Author Topic: nursing more at night...help?  (Read 1000 times)

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Offline rossilu

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nursing more at night...help?
« on: March 02, 2006, 04:33:03 am »
hi!  ds is 6 months old, and we have been gently night training him for about 2 months.  he now goes down fairly easily/quickly for naps/bedtime (when i catch him at the right time!) but he is waking very frequently during the night to nurse.  i know he is either doing this out of habit or hunger (not for anything else) cause he eats on both sides and goes right back to sleep (no playing, etc.).  well, during the day he can go 4-5 hours but at night he is waking every 2-3 and eating ~ but i don't feel as strong of a let down as during the day.  so, is my supply low at night?  how can i reverse this?  i have tried making him wait at night, but i hate not responding to his cries for "me" and "milk".  i think this weekend, dh is going to be going to him at night to see if he can console him back to sleep.  should he give him ebm? or nothing? should i still feed him once or twice in the night?  also, i read somewhere to pump first thing in the am (when milk is thicker..supposedly) and give it to him in the evening...anyone try this?  any other suggestions?  thanks!

Offline teezee

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Re: nursing more at night...help?
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2006, 05:23:32 am »
sounds like ds is getting more of his calories at night therefore not eating as much during the day, also causing your supply to get low.  if i were you i would pump after every feeding for a few days to get your supply back up to where u want it. even if nothing comes out, do the 'dry pump' for 15 min or so, so that the signal gets sent to your brain to make more milk.  as far as the night feedings at six months i had the same problem and it totally affected how much she ate during the day.  there are a couple links (i feel like i have posted them a million times now, but are worth the repititon in my mind) that really helped me a lot when i started to feel totally hopeless about the night wakings.  here they are, i hope they help u as much as they helped me

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=46907.0

https://babywhispererforums.com/index.php?topic=52857.0

good luck and let me know how things are progressing!
Tawnya
Mommy to Alecksandria
June 11, 2005




Offline Samuel's mum

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Re: nursing more at night...help?
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2006, 14:20:06 pm »
That's good advice above. Yes - it could be your LO is reverse cycling and eating more during the night. You could make the intervals between feeds shorter during the day and try and change it round. It would also be a great idea to get help from DH but don't feel your LO is unusual - night feeding is so common at 6 months. I think 'feeling let down' is such a variable thing - you are obviously getting it so I wouldn't worry too much.
Good Luck
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Offline daisymelan

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Re: nursing more at night...help?
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2006, 14:57:44 pm »
I completely agree with the previous poster.  They are some smart mamas.

The only thing I wanted to add is that I don't always feel my letdown either... but by listening to my lo suck, I know it has happened.

Hugs and Good luck.  Sounds like you have a wonderful DH who is willing to help a mama who is smart enough to know what her lo needs. 

HTH
Mom to O (July 20/05) and L (Dec 25/06)