybody else's babies ahead of ours.
Master P is starting to take 6oz in his bottles (formula) now. He started out with the odd one here and there, and now he has 6oz at least twice a day. Thanks for the 4m birthday nod, @henrytviii! I have to figure out what outfit I'm going to put him in for his 4m photo shoot
Hey everyone I haven't posted in a while, life kinda took over. I hope everyone has been doing well. I was browsing through the comments to see if any of you have started solids yet and didn't see very much about it. My guy will be 5 months on the 26th (he was a little early). I exclusively give LO formula and have been considering starting solids soon. He's started reaching for food when we are eating. I know at this age it's more of getting them used to things and not really for the nutritional aspect of it yet but where do you start? This is probably a stupid question but I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to "real food."
My pediatrician said we could start with a spoonful or two a day for now (4 months old) with orange / yellow veggies and avocado for firsts. Like you said - just to get used to texture etc.
Our pedi said we can try anything other than dairy. She said to wait on dairy until 6 months. We haven't tried anything yet, but banana and avocado will be at the top of the list.
Anyone gone from EBF to formula during the day and bm morning/night? Wondering if my supply will stay up for mornings and nights If I'm not pumping during the day.
Re: Feeding lo - October
Eta: obviously, that's if he wakes up after you pump.
1) pump at a reasonable time before you go to sleep
2) pump during MOTN (which he may sleep through) before you suspect he would wake
3) if he wakes then breastfeed if he won't go back to sleep without eating. He won't get a full feeding (potentially) which will encourage him to start getting used to not being full during middle of the night and encourage eventually STTN.
Added bonus: Pumping and feeding will help to stimulate you to produce milk so this would maybe help with the low supply?
Eta: spelling and flushing out my thoughts in a more understandable way!
I saw an info graphic at our paediatricians office and it suggests at
4months babies will start eating 4times daily (going on average 4hours between meals).
Not sure if this is realistic... I don't think we are close to that at all. We still average about 8 feelings a day which is what the infographic suggests for babies 0-3months need to be getting.
He only nurses one side per feed, and less than 10 minutes. I'm experimenting with using both sides before bed, but during the day it makes him spit up.
I have to nurse at night because I don't pump much during the day. So I guess I'm happy LO isn't sleeping through. It keeps us breastfeeding. Honestly I'd probably wake him up once a night if he was willing to nurse but sleeping through. Right now he's up 3 times which keeps us going. I'll reevaluate once we reach our 6 month ebf goal but I hope he continues to wake 1-2 times a night until he's closer to year.
We bottle feed but she definitely eats more than 6 times a day. But my ped thinks she should take 6 oz at a time. Ain't going happen every time.
Whoa LO is 6 mo in 6 weeks ???
73. 73. 73. 73
Mine isn't even 4m yet! Not for another 4 hours!
@dancegurl1118 You have done an awesome job making it this far. Be proud. Every day is a bonus so don't worry about it and just limp along as far as you can. At this point with DS I had 4oz in the freezer and was struggling but we made it to 7 or 8 months without supplementing and 11 months before I quit. You might be surprised. But 4 months is fabulous and more important than what comes next. It doesn't matter now.
Master P is starting to take 6oz in his bottles (formula) now. He started out with the odd one here and there, and now he has 6oz at least twice a day.
Thanks for the 4m birthday nod, @henrytviii! I have to figure out what outfit I'm going to put him in for his 4m photo shoot
I was browsing through the comments to see if any of you have started solids yet and didn't see very much about it. My guy will be 5 months on the 26th (he was a little early). I exclusively give LO formula and have been considering starting solids soon. He's started reaching for food when we are eating. I know at this age it's more of getting them used to things and not really for the nutritional aspect of it yet but where do you start? This is probably a stupid question but I feel like I have no idea what I'm doing when it comes to "real food."