Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those EBF that choose to drop the night feed—do you pump before bed? I worry about my supply dropping. My older son was a round the clock eater until 1 so this is new to me.

2015 here- my supply has decreased slightly but I attribute that more to solids than her going overnight without nursing. I will pump if she has a good solids dinner and subsequently doesn't nurse well before bed, otherwise I am routinely going 12-13 hours a night without doing anything.

Both of my EBF babies dropped the night feed on their own around 6 months. They were on the small side too, but growing normally. I read in Weissbluth's book that 9 months is definitely the time to drop the night feed as it promotes a night waking habit if you keep it that long.
I used to pump right before my bedtime as another PP suggested. Allowed me to have a good freezer stash too so I could basically stop pumping for good around 10 months of age. I'd just nurse morning and night, baby would get pumped milk during the day, and switched to cow milk around 13 months for both.

Anonymous wrote:OP here. For those EBF that choose to drop the night feed—do you pump before bed? I worry about my supply dropping. My older son was a round the clock eater until 1 so this is new to me.

Yes.

I would give DD a 5 ounce pumped bottle at 7 pm just before bedtime (so I knew she was getting a nice full feeding before bed), and then pump at 9:30 pm before I went to bed - which would be used for the following night’s bedtime. Rinse repeat.

Ultimately I went from 9:30 pm until 6 am without pumping or nursing, and it did not affect my supply.

DD started STTN from 7:30-6 by 5.5 months, with some MOTN sleep training/intentional night weaning on our end.

Way too early. Jeez.

We started a dream feed pretty early on. So, baby to sleep at 8 pm then dream feed around 1030/11. Then she would sleep through until 630/7. By 6 months or so she gradually started nursing less, staying more deeply asleep, and we just dropped the dream feed altogether. Doing that, instead of an early morning feed, might help "train" her brain to wake up later... then eventually you drop the dream feed. I pumped instead once I dropped the dream feed, and I actually still do that now at 10 months because Ped recommended a booster bottle and it's easy enough to make one thumbing through my phone as i get ready for bed.

My kids both dropped the night feeds on their own - oldest at 6 months, youngest at 8 weeks. Every child is different and there isn't a magic sign, but I would say if your child is still going back to sleep quickly after the feed (and you are sure she is feeding, not just comforting herself) then she may still need it. Of course if you force drop it, the child will learn to make up the calories somewhere else in the day via on demand or longer feedings.

^a handful of times, she’s slept from 8pm-5am without waking

My DD is 10 months. Asleep by 8pm, wakes at 1am and 5 am to nurse.

During the day, we BF at 10am (sometimes), almost always at 5pm and always 7:30pm (to sleep).

A handful of times, she’s slept from 8pm-5pm without waking.

She’s 50 percentile weight, so I’m not going to wean.

OP here. For those EBF that choose to drop the night feed—do you pump before bed? I worry about my supply dropping. My older son was a round the clock eater until 1 so this is new to me.

7 PM to 3AM is a long time for a 6 month old. That’s 8 hours. At 6 months neither of my kids were remotely ready to go 12 hours without nursing.

I dropped it around 6.5 mo for my daughter who is now 9 months. Like yours, it was a 5 am wakeup call. I initially didn't mind it but then she started taking longer and longer to fall back asleep afterwards (like 45+ min) and then she wasn't very hungry during the day. She's been 90+% since her 4 month checkup so she clearly didn't need it either. She does nurse more often during the day and has maintained her growth curve just fine since cutting it out.

I think every baby is different. My 6 month old hasn’t had a night feed since he was 7ish weeks old. He dropped in on his own, though, and just started sleeping. I realize he’s a unicorn, but if you think your kid is ready for it, she probably is.

I dropped the night feed for my oldest at 4-months. After feeding, he would look fully alert and take a long time to fall back asleep. Once I dropped the night feed, he fell back asleep faster. So it was fairly clear for us that he didn't need it.

So I don't think 6 months is too early. If he's getting enough during the day, I think it would be ok to try and see how it goes.

When do you generally drop the night feed? My doctor recommended night weaning at the 6 month appointment. I thought this was a bit early. Currently, DD goes to sleep at 7. We put her down awake and she usually goes right to sleep. She wakes and nurses between 3 and 5am and goes back to sleep until 7. She is in the 60th percentile for weight, so might not necessarily "need" the feed. Older DS was waking up multiple times per night until 15 months when he magically started sleeping with no intervention. He was also a super skinny guy so I didn't want to mess with night feeding. I am not bothered by this feed (I usually get up at this time to work/ workout/ enjoy the quite) but wasn't sure if it was easier to drop the night feed at a younger age.