How do you sleep while breastfeeding?

[Anonymous]

My DS is about 5 weeks old and I know everyone is sleep deprived at this point but how do you ever get more than 4 hours sleep when BF? Even if DH gives the baby a bottle for one of his night feeds I still have to get up to pump. What happens when the baby starts to sleep more, do you still have to get up every 4 hours to pump if he is not up to eat? I get very uncomfortable if I go more than 4 hours or so without pumping or feeding. Does your supply/body just get used to going longer once the baby is sleeping for longer periords or am I just never going to get a good nights sleep until I am finished breast feeding?

[Anonymous]

your body will adjust to the baby's increased feeding during the day and the longer sleep periods. Dont worry but dont give up that evening pump or feeding b/c then your production will drop! I just read Breastfeeding Made Simple as a refresher waiting for #2 and it had a very good description of the natural rhythmns and production. At 5 wks it sounds like you are doing great, it wont always be like this I swear!

[Anonymous]

If your DH is giving the baby a bottle DO NOT WAKE UP TO PUMP!!!! SLEEP!!!! Pump first thing in the morning when you get up and last thing before you go to bed at night but get as much slep as you can. More sleep = more milk. You will start to adjust and not feel so full.

[Anonymous]

It will get easier, I promise...for the first 6 weeks or so, I could only go about 4 hours until my breasts started to hurt..nowdays I am able to go 6 hours before it starts to hurt. It works out well, because I feed DD at 7:30pm, she goes to bed, I pump at 10:30pm or so, then she wakes up to eat at around 4-5am. My husband always offers to feed DD during her 4-5am feeding, but if he fed her, I'd still have to wake up and pump..so I'm getting used to the schedule. I think once your body gets used to what your little one is eating, it gets easier.

Though I do believe BF is a full time job in the first 3-4 months...hope this helps! And as much as possible nap when the baby naps--I know everyone says it, but it's the only way in the beginning.

[Anonymous]

My DD is 6 months and even though she is sleeping from through the night, I still get up in the middle of the night to pump. It helps keep my supply going and plus it gives me extra milk to use with the nanny.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your DH is giving the baby a bottle DO NOT WAKE UP TO PUMP!!!! SLEEP!!!! Pump first thing in the morning when you get up and last thing before you go to bed at night but get as much slep as you can. More sleep = more milk. You will start to adjust and not feel so full.

Please don't follow this advice. At this point in your breastfeeding career (with this child) your milk supply is not fully established. You risk a drop in supply if you don't send a signal to your body every 3-4 hours to make more milk. Right now you body knows that most little babies are not sleeping more than 4 hours at a time and expects that you will nurse and/or pump. Around 3 months your supply should be more established and your little one MAY (but don't count on it) be sleeping for longer stretches. It's been my experience that if I woke up uncomfortable and baby had not eaten, I would pump. I was one of those women who needed the extra pumping sessions to have enough milk for the baby. The other thing I did (which doesn't work for everyone) was nurse the baby laying down in my bed. I was able to snooze while he ate and I was much better rested doing it that way then getting out of bed 2-3 times a night.

It will get easier. The other thing to look into if you are going to be pumping a lot is one of those hands free pumping bras. I LOVE mine - it's the best money I spent. I bought it at the Breastfeeding Center. Made by Easy Expressions.

[Anonymous]

Co-sleeping saved me. By the 4 or 5 week mark, we were able to nurse lying down. So the baby went to bed when I did, slept a few hours, nursed a little, slept a few hours, nursed some more. I just slept in my nursing bra, and barely had to wake up to get her latched on when she started stirring.

I don't know if you would consider co-sleeping, but honestly, when I look back on those early months, I don't know how I would have done it if I had to actually get vertical every 2-4 hours. Around 3 months of age, she started sleeping much longer stretches, and could stay in her crib at night. Really, this eat-round-the-clock stage is quite short. Though I know it seems like forever!

[Anonymous]

I also co-slept... just latched her on and went back to sleep. It seemed the most natural thing in the world to me -- she needed milk every few hours and we both needed sleep. So we slept together. All other options seemed unnatural to me.

[Anonymous]

Co-sleeping was also the only way I could get any rest with my second baby. He woke every 2 hours for the first 10 & 1/2 months of his life. I'm sure you will have better luck! But my advice is go with the flow - if you can rest while feeding (I found it easier than getting up out of bed) then forget pumping - just let DS feed when he wants lying next to you.

[Anonymous]

I actually noticed a drop in my supply at the 4 mo. mark. DD was beginning on solid food so I am not sure if that had something to do with, but I definitely didn't feel as engorged (I had a very supple supply).

I didn't bother pumping or waking my DD when she started sleeping longer.

We didn't do any co sleeping since that seemed to come with its own issues and plus we didn't feel we really needed to. I just went with it and we were all fine...bfd successfully for a year.

[Anonymous]

Getting more than 4 hours continuous sleep at 5 weeks. . .

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

the baby will gradually sleep longer stretches. I would just get up and feed (or cosleep) and not bother with the pumping in the middle of the night.

[Anonymous]

You're a new mom...you aren't entitled to any sleep...didn't you get the memo? Ha hah, just kidding.

It was a luxery for me if I get more than 4 hours of sleep. I woke up to pump/bf for the first 2 mo. I was a zombie, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel...believe it or not.

By 10 weeks or so, I definitely noticed the DS slept longer and actually skipped one of the night (early morning feedings). I was debating whether to awake a sleeping baby. I didn't and when I noticed this was a consistent thing I didn't worry (DS had a good weight and lots of wet/poopy diapers).

My milk supply adjusted accordingly...I guess. Didn't really pay too much attention since I was always a gusher and continued to gush even after nursing started to taper off.

Hang in there.

[Anonymous]

Pumping in the middle of the night?! That sounds wretched.

DH did not partipate in night feedings, but did do night diaper duty. If DH were do give a bottle, my poor breasts how they would have suffered, not to mention I would have awoken in a pool of milk. Your body will adjust to your child's demands.

FWIW, my child slept in my room (in his own crib) for the first 3 months and then went into his own room after 3 months. I was able to nurse for 16months. I just got up and nursed when he cried. I am so glad we never co-slept, I have read too many nighmare stories of weaning toddlers from this situation. Also, how does one manage to have an intimate relationship with their husbands with little Johnny wedged in the middle?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Also, how does one manage to have an intimate relationship with their husbands with little Johnny wedged in the middle?

There's no rule that sex has to happen in your bed. For us, co-sleeping actually helped our sex life become a little more exciting and less predictable.

[Anonymous]

I think you know when you have to try co-sleeping .... nothing else works & you are totally exhausted! It also seems to be quite common when there is an older child that you don't want to be woken by the screaming baby. I really didn't think I would be a co-sleeping type of person, but I had to do it & it helped. And it doesn't have to be forever. The transition to the crib was very easy. Perhaps harder if you keep co-sleeping past 8-10 months, I guess. Don't worry about starting bad habits - they are really quite flexible and what works now probably won't work later. My DS wouldn't co-sleep with me now if I wanted him to.