How many feeds

[annie71]

Hi,
Molly is 12 weeks old and she is sleeping through the night 10 to 11 hours. As I am breast feeding it does't leave much time to fit in the recommended 6 feeds to keep the breast milk up.
Currently Molly wakes after 1 hour during the day and I then feed her we play and back down for another 1 hour sleep. This has aloud me to get 6 feeds. However I have started to realise that she is not hungry but tired when she wakes and I have decieded to try settling her back to sleep so she gets 2 hours. This however is going to limit my feeds to 5 or less.
Will this interfer with my milk supply and is it enough feeds for Molly.

Cheers
Annie

[Pinky McKay]

hi Annie,
It sounds as though you may be following quite a rigid routine and I am rather concerned that Molly would need more feeds if she is sleeping so long at night.

The important thing is that when you are counting feeds as though they are 'just about the milk' you arent acknowledging all the other important benefits of nursing your baby -the contact you have with your baby as she breastfeeds helps produce hormones that aid bonding ( for you and baby!) and development; the stimulation of skin to skin contact and breastfeeding aids brain development whilst sleeping long periods reduces stimulation that is necessary for your baby's development. It also reduces stimulation to your breasts that increases your milk supply.

Above all, breastfeeding your baby is a relationship, not just a means of getting enough milk into your baby, so please offer those feeds and enjoy playing with your baby, rather than spending so much time focussing on getting your baby to sleep all day as well as all night.

Pinky