Qn about breastfeeding at night during confinement

[cluelessmummy]

Hi all. First-time posting.

I've been wondering about this for some time. I'll be delivering sometime end Mar next year, and have already booked a confinement nanny.

Wondering whether I should express milk before I go to bed, so that the nanny can give my baby his night feed using the expressed milk, and I get to sleep throughout the night. Or should I get her to wake me up so that I can get baby to latch on?

Nanny's suggesting using expressed milk so that I can get her good night's rest. But I'm concerned whether this will affect my milk supply if I don't pump or breasfeed directly at regular intervals through the night. And will my baby have difficulty switching in between nipple and teat?

Obviously, after my confinement nanny leaves, I'll have to wake up at least once in the middle of the night to feed my baby...so maybe it's just better to bite the bullet and wake up in the middle of the night, right from the start?

Any advice? Never been through this before, and somehow I never saw any questions from other folks about this issue. Maybe it's really obvious what I should be doing when my baby's actually out? Hmm..

 

[elaine01]

For the past 24 months, I've been nursing my DS on demand round the clock. Yes, I do wake up every hour during confinement to nurse my baby. Even so, I still get engorgement that I always have to wake up to express between 4~6am. After expressing, I nurse my baby again. then I get to sleep from 6.30am to 8~10am. He sleeps longer after the 6am feed.

I only started to express 3 weeks after delivery & stashed my supplies aside for use when I return to work.

:tlaugh:

 

[3Rs]

Hi Cluelessmummy,
Personal experience lah, I'm a mother of 3, bf 2 of my younger kids. I've been nursing in lying down position since day 1. As I do not wish to jeopadize my supply, I still wake up and direct latch at nite using lying down position. In this way, every time after I make sure the bb is latching on well, I fall back to sleep.

During my 1st gal, I engaged CL, and she told me to express so that she can feed at nite. But being the 1st time mummy, my supply was not stable and was even very little and being inexperience, I listened to the CL and end up, I need to supplement with FM and finally, there's no more BM for her and she was stopped from BM.

Till now, my 3rd gal is 1 yr old, I got no problem meeting her demand and she is still total bfing. So I think you should learn the lying down position, so that u can feed and rest at nite.

Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[cluelessmummy]

Hi hi. Thanks for your replies. Wah..I guess it's better to let baby latch on during the night as well.. since this is my first time, and better safer than sorry... in case i cause my milk supply to drop. My intention is to breastfeed for at least 6 mths, hopefully longer. Will need to see what the situation is like after I go back to work.

I just wonder why most CLs suggest using expressed milk for baby during night feeds? Wouldn't it be more senang for them if all they need to do is pass the baby to mummy to latch on? Better than having to carry the baby and feed through bottle. Hmm...

 

[3Rs]

I guess it's bcos if baby is directly latched on, they need to wake up more often whereas for bottle-fed, CL can actually "pump" at least 3-4oz of milk into bb's stomach and make them full so that they can sleep thru longer. That's what I believe and I ever heard CL pouring away BM and give FM for nite feed without letting the mummy know.

But on the other hand, mayb becos during confinement, u will still be sleeping with ur hb, hence it's not nice to come into the room to wake u up for feed also.