Expressing in night and weight gain q's

[Sherlock]

LO has started sleeping longer at night between feeds, but not on a regular basis. Never two nights in a row the same. Sometimes its 6 hours, usually 9pm to around 3am, then feeds again around 6-7am then again around 9am. Other nights its 9am, midnight, 3am, 5-6 am and then 9ish. One night he went 10pm to 6.30am! Another 10pm -4am.

However its playing havoc with my boobs! I have one that has a really quick let down and if it goes too long between feeds (2-3 hours max) it pretty much floods everywhere when feeding him hence I try to avoid feeding him from this one in the middle of the night if he goes longer. If he wakes I feed him from the other boob and then go express the quick one. But if he sleeps on I have two boobs absolutly rock hard and needing emptying. I tend to express only one and leave the other.

Am I better to leave expressing alone and tough it out with sore boobs overnight if he sleeps for 4 hours plus? Or do I express to keep things ticking over? Or something else entirely? Suggestions please?

Also Galen's weight gain, HV wasn't worried today but I was surprised as at 10 weeks and 5 days he weighed in at 14lb exactly (his birthweight was 9lb 14ozs). He's only gained 6 ozs in 2 weeks. I know BF babies slow down around 12 weeks and Galen has been on the 91st centile since birth and maintained a steady weight gain on it. With this most recent weigh in he has dropped down the curve and I was wondering if this seems ok to other mums, seeing as he is only 10 weeks. I'm not overly worried as he is feeding well and my supply is pretty much endless but I wondered what weight gain is like for other babies around this age. He is growing longer and busting out of 0-3 clothes since about 2 weeks ago And feeding, if awake every 2 hours on average, sometimes 1.5 hours

 

[DebbieM]

All sounds normal to me Sherry! As for the boob, I would express but in the morning if need be unless you really can't handle it. If he isn't needing that feed and it becomes regular your milk will adjust anyway xxx

 

[Manda&Thomas]

thomas is bottle fed so i can only help pn the weight gain he is puttng on a lb a fortnight without fail but then he was at the bottom of the scale born so can afford to put some weight on
xx

 

[valentine]

Hey Sherlock,

Good to see you posting - hope everything is good with you and Galen.

I think Galen's weight gain sounds fine. Are you using the breastfed charts (ask your HV) to chart him on? Their weight gain really does slow down and I remember being quite shocked. My DD went from the 75th centile at around 2 months to the 25th by about 4 months then to the 9th by about 6 months and now hovers around 25th. She only doubled her birth weight at around 9/10 months.

Re. the expressing, I'd be tempted to let your milk supply settle down a bit. It sounds like he will be sleeping long stretches at night regularly before long so I'd be tempted to try and leave the expressing (unless you are desperate for the expressed milk, but who is really that desperate that they want to express at 3am?!) as much as possible. I remember sleeping on rocks too and being so uncomfortable and soaking the sheets (sleep on a towel if possible) but your supply will settle down. I know you mention that he's not predictable re. night waking, but I promise there will always be milk there if he wants some or is on a growth spurt etc.

Valentine Xxx

 

[charlie84]

Sounds exactly what happened when Calleigh was sleeping longer. She would wake up and only have one boob but both would be bursting. The one she didnt feed from would be so uncomfortable so i expressed just enough to make it bearable.
It took a couple of weeks till i stopped getting so full.

Not sure bout the weight gain hun but he sounds like he is doing great. As valentine said check with HV whether he is on the breastfeeding weight sheets.
I dont have the sheets, my HV doesnt seem to have any, so we are charting on the bottle fed sheets

 

[Sherlock]

Thanks ladies

He is on the breastfeeding chart which is why I got a bit concerned. He is on the 91st centile and was pretty much sticking to it, although mostly just under the ideal curve. In the past 2 weeks now he seems to have dropped a long way down the curve, almost by half if that makes sense and I was surprised by this as he feeds so well and so often. Its a noticable drop is all. I am sure he'll even out again.

He's a big baby and moves alot and is really active so I guess he uses up the energy.

As for the night feeds or lack of them, I only express as my boobs (usually the fast one) is bloody agony if its not fed from at least every 4 hours. The other one I can cope with. He does dreamfeed but whenever he goes longer sleep wise at night he is always wide awake for a feed then. Not a chance of him being half asleep then

 

[valentine]

Hey,

I have to say I still wouldn't be worried re. weight gain - its so easy to get hung up on some numbers. The way I see it is that he was already ahead, so to speak, so can afford to slow down. 14lbs is still a brilliant weight for his age and you would know if he wasn't well. I stopped weighing DD each week once it started really bothering me (drastic centile drop) and just went from my instincts that she was feeding well, healthy and happy. His movements will have a huge impact to his weight gain too, so if he is an active baby, that will really make a difference.

I hope your fast flow boob settles down soon, I'll bet it will soon catch up re. supply and demand. I am just worried that you are over stimulating it a wee bit by expressing but understand it must be really painful so you really have no option.

Valentine Xxx

 

[Sherlock]

Thanks ladies

I was planning on not expressing last night and toughing it out but he had his first set of jabs yesterday and was really fretful overnight and woke and fed 3 times I shall rty again tonight and see how it goes. It really is agony with the one boob if its not fed from. I went 10 hours the other day before he fed from it and it was awful. I leak a river then also

And ooops I got his age in weeks wrong, he is still only 9 weeks I knew he was but for some reason got 10 weeks in my head when typing. 10 weeks tomorrow