How important is pumping through the night?

[organicpapayamama]

I don't need to tell you about sleep deprevation, you have all btdt. I have a 2 yr old and a newborn. We all co sleep and I've been having latch issues due to a lip tie with the baby so I have to pump. I am also a single mama so it makes everything that much harder. So far I have not been pumping through the night. I wake up engourged and I'm able to pump 4-5 ounces in the morning. I want to increase my supply for when I go back to work but I find
it hard since I am supplimenting with formula. I suppliment during the night and not only that but also at times during the day as the baby is wanting more than I can provide. So my question is... Is pumping during the night going to make much more of a difference? When I pump I get between 1 1/2-3 ounces depending on the time of day and if I've had my oatmeal/ mothers milk tea.

[Llyra]

I have bad news for you-- your hormone levels peak during the wee hours of the morning, like between 1 and 5 am. So any stimulation during those times has the best chance of increasing and maintaining your supply. It's especially important during the first few months, when it's frequent stimulation that brings in the full milk supply. So yeah, I would think that if you don't pump at least once during that span of time, you run the risk of a diminishing supply.

I assume you're working on getting baby nursing effectively, right? Is baby nursing during that time? I would think that if baby is nursing during that time, you might be able to get away without pumping as well, if baby is transferring milk at all.

I do know from experience that it's very hard to maintain supply with a pump, even when you're pumping every two or three hours round the clock. I EPed for DD1 for a long time, and I struggled to keep up my supply, and eventually did lose the battle. A pump is just not as efficient as a baby at emptying every last drop, and eliciting multiple letdowns, and those are the things that really stimulate your supply best.

[JennTheMomma]

I agree with the above. I nurse and pump. Liev has problems nursing on the left breast, and he doesn't always want to finish nursing on the right either, leaving lots of milk in there, so I have to pump it out. Pumping at night will help you, I know it's hard to, but a few times at night would be worth it. What bottles are you using? I use the tommee tippee bottles that are shaped like a nipple/breast so that Liev doesn't mind them, he's a month old now and he still goes from breast to bottle. Taking Fenugreek can also help with supply. I took tea at first, which didn't do anything, and the Fenugreek seems to help.

[UberMama]

Agreed. Pumping at least once between 1 and 5ish AM is very important, but keeping up as often as most newborns eat is what you should aim for when pumping (every 2-3ish hours). It's hard, I know. I EPd with my twins (they would NOT latch due to prematurity, we tried for two months). It was he** pumping at night but worth it to keep my supply going as the early morning hours are sooo important.

Do you have a double electric pump? And do you have some sort of pump bra, so your hands are free? Even if you just rest upright, it's much easier to use a pump bra of some kind vs. holding the flanges on your breasts. And double pumping is so much easier vs. one at a time, plus double pumping helps your supply vs. the one at a time thing. I tried making my own pump bra but never liked what I came up with. I used the Easy Expressions Bustier last time I EPd and liked it. This time around I am going to use a Simple Wishes bra and just from trying it out a bit now, I LOVE IT!

Good luck, mama. Pumping is difficult with a newborn, but I promise it gets easier! And you won't necessarily HAVE to pump at night later on down the line to keep your supply going. But the first 12 weeks are so important in pumping often and especially at night during that period.

[boobs4milk]

you are building supply, so you need to pump at least as often as baby nurses. my lo was in the nicu and i saw so many moms who struggled with supply because they didn't pump enough. i pumped every 2 hours, sometimes pumping driving down the freeway on the 2 hr round trip to the nicu. i pumped every 2 hours at night for the first 5 weeks, too. i know it's hard, but right now your body needs the stimulation! good luck!

[Megan73]

It SUCKS. I feel for you, mama, but I agree with PPs that it's essential to pump when your prolactin is at its highest.
I had a sleepy newborn who had to be woken for night feeds and had to pump afterward to build supply so I'd set the alarm for 3 a.m.
Hang in there!

[organicpapayamama]

Thank you everyone. With ds I did pump through the night every two
hours for 3 months and it did nothing for my supply. Maybe it'll be different this time. I'm actually not using bottles since ds had nipple confusion. I've been syringe feeding which brings it's own difficulties. Yes i have a double electric pump so that cuts my pumping time. I guess I should start the pumping again. Thanks.