How much EBM at 10.30pm feed?

[ac1974]

My DS is 9 weeks and just over 13lbs (he was just over 9lb at birth).
He is BF completely, apart from DH giving him a bottle of EBM at about 10.30-11pm - he takes 180ml pretty easily which I express the night before at around the same time. It's a struggle expressing this much - but I get the feeling he might take more and that maybe this would help him start sleeping through.
He currently sleeps till around 3-4am though it varies a fair amount. He seems to be waking hungry though - I don't think it's just habit, as he tucks into the boob if it's offered.
So options are:

• Trying to express a bit extra in the morning (which I already have to, to get it to 180ml) but I feel like he needs it from the boob in the morning, so am reluctant to express more then
• Topping up the bottle with formula
• Assume that 180ml is actually plenty and when he's ready he'll start sleeping through more - after it's still very early days.

Any thoughts?

Wondering why if you are awake at that time why you are bothering with the bottle? I would have thought he would be more efficient at extracting milk than the pump? Curious really..

Hi I also give my dd a bottle of expressed milk most nights but I also offer the breast. My supply is fine but its slower at night so this is why I give expressed milk too. I would avoid topping up with formula and just give your dc a feed before giving the bottle. This will stimulate your supply. You could try expressing in the morning? This is when I find it easiest, or during the night when your up if you have the energy! My dd drinks anything between 4 and 8 oz of expressed milk in the evening on top of a feed from me.

I give him a bottle, partly due to lower supply but also just to get him used to it as I think he'll need to take one in future sooner or later, and it gives my OH a chance to get involved in the feeding. Maybe I should do a quick feed first, before the bottle and before expressing - as suggested by harverina - and see if he still sees off the bottle as well. (180ml is about 6.5oz I think)

In the morning, when would you express if you're typically feeding at about 7? Concerned about how to do both. I think I'd find it hard to manage to express in the middle of the night - I am desperate to get back to bed as soon as he's fed!

I could never be faffed with expressing unless a real need, I did give roughly one bottle every couple of weeks and luckily he'll still happily drink from a bottle.

I can express from one side at the morning feed and because he's very awake at that time and because I have lots of milk then if he needs more will suck for longer.

Why not pump say 3-4oz in the morning and use this to top up after a feed from you in the evening. That way he'll still be used to the bottle - and see if he goes any longer on that?

Its unlikely that you will have lower supply (I have thought this in the past) more likely that it is just slower which can be frustrating for your DS. Thats why I chose to give a top up of expressed breast milk. You are probably making your supply worse by not offerding your DS the breast as this is the best way to stimulate your supply. Really the best way to get your suply up would be to just feed from the breast at night, but I understand you reasons for wanting to offer a bottle as mine are similar.

Someone more experienced may disagree but what works for me is:

• Feeding my DD in the evening, either before or after a bottle of expressed milk...ideally before as that way she has a full feed from me before pulling off frustrated.

• Expressing once she has gone to bed.

• Expressing in the morning after the first feed, from the side least used, or during the feed on the other side. I find this too hard so do it after the feed.

Hope this helps, it works well for me.

regarding amounts, I work with the 1oz an hour principle

FWIW I gave LO as much milk as she would take the other night at 11 and it made only 1 hours difference. You could try the same by building up a little excess over a few days and then see if it makes a difference. Then come up with a plan.

I agree with the others about seeing if your DS will feed from you afterwards when he's less likely to be so impatient.

How are things OP?

I think I am going to BF tonight for the first time in ages - he is def used to a bottle now so probably only need to do it every few nights. Pumping is a bit of a pain! If he sleeps well and I get away with only giving him one boob in the night, then I can express a little bit in the morning to keep the freezer stocked.
Will be interested to see how long he sleeps afterwards - I am assuming he will get enough from me (is it true babies can get more from us than a pump can?). He's taken 180ml the last few nights and I can't usually express all that in one go in the evening - but I am assuming he'll get what he needs.

So last night I tried a BF dreamfeed at about 11pm. Started promisingly but he got sleepy so it felt like he didn't take that much - but I struggled to wake him. So - unsurprisingly - he then woke up hungry at 3am and then woke again at 6am.
Makes me want to revert to the previous arrangement of a bottle of EBM from DH! Alternatively I just have to turn all the lights on and wake him up properly instead of trying to dream feed.

I agree with you and found that breastfeeding my twins at this time meant they woke earlier hungry as they would fall asleep on the boob whereas giving them their milk in a bottle got more into them quicker so I would carry on doing as you were.

I would also try and up the amount you feed in the day rather than concentrating on stuffing him at night.

Thanks - so just try and make all the day feeds a little longer?

I think 9 weeks is very early to expect a baby to 'sleep through'. I know some do but developmentally it's still very early. 9 weeks is still so young!

If he sleeps 10.30 to 4 am that's pretty good and pretty much constitutes sleeping through for his age.

I know it's probably not what you want to hear though.

Totally agree, I know its early days. Just last night after a BF he went to sleep at 12, woke up at 2.50 then again at 6am. But as you say it is still early days I know...just want to make sure if there is anything I should be doing, that I am doing it....