How long is the 2am feed important for supply?

[MrsCog]

DS is 10 weeks now and the past few nights has started going 4/5/6 (!) hour stretches at night, and is so sleeping until at least 4am. This is fine and I am aware that this might change again back to needing more in the night.

However, will missing out the middle of the night feed damage my supply at this stage? If so I can set my alarm and express a bit to help or see if he'll take a dreamfeed.

Anyone got any experience? Thanks.

I have a 12 week old and like you have had long stretches since she was about 8 weeks. Not every night but she sleeps generally between 6 and once 10 hours!! I out her to bed around 8 most nights ...
If she sleeps a long time breasts are hard in morning but I just feed her as much as she will take. Also try feed more offer. Late afternoon so 3pm 5pm 7pm then bed and a long sleep.
Short answer I guess is if you demand feeding your supply just alters accordingly!
Inever think of a certain time of feed... Last night was late to bed at 830 then fed 245 and 6am
Night before she went 8 til 530am!

Typos sorry. One handed on iPhone!

Sounds good to me :)
My DS2 started sleeping through about the same time, and supply has been just fine. I think as long as you let them lead, your supply adapts to whatever the baby requires. As long as its not the first few weeks before you are properly established, I probably wouldn't let a baby under 6 weeks sleep through the night.

For me setting alarms and expressing
As well as waking a sleeping baby to feed are unnecessary
But I recognise some people are more happy with routine. However i prefer to "wing it" and get sleep while I can!

Agree under 6 weeks I would have been worried if sleeping thru.... But then also depends in size of baby. Bigger babies might

Ps also I don't have an x time feed at all either. I have no idea when mine feeds, how long or how often, and I'm sure it varies a lot.

With ds1 I recorded everything in a notebook on HV advice and then worried about his lack of any sort of consistency, or when he had 2 feeds less than day before etc. this time I have refused to worry about any of it and we are both much happier :)

Ah that's great, thank you, I didn't really want to have to get up to express in the night, and it does make sense that the supply will match his demand - I completely demand feed.

It's just hard getting used to the 'leap of faith' of bfding when you can't see what's going in (even though there's plenty coming out!). I think I'll be calmer after he's been weighed this week (haven't weighed for 3 weeks), but then he's also filled out his babygrows since the last weigh so I really don't know why I'm worrying so much!

I have a similar situation except that DD is 6 weeks. Would you recommend waking her/expressing at this age?

Oh and when I had her weighed last week she was 4.9kgs, so quite a chunky monkey.

I don't think I would as long as plenty of wet nappies and baby alert, happy and gaining plenty of weight.

But think I would check with HV as well

my dd2 is now 8 weeks, but has been sleeping 6 hour stretches since 3weeks. Have not had any supply problems. ( very different from dd1 who fed 1-2 hourly through the night and never went longer than 4 hours until 18 months- and I had supply issues...)
Yes, you do produce more prolactin if stimulated at night apparently; but there are other factors. Enjoy the sleep....andwaitforthefourmonthsleepregression