7 week old EBF baby sleeping between 1 and 7

[seeyouinanotherlifewhenwearebothcats]

Hi all. DD3 is 7 weeks old. When she got home from hospital she lost 8% of her birth weight. She consistently gained weight, never lost again but Health Visitor felt she was gaining weight slowly so suggested we give her ebm top ups. I should add, her latch was observed a number of times, no pain while feeding now etc. That had all seemed to be working well, at at her last weigh in she’d gained 180g in 10 days. However since then, she’s been getting the ebm bottle from my husband around 12.30/finishing around 1am and she’s slept last two nights after until 6.30/7?! I’m sure I’ve read somewhere I need to be feeding between 1am and 5am to keep up supply? She does feed quite frequently during the day and the reason we give the ebm so late is because she cluster feeds each evening so I didn’t want to interrupt that if that’s for supply? HV said keep up the top ups until she doesn’t want them? Feel a bit lost about what I should be doing for the best, should I set an alarm and wake her between 1 and 5? Pump during that time? Do ebm earlier? Any advice greatly appreciated 🙏 She is having plenty of wet and dirty nappies and is having lots of alert wakeful time during the day, fixing and following with her eyes and smiling, cooing etc. During the evening cluster feeds she can pop off and seem very frustrated.

Also just to add her ebm top up consists of what I collect during the hakkaa each day

I think it might be worth switching to offer the ebm following a feed to 'top up' what she's got directly, rather than use it as a separate feed.

You could express the milk at 2, it would help your supply. You sould ask the health visitor or lactation consult what the plan is for stopping the bottle if you want to. They should have a target weight or age when you can phase it out. I was told not to let baby sleep so long until she was gaining weight well. Different health visitors seem to have different solutions

Could you feed baby at 1.30 then your partner gives baby the bottle when baby wakes at 7 so you can have a lie in?

It seems to me this is a good situation? Let baby sleep in the night if she will, you can sleep too.
I wouldn’t try to change much. If anything try to bring the last feed slightly earlier to say 11.30.
I don’t see why you have to breastfeed between 1 and 5, as long as you are feeding plenty throughout the rest of the day and evening.
if baby sleeps for longer than say 7 hours would wake her in the morning for a feed.
if baby’s weight gain starts to be a problem then you might need to reconsider.

Has she been dropping centiles? If not and she's having plenty of wet nappies and seems otherwise happy I honestly wouldn't change anything. I've also heard that it's best to weigh babies no more than once a month as some weeks they might gain and others not so much.

Thank you all for your input, it’s much appreciated. No she hasn’t dropped centiles or anything and is very happy otherwise. During evening cluster feeds she can get a bit fractious and pull at breast and pop off but I thought that was just par for the course during cluster feeds?
She has a 10 week weight check with Health Visitor in January. I suppose I’m worried ahead of that in case she has lost weight or my supply has tanked 🙈 my first two children both lost lots weight and I ended up topping up with formula so I’m in unchartered territory with this little lady who has consistently gained

@seeyouinanotherlifewhenwearebothcats if she is sleeping through at the moment that's great and hopefully it will continue. You produce a lot more milk at night and either pumping or feeding at night maintains your supply. If possible try to fit a pumping session in. La leche league or national breastfeeding network will be able to give you good advice - possibly better advice than midwives - about your situation.