Sleeping at night / supply

[citymonkey]

I can't believe after previous threads I am posting this but here we are...

My son (8 weeks on Thursday) has in the last couple of nights started to go much longer between feeds at night - 5 or 6 hours, sleeping for 4/5 hours. Usually bed at 7/8, feed 12/1am then feed at 3/4am and 6/7am. During the day he feeds every 2 or 3 hrs - tends to have longer gaps in the morning and shorter in the evening. A per previous posts he doesn't feed for very long at a time - can often do less than 10 mins - apart from last feed before bed which tends to be 15-20 mins. I feed him whenever he looks remotely interested in the day (as often he does not!) as am always concerned about him getting enough because of short feeds.

Do I need to express at night to keep my supply going when he goes these longer stretches? Am worried about supply - when he slept for 5 hrs last night (!!! Still have not got over shock) my boobs didn't seem hard / engorged which I would have expected. Also he doesn't particularly seem to be eating any more during the day to compensate for going longer at night. I always offer him both sides but often he won't take second side (and can be done on first within ten mins anyway) and turns his head / shakes it from side to side.

If / when he ever sleeps through the night, will supply be ok for maintaining frequent (2-3 hrly, though I guess could be less frequent by then) feeds in the day??

Oh, congratulations, that sounds like a lovely stage to have got to.

You should be fine - don't be mad and wake yourself up to express. As long as you're still feeding on demand, your supply will adjust. He'll go through a couple more growth spurts soon and probably need to eat more often, and your supply will adjust back up for that as well.

Your body knows what it's doing, and it sounds like it's doing it very well.

Once feeding settles down so will your boobs. He'll go through growth spurts etc over time and increase feeds as a result.

How's his weight gain? Nappies? If he's happy, alert with lots of wees and regular poo (which will vary) then it all sounds ok. Forget expressing and enjoy the longer stretches!

Thanks so much for replies.

V alert when awake, plenty of wet nappies though this week poos have become lot less frequent - hasn't done one since night before last, and was previously doing 4/5 a day!

So far tracking his birth centile (50th). Just hope he continues to do so!

Citymonkey so glad things are getting better for you. I think when they're young everything is a phase, and what worries you one week is forgotten about the next.

I'm so guilty of over analysing things and fretting, but I think the thing to remember that if they are happy and alert, gaining weight and producing enough nappies then they're Ok.

It's all too easy to over analyse and compare though - I've driven myself mad doing this!

Hope you're enjoying the extra sleep!

Just to add to what others have said, you will be fine and only need to express at night if you are uncomfortable (and then just enough to ease it).

As per our other discussion, step away from the analytical training .