Sleeping through/stopping dream feed/milk supply

Lauren - posted on 03/08/2009

My little girl started sleeping through the night (11-12 hours straight) around 2 months.  I was never too concerned since she still nursed pretty frequently during the day. While a lot of the responses say you should expect your baby will start waking up in the night again soon, he may not. Mine never did and I consider myself very lucky! :-) I never had any problem w/ supply and she is still nursing 4 times a day at 8 mo. old (plus solids). Also, on a scientific note, I have read that babies no longer need to eat at night after they reach 11 lbs, though many still do. So enjoy your sleep, and hopefully it will last!

Nicole - posted on 03/08/2009

I wouldn't worry about it, your milk will come back at night once he starts waking up again for nursing. :-)

Charmaine - posted on 03/08/2009

Given he is still quite young he should not really be going without a feed for more than 5hrs. I know there are a lot of women who say their babies are sleeping through but the reality is that babies will normally require a night feed at 10/11pm until around 9mths. My little girl is 7mths and I have only just started to stop waking her for her night feed given she is on 3 full solid meals a day and 4-5 breast feeds.

Jacklynn - posted on 03/07/2009

I think going with the flow is fine, but I would probably run it by my pediatrician. Your milk supply will adjust accordingly as long as you exclusively breastfeed, but I might be a little concerned about calorie intake for such a young baby.

Tracy - posted on 03/06/2009

I agree with everyone. But I would take the opportunity to stock up on your milk by pumping and freezing. It is nice to build your "stash" up now it won't be as easy to come by the older they get. I worked at it when my son was younger and had 200 oz frozen. He is now 10 months and I work and pump. And it is harder for me to keep up with him. So occasionnally we have to dip into my "stash" as I call it.

Caroline - posted on 03/06/2009

I think it's ok to just go with the schedule he's developing for himself and not worry about it. You might find that you're very full in the morning (you might even wake up before him) but it's ok and you will adjust. As long as you're still BF exclusively, your supply won't diminish. My DD started doing this at about 5 weeks and we just went with it. She's 13 weeks now. One thing to consider, however, is that once you start going that long without nursing, you might start menstruating again. I had my first period about a week after she started sleeping all night.

Allison - posted on 03/06/2009

I'd just follow his cues - if he's hungry he'll wake to nurse (unless weight is an issue - then wake him to feed). Most likely he'll hit another growth spurt at 12 weeks, so he'll be up again to nurse, which will help him grow and help keep your supply up. Enjoy the sleep you are getting, make sure he's nursing enough during the day, and know that his sleep patterns will change often from now until he's two! Teething, growth spurts, meeting new developmental milestones, and illnesses all effect sleep and increase their need to nurse.

Marly - posted on 03/06/2009

My motto, go with the flow, don't stress over little things.  It sounds like your little one is just a great sleeper, go with it....I have found the more I compare what I should do by other kids and moms, the more I start freaking out that it isn;t matching up, when I resovled to just do what seemed to work for my boy, I started to enjoy motherhood SO much more.  As long as your baby is healthy and happy, and safe, and your healthy and happy, who cares how you got around to that end, just enjoy that little baby of yours, and live every minute to the fullest, even if  that particular minute is not so fun.

Anna - posted on 03/06/2009

First off - YAY for you!  It's great to have a baby that can sleep through from an early age.  My firstborn did so from 6 weeks and I was advised by my midwife that this was fine - he was a big boy and so was able to just fine.  I wouldn't worry too much about milk supply or whether he should be sleeping - let him guide you as to how much he needs and whether or not he wakes in the night.  Your baby will always tell you if they're hungry or if they need something so enjoy the quiet nights while you can!

Rhianna - posted on 03/06/2009

Absolutely! Your body will always adjust. I know it will be more painful for you with him not nursing in the middle of the night. Take advantage of this time to pump. Or in the morning after he nurses, pump what is left over. I know when my son was that young, he would not nurse me dry, so I pumped to store. As for his sleeping, I would imagine that it won't last long and he will be up in the middle of the night nursing again. As he gets closer to the 4-6month range and is needing more calories, he will want to nurse more and wake up to nurse. One of the signs to begin solids.

Jennifer - posted on 03/06/2009

Yes, he is quite young to be sleeping through the night without at least a couple feeds. Some babies develop sleep consolidation very early and it sounds like you have a naturally heavy sleeper- which is good!
I would let him sleep unless he stops gaining weight. Enjoy it now, he most likely will start waking again soon!! :)
Make sure he is getting enough naps during the day, so you know he is not sleeping through the night due to exhaustion.
Your milk should be fine. At ten weeks, your production is still very flexible and can change with him.

Sarah - posted on 03/06/2009

Be thankful and don't worry yourself about your milk supply! My daughter is 12 months old and still wakes up in the wee hours of the morning for one feeding. Your body will produce what your baby needs as long as you aren't supplementing with formula.

So, enjoy your sleep! : )

Sarah - posted on 03/06/2009

I completely agree... And remember - as soon as you get used to his routine, he will change it! Your body is more than capable of adapting to his different routines.

Carly - posted on 03/06/2009

Every baby is different and for many, 10 weeks would be quite young to be going 12 hours without a feed.  Is he feeding a lot during the day?  My boy also slept through "early" compared to others i know, but we are still going strong breastfeeding at 8 months so supply has not been a problem.  It may also be the calm before the storm - there may be a growth spurt ahead that has him hungry and awake again at night. 

I say go with the flow.  So long as you are exclusively breastfeeding and not supplementing with formula, your body will be getting all the right messages to produce just enough milk for your bub.  It's amazing like that.  Good luck :-)