Working Mom & Nursing During the Night

First you baby can go as long as he can go without nursing. At 3 mos its on demand. Thank Goodness for a sleeper, don't EVER wake a sleeping baby to eat unless he's under weight/nourished. All human milk is different and has different density based on your particular child's need. My kids never took more than 3-4 oz at a time (expressed, when I was at work) and they have always been in 95th percentile or higher for height and weight. With my oldest he ate 1 side for 10 min at nearly every feed, while my baby was more of a lingerer and liked to do both sides for 10-15 min each at every feed. it all depends on suction, flow etc and that is different for each child.
Second use this time to store a little extra milk by getting up to pump at night, when he's sleeping. You never know when your supply may start to dwindle while you are working, so a this stage you can never store too much.
Trust the process, this nature at work. You're doing a great job and as long as he is satisfied and gaining weight, follow his lead!!

SOUNDS TO ME LIKE BABY IS READY TO SLEEP THROUGH THE NIGHT FOR YOU. BOTH MY BOYS DID AT 6 WEEKS SLEPT FOR A GOOD 8 TO 10 HRS . DO NOT WAKE TO FEED, LET HIM HAVE HIS SCHEDULE. fIGURE OUT WHAT YOU NEED TO DO PUMP OR SWITCH TO FORMULA. TAKE HIS SLEEPING THROUGH THE NIGHT AS A BLESSING. GOOD LUCK NEW MOMMY

Go to www.kellymom.com for great info on breastfeding. They really know their stuff and it's free. I think you may want to pump, if you wake up at night full, to keep your milk supply up. Also that bedtime sounds pretty late for a little one. You may want to check out "Healthy SLeep Habits Happy Child" for tips on making sure he doesn't get overtired and then have trouble sleeping. But then again he may be one of those few babies that are flexiable with the sleep schedule. (I mention this because mine got overtired around this age. I didn't realize it and he turned almost colicy - 45 min or more of crying every night.)

Well, it sounds like your darling 3 month old boy is just ready to sleep through the night without eating....! Be happy and it's totally fine!

When I first read you were putting him to bed at 915pm, I was about to suggest earlier and then you mentioned you did put him down early and he slept later. This is what happens at this age. You should probably back up his bedtime even more. ie. 7pm , or 630pm. He needs more sleep and he's obviously big enough to handle it without nursing. If he's hungry, he will cry. At 3 months, he can completely be on a bedtime of 630 or 7pm and sleep til 630/7am. 12-13 hours at night at 3 months is totally possible (and yes! even on breastmilk!). All 4 of my kids did this... and totally on their own. I didn't have to let them cry it out for a week or whatever. Once I saw they were able to do it a few nights in a row, I did know they were ready and COULD do it. I breastfed them all, and all were sleeping 12-13 hours straight, no nursing, by 12-14 weeks. My last one, even was 8 hours at 4 weeks.

I do think one of the keys to this is to make sure you feed them every 3 hours (at least) during the day. It's tempting to let them go longer in the day if they are sleeping and you are getting stuff done, but, I would always wake them and go no longer than 3 hours between feeds during the daytime hours.

Anyway.. hope this helps!
Good luck!
K.

I used to pump before my first morning feed every morning each day. It helped me keep up my milk supply and rounded out the bottles I needed when my daughter got older. So, after pumping, I would feed her before leaving the house. I think it's fine for him to sleep through at this age. Many babies don't, so count your blessings! He will let you know when he wants to eat. Could be he is on the back end of a growth spurt and sleeping extra. Who knows what he will do next week...

Ouch remembering the engorged stuff still almost twenty four years ago. How hard would it be to pump your breasts?
It doesn't seem like it should be a problem unless he seems listless and uncomfortable. Sounds like a dream baby and if it weren't a problem with the engorgement you'd probably sleep great. If you are really worried, call the doctor of course and they will probably be getting annoyed with me at those hospitals but call a pediatrics department and ask a nurse if this sounds alright. They are usually so nice and if there is still LaLeche league try them. Sounds like the biggest problem is your engorgement. Babies are like us, sometimes hungry and sometimes not. YOU probably eat really well also. Sometimes mama is eating spicey things and it can get baby gassy. You sound very lucky!

Ok so my little girl is 5 months and has heen sleeping 8-10 hours a night since 6-8 weeks. The doc said that it was not only fine but very good to be sleeping through the night already so i think your lucky. as for the breast engorgement and only feeding for ten min thats all normal, heck my daughter only stays on for two or three mins sometimes, and your breasts wiil acjust also if you only using one of them it is a great opportunity to pump a bottle for later use especially if you working. hope this helped take care
L.

