Night nursing

[etomaria]

Oops. Hopefully THIS one's posted properly...

Pasting:
Hello-- I posted this as a thread in the forum, but figured I'd check with you also. I'll highlight tho that my biggest concern is what will happen when I go back to work, I'm not all that worried for the present as it is because I'm with him all the time. Here's my question/background

Possibly relevant info first:

I have two sons, I breastfed the first for 14 months with no real issues save for the beginning... he slept with me and woke up regularly to eat, no issues there. My second son is not quite two weeks old and I'm also breastfeeding him, also issueless (he took to feeding immediately)... he was, in the event that this is relevant, born at 43 weeks and is right now a little over ten pounds (the reason I mention this is because, from what I've read, it seems weight plays a role in how long the baby sleeps at one stretch). He eats regularly, also sleeps next to me at night, also wakes for eating...

Question:
Should I wake him for feedings at night? How?

Other poss relevant stuff:
He wakes up far less than my first son, for example last night he woke up only twice... My first son woke up every two hours almost like clockwork... I'm noticing that I'm very full in the mornings, slightly engorged even... I'm sure it'll pass, but I'm going to have to go back to work when he's about 8 weeks old and I'd rather have him eating regularly at night because that's less of his daily intake from bottles and more natural milk-production stimulation... Pumping has been successful for the most part for me in the past, but obviously directly feeding is preferable for a multitude of reasons.

(Also the number of diapers (both kinds) is well within the norm... atleast 6, if not more, of each each day... Also will add his weights-- at birth, 9 lbs 11 oz; at discharge 9 lbs 12 oz; at 5 days 9 lbs 16 oz; at 10 days 10 lbs 6 oz... )

Thanks!

-Maria

[Sassafras]

bump

[etomaria]

Should I repost this, as there's a different consultant on? Not sure.

[mirellevvi]

Hi Maria,
It looks like you are doing great! and you already have a good idea on what to look for to make sure that he is getting enough. Not all babies are the same and as you can see yourself, however that does not mean that there is something wrong. At this stage as you already know it is best to nurse often and nursing offers the best stimulation to make milk. Although you have to go back to work at 8 weeks, which is quite fast, you still have some time to let your body adjust to the nursing and how much milk to make and to your baby to figure out how often he wants to eat. You can just take it day by day or night by night in your case as at this point your body is also adjusting to how much milk to make and how often. Once you do go back to work, and he is not waking up at night as much, there are ways to wake him up. You can unwrap him, put him skin to skin with you, change his diaper, talk to him.

You still have some time left before you go back to work, enjoy it now. You are doing very well.

[etomaria]

Thanks!