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Infant feeding

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Coping with long night time sleeps while breastfeeding

3 replies

UdderFixation · 07/08/2010 14:50

My twins have begun to sleep longer at night (Obviously now that I've told you they'll stop!) I had been feeding them at 7pm, then about midnight, then about 3, then 7am. Yesterday they slept from 7pm right through till 5am - fantastic to get so much sleep, but my poor boobs, with a baby's-worth of milk each side, were seriously unhappy!

Any advice on what to do? Do I a) set an alarm to express in the middle of the night, assuming the twins have not woken? or b) do I sleep as long as they sleep, and cope with the rock hard boobs in the morning? I am terrified of getting mastitis, so I favour option a)...but I worry that if I do that my body will never adjust to the new schedule. Confused

Do your boobs learn to produce different amounts at different times of day? Will I eventually produce less milk at night, while having enough for 3-hourly feeds in the daytime?

OP posts:
BreastmilkDoesAFabLatte · 07/08/2010 15:20

Ouch. But what a wonderful name you have!

I experienced this when DD suddenly started sleeping through. It only took a few nights before my boobs got used to it though.

I think that boobs really can adjust to any schedule...

harverina · 07/08/2010 18:02

Hi my dd has been sleeping till at least 5am for quite a few weeks now. My boobs are still really really full in the morning and sometimes I waken up soaking. However, they have gotten better as the weeks have gone on. I wouldn't express otherwise your going to just keep on having this problem forever. I have had no probs with mastitis etc. Try to get my dd to drain at least one boob in the morning. Well done for feeding twins, Sounds like your doing a great job.

MumNWLondon · 07/08/2010 22:34

I don't have twins.... but yes it takes a couple of weeks for your milk production to work it out. DS2 now often sleeps 9 hours and its fine now (take a couple of weeks), even though he feeds 3 hourly in the day. Every so often he has a night feed and there is always enough milk for him.

I generally wake him at 10.30pm and then he sleeps until 7. You could try expressing before you go to bed?

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