My son was sleeping through the night at 8 weeks. For a few nights after that I would be really engorged, but then your body gets used to not having a night-time feeding and will make less milk. It is possible that your son is full after 10 minutes of nursing. As they get older, they get more efficient at nursing and your breasts get used to it, resulting in shorter nursing times. As long as your son is gaining weight and seems satisfied, there is no problem. Congratulations! Your son is starting to sleep through the night. Enjoy your sleep!

I never listended when I had my first daughter, but your child will eat when he's hungry. I have a girlfriend whose daughter has been sleeping thru the night since she was 5 wks old & she's only had breastmilk! If you want to keep your supply going, either pump overnight, or let your body adjust to one less feeding. Either way, enjoy your sleep - my second daughter will be 5 months next week and just started sleeping thru the night.
Congrats and good luck!

Don't wake them up to feed. He was content with his fingers. When he's hungry, he'll wake up and let you know. There's not a lot you can do about being engorged but the less you feed without necessity the faster the amount your body makes will equalize.

I would go to www.LLL.org and under their resoruces area look up a leader in your area and call/or email so you are getting the most current information for your circumstance. They are there to help and will have ideas for you!

- How long can a child be without drinking milk at 3 months?

Probably a good 12 hours, if he actually wants to!

- What do you do when your breast are engorged at night - 8 to 10 hours without a feed?
You can either pump, wake your baby to nurse for your comfort, or just wait until your baby wakes up. If he pulls this stunt several nights in a row then your breasts will adjust and you won't feel like you're about to explode, but it takes a few days for that to happen.

- Is it fine for 3 month old to drink only for 10 mins and feel satisfied?

Yes - as long as he's gaining I wouldn't worry about it. As they get bigger babies become more efficient at nursing so he is probably drinking a larger volume in less time.

Hi A.
I am in a similar situation in that I have a 3 month old who I nurse exclusively and I work. I do, however, pump my milk at work and whenever she decides to sleep through a feeding, also when I'm engorged.
My daughter does different things at different times, i.e. she may marathon nurse, or nurse only 10 minutes (which seems to be the norm now), or nurse till she finishes and then nurses again like she's starving in just 3 minutes after. Anyway, I would say he is probably fine. Just make sure that he is eating, and that his weight is increasing per MD recommendation. Also call your local hospital and speak to the lactation consultant on staff.
Good luck!

- How long can a child be without drinking milk at 3 months?
**My doctor told me that once they were past 10 wks old they could go as long as 10 hours without eating and be ok.

- What do you do when your breast are engorged at night - 8 to 10 hours without a feed? Last night I feed him even though I think he could have gone without the milk. Though he did drink the milk when I put him on my breast.
******I had to pump in the middle of the night a few times. Once with each child I woke them and fed them cause I had to drain my breasts or explode. But that was when they were more like 3 weeks old.
- Is it fine for 3 month old to drink only for 10 mins and feel satisfied?
****** 10 minutes on each side? Yes. 10 minutes total? yes. But it depends on your supply, how they suck and how much they take in in that time.

I would suggest that you contact a lactation consultant or your doctor and have her weigh him before feeding and then after and you will know exactly how many oz he is getting in that time.

Both of my girls had a few nights at that age where they slept for 10 or 12 hours straight. For each of them they then did a major development milestone the next day or two.

N.

Feel lucky, if he is able to get full on tem minutes of nursing and is sleeping through the night - you are one lucky mama! My oldest spent an hour nursing - every time she ate. Thankfully the other two were pretty consistant with 20-30 minute sessions. If you feed longer from one breast, the milk will become richer and more satisfing the longer the baby nurses and will last longer in his tummy. Kinda God's way of helping mom's out. Just be sure you nurse the opposite breast with the next feeding. If he stops needing night feedings, give your body a few days and the engorgement will stop because the milk will no longer be produced in such high quantities at those times. Although if you have the chance to pump it instead, you might be ahead of the game as time goes on with the pumping and working issue. Sometimes your body will stop producing as much milk when you are trying to pump at work and such. I always liked to have extra in the freezer just in case I had a bad day at work. Stress can make it hard to pump and work isn't always the least stressful place!
Good luck!!

I would definitely pump, just once, to keep your milk supply going strong. I worked 3 days from home and 2 days in the office and those 2 days really decreased my supply. You never know when you will need that extra milk so pump as often as you can (freeze it), and you don't have to wake up baby, let them sleep!
Good luck!

hey me too! i was producing more milk than he was drinking and my breast stayed uncomfortably full.
my solution, PUMP AND FREEZE! Theres disposable baby milk bags you can store and freeze the milk in. make sure you date and time the bags and send that to the sitters. send the oldest milk first.try switching up, maybe 5 mins on each breast.try tickling the cheecks when it seems like their falling a sleep on the breast it wakes them up and they may continue to feed alittle longer. enjoy baby sleeping at nite