Breastfeeding help

[nursetomommy]

I would have posted this in the breastfeeding section but I am not allowed to post there yet. I need your help!!

I am starting a part time over night shift and it is really important to me to continue breastfeeding. When I come home at 6 am and try to sleep until 1...those are my most productive milk production times. Do I need to wake up to pump during that time...or can I sleep. Will my milk decrease? I can pump at work overnight, but I dont make a lot overnight.

[Pragmatist]

Is the baby with you or somewhere else while you sleep? I would definitely pump if baby's not there to maintain supply. 7 hours is a long time if you're already away from baby before that.

[CapeTownMommy]

3 months is a dangerous time for milk supply. I would pump any chance you can get. At the very least you should pump before going to sleep and preferably pump or nurse at least once between 6am and 1pm too. What milk does baby get while you're at work?

[Thankfulforgrace]

Also, can you breastfeed baby when you get home before you go to sleep? Or sleep with baby part of the time and nurse?

[PaperMomma]

Also, can you breastfeed baby when you get home before you go to sleep? Or sleep with baby part of the time and nurse?

That's what I was going to suggest. Will baby be in the same house as you while you're sleeping? Could DH or whoever's going to be watching her bring her in and latch her on while you sleep, and then remove her to go play? :giggle

[MercyInDisguise]

That's what I was going to suggest. Will baby be in the same house as you while you're sleeping? Could DH or whoever's going to be watching her bring her in and latch her on while you sleep, and then remove her to go play? :giggle

I agree with this! It might not be 7 straight hours of sleep, but I would be very wary to go 7 hours without removing any milk (either by pumping or nursing) unless it is initiated by baby (i.e., she is sleeping 7 hours straight on her own without "encouragement" through sleep training, etc.)

:hug I know the lack of sleep is hard.

[cbmk4]

I just wanted to lend you some encouragement! Hopefully you have a good quality double electric pump and are practiced in using it. If are not familiar with breast compression while pumping, I'd recommend googling some Stanford University videos on the subject.

I successfully avoided ever needing to give my son any formula despite being apart from him very long hours at a time starting when he was 4 months old. It is possible to preserve your nursing relationship; lots of intentional planning can make it possible, including maintaining lots of skin-to-skin contact when you are with her/him and breastfeeding as much as possible when home from work.

[Victorious]

I worked part time overnights until recently. When my baby was little like yours she slept next to me and nursed as needed. As she got bigger dh just brought her to me. Obviously; she was in the house with me and it was the weekend so dh was home.

Also, have you actually pumped overnight? Some of my biggest sessions were at 4am and that's a very common big production time.