Author Topic: Could my supply in the evenings be affecting night wakings?  (Read 1256 times)

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Offline mstormin

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Could my supply in the evenings be affecting night wakings?
« on: August 23, 2005, 13:52:15 pm »
My DS is 2 mos old and is still waking every 2.5 hrs at night to feed (I also feed him during the day every 2.5-3 hrs.).  He's gaining good weight-- was 7lbs at birth and now weighs over 12lbs. so I can't figure out why he's not able to go a little longer at night.

I CF and DF, but that hasn't helped either and I don't think it's a growth spurt since it's been going on for a month or so (& he had his at about 5 weeks).

I'm wondering if it could be because my supply is low in the evenings?  I'm much more full throughout the morning and mid-day.  I've been drinking lots of water, is there something else I can do?

Thanks!

annamum

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Could my supply in the evenings be affecting night wakings?
« Reply #1 on: August 23, 2005, 17:03:50 pm »
It is common to have a drop in supply in the evenings. But drinking water, taking rest whenever possible and eating a balanced diet should help. If you think your baby doesn't get enough, try breast compression, if you need more info on that, let me know. This helps baby to get all milk in your breast, especially the fat rich hind milk which keeps him full for a longer time.

However, I personally don't think your supply is responsible for his wakings. It is still common in babies to wake up so often, however difficult for us, sleep deprived moms. There are those lucky ones whose babies sleep through since very early and those whose babies don't, even till 1.5 year old.

The reasons for your baby awakenings may be: hunger, but also need to be with you, be hugged, not being able to get back to sleep and so on. I had exactly the same problem with my dd. She was a master of frequent wakings. I tried many things and honestly she was just such type of a light sleeper. From my personal experience, dream feed wasn't helpful as it disturbed her sleep and she developed a pattern of waking at around the time of dream feed. I also noticed that my attempts to wake her up often to feed in her first days/weeks created somehow this problems with sleeping, almost as if I taught her to be awaken often and not let her sleep as long as she would like, if you understand what I mean.

Offline amheusser

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Could my supply in the evenings be affecting night wakings?
« Reply #2 on: August 23, 2005, 22:28:08 pm »
If you think he's getting enough total calories for the day, you could try to stretch it out a little at night.  He's probably able to go a little longer, but doesn't want to (can you blame him? he gets company & milk whenever he asks).

I definitely wouldn't just quit night feedings this early, but if he's up at 2.5 hrs, try pu/pd or something else (walking & singing worked with mine) until 3-3.5 hrs (this will be exhausting, but worth it when he stops waking up to eat).  Or try a pacifier - he's still tiny enough to have a need for sucking.

When we were in this stage, my dh & I had a deal that I'd go in for the feedings, but the in-between wakings were his job (mostly) because if the baby knew the milk factory was nearby she'd never give up & go back to sleep without eating, and chances were good that I'd give in & feed her just so I could get back to bed....
Aubrey
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Offline Erin (redstarfalling)

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Could my supply in the evenings be affecting night wakings?
« Reply #3 on: August 23, 2005, 23:44:59 pm »
The other thing I wondered is if you swaddle - he might not be that hungry, but when he wakes, if you offer milk, then... :wink: Sometimes swaddling helps with the little wakings during the night, as does some white noise.  If he does wake and you think it might be too early for a feed, I'd suggest patt/shh and not pu/pd - he's a bit young and might find it too stimulating.
Erin
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