Will I Still Be Able To Breastfeed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if he brings baby to you while you are half asleep to nurse?
I used to nurse lying down all the time. It’s safe if he’s up and managing the baby.
You’ll get the hang of it all soon

I would try this - it sucks, but it will get better. Obviously if you are experiencing severe ppd/ppa then maybe do something different. What helped me was having my husband get up with me and do every thing but nurse - just for the first 4-6 weeks I say and hopefully you will start getting some longer stretches.

OP here. No PPD. I’m just tired and need to sleep. I don’t want him to bring the baby to nurse because I’m a light sleeper and will be up. It takes me a while to fall back asleep at night after feeding. I want a solid stretch of sleep.

I’m willing to supplement but I do want to breastfeed and do not want to tank my supply. I’m fine if it decreases a little but I don’t want it to tank.

So just a FYI here. Prolactin is released when you breastfeed- both in your milk and in your bloodstream, which helps induce sleep. Melatonin and other hormones are their highest in late night feeds.

There is no guarantee that not waking to nurse or pump for over 7 hours will decrease your supply or vice versa. Every individual is different.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What if he brings baby to you while you are half asleep to nurse?
I used to nurse lying down all the time. It’s safe if he’s up and managing the baby.
You’ll get the hang of it all soon

I would try this - it sucks, but it will get better. Obviously if you are experiencing severe ppd/ppa then maybe do something different. What helped me was having my husband get up with me and do every thing but nurse - just for the first 4-6 weeks I say and hopefully you will start getting some longer stretches.

OP here. No PPD. I’m just tired and need to sleep. I don’t want him to bring the baby to nurse because I’m a light sleeper and will be up. It takes me a while to fall back asleep at night after feeding. I want a solid stretch of sleep.

I’m willing to supplement but I do want to breastfeed and do not want to tank my supply. I’m fine if it decreases a little but I don’t want it to tank.

So just a FYI here. Prolactin is released when you breastfeed- both in your milk and in your bloodstream, which helps induce sleep. Melatonin and other hormones are their highest in late night feeds.

There is no guarantee that not waking to nurse or pump for over 7 hours will decrease your supply or vice versa. Every individual is different.

I didnt read where you said you have insomnia issues. I wonder if you have ever tried tart cherry juice? If not, its really helpful for me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you finish pumping at 9:30 you should be able to feed at four, but you may not be able to sleep comfortably that long at first with engorgement. Keep a manual pump by the bed and pump to relief if needed, or take the baby if you wake up uncomfortable.

Do this. Try it one night and you may feel much better and can go back to feeding in the night. He won’t eat this often for long.

If you did it every night your body should also adjust and it should be fine, but if you’re worried just do it one night to catch up on sleep. It can make a huge difference.

I never managed to give night feeds to my husband because I couldn’t figure out when to pump, and it was just a hassle in the end. I think I had the whole engorgemenr thing too. But people do it. I also never had any extra supply. I think what you need is a night or two of relief. Try it.

[Anonymous]

We did this with both our babies. I breastfed last around 9pm, then pumped and went to bed. DH fed at 11 or midnight. We alternated the 3-4am feeding. Then I breastfed around 5 or 6 am. So one night I'd get 7-8 hours uninterrupted, the next night he would. It never hurt my supply during the day.

I would start by dropping just one feeding, though, and see how it goes from there - not two at once. Ease into it, and let your body adjust.

When DC1 was older, and I stopped pumping at work - thinking I would keep nursing morning and night - I completely dried up. So I'm sympathetic to the concern. I hope you find a schedule that works for all three of you.

[Anonymous]

Co-sleeping with a 2wo is a terrible suggestion.

I really hope this OP never has to go back to work because the sleep deprivation will kill her! Luckily most new moms aren’t so delicate or the species wouldn’t have survived…