When parents bring their newborn home, one of the first things they notice is how often their baby wakes up at night to nurse.
It’s one of the ways you’re welcomed into this wonderful world of parenting.
So, if your baby starts sleeping through the night, it’s natural to be concerned, and you might question if your milk supply will suffer as a result.
And what may be done to avoid it?
If, on the other hand, you’re returning to work and don’t have access to a lactation room where you may pump, you might be wondering how long you can go without breastfeeding before your milk production suffers.
This post will provide answers to these questions.
You might also be interested in reading this popular article on what to wear to bed at night when breastfeeding besides a nursing bra.
Going 8 Hours Without Breastfeeding – Is it Advisable?
If your baby is about 3 months old and sleeps through the night, you can go 8 hours without breastfeeding (at night).
However, if you have a newborn baby, going 8 hours without feeding them is not a good idea.
You could compromise your milk supply, get extremely engorged breasts, or develop clogged ducts or mastitis.
That, sadly, is what happens if you don’t breastfeed for 8 hours and beyond.
Between 6 and 12 weeks, many nursing moms’ milk becomes established. This means your body has figured out how much milk is required to keep your baby fed and content.
It’s quite OK if your baby’s sleeping habit changes at this time and they start sleeping for extended periods during the night.
To accommodate this new routine, your milk supply will adjust.
SEE: Why is My Breastmilk Salty? Plus Solutions
Newborns typically sleep 8 to 9 hours during the day and 8 hours at night. However, they are only supposed to sleep for 1 to 2 hours at a time.
At around 3 months, or when babies reach a weight of 12 to 13 pounds, they begin to sleep for longer durations.
It’s fine to cut back on night feeds now that your baby is sleeping more.
How Long Can A Newborn Go Without Breastfeeding?
Breastfeeding should be done on demand (i.e., when your newborn baby is hungry), which is around every 1–3 hours.
As a baby grows older, he or she will nurse less frequently and for longer periods between feedings.
Even overnight, newborns should not go longer than 4 – 5 hours without a feed.
If your baby is asleep and doesn’t want to eat, you may have to wake your baby to feed him. To assist your baby wake up, try patting, undressing, or changing the diaper.
Can I Go 8 Hours Without Pumping Or Breastfeeding At Night?
As babies gain birth weight and can sleep for longer lengths of time at night, the time between nightly feedings generally increases.
It won’t hurt your milk supply if you let your baby sleep for 8 hours without pumping or breastfeeding at night, as long as your baby isn’t a newborn – anywhere between 28 days to 2 months.
Your growing baby will be able to consume more milk during the day, resulting in longer periods of sleep at night.
Your supply of milk will adjust to the new schedule.
If you wake up with full breasts and a sleeping infant in the middle of the night, consider expressing or pumping for relief while your body adjusts to the new routine.
Your milk supply should keep up with your baby’s needs if you listen to his or her cues and spread out the feeds.
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Do I Need To Wake Up To Pump?
Pumping or breastfeeding at midnight is necessary for many women to keep their milk supply going.
If your baby is under the age of 12 months and is waking up at night, he or she is most likely hungry.
On the other hand, if your baby is sleeping longer on their own it’s a sign that they’re getting enough milk from you during the day to avoid needing milk at night to grow.
In that case, the only reason for you to get up in the middle of the night to pump is for your comfort, as you’ll most likely be waking up with engorged painful breasts (until your milk regulates to your baby’s new sleep routine).
Even at that, you probably only need to pump a small amount to alleviate the discomfort, because emptying your breasts will tell your body to produce more milk at night the next day.
SEE: Why Does Milk Get in My Medela Tubing and How to Prevent It
What Happens If You Don’t Pump Or Breastfeed For 8 Hours?
If you’re returning to work and don’t have access to a lactation room or equivalent, you might be worried about what will happen if you don’t pump or breastfeed for 8 hours.
If you wait too long to breastfeed or pump, your milk production will gradually decrease over several days and weeks.
Your body will produce less milk the longer you delay nursing or pumping.
This is because engorged breasts tell your brain that you need to produce less milk.
Women who have to put off breastfeeding or pumping may experience painful engorgement and leak.
This can also lead to blocked milk ducts or mastitis – a very painful breast infection.
RELATED: 10 Easy Ways to Prevent Engorgement Overnight
What If You Accidentally Went 6 Hours Without Breastfeeding?
The same is true if you accidentally went 6 hours without breastfeeding or pumping.
The main concern is that over time, you might jeopardize your milk production. Your breasts will be highly engorged and leak. If this pattern persists, you may get mastitis, a painful breast infection.
If it’s a one-time occurrence and you have a newborn baby, attempt to pump or breastfeed as frequently as possible during the next 24 hours to avoid signaling your body to produce less milk.
Particularly within the timeframe of the previously missed nursing or pumping session. For example, if you missed a 3 a.m. feed the day before, make sure you don’t skip the 3 a.m. feed the next day.
This will signal your body to keep producing breast milk at that time.
It’s also worth noting that everyone is different, and some new moms discover that they don’t lose their milk supply after 6 hours or more of not breastfeeding.
However, this seems to be the exception, therefore it’s best to avoid losing your breast milk supply in the first place.
Because, as any mom whose supply has dropped will tell you, building up a supply is significantly more difficult than maintaining a decent one.
If you can’t pump at work, here’s what you can do to make sure your milk supply isn’t hurt.
- Legally, your employers are obligated to provide you with a clean, private non-bathroom space for pumping.
- Pump in a car. Use a car adapter for electric breast pumps (like the Spectra 2) and a small cooler to preserve your breast milk.
- Use a wireless hands-free pump like a Willow or Evie. These can be worn inside your bra while you work with no one knowing.
- For short intervals of time, use a manual pump.
- Make use of a manager’s office or a supply closet if available.
- Pump on the way to and from work!
- Build up a milk stash before going back to work
- Use donor milk, then feed your baby on demand whenever you’re home
Conclusion
It’s all about demand and supply when it comes to breastfeeding. You’ll make more milk if your baby feeds frequently. This is especially crucial in the beginning.
However, as your baby grows and your breast milk production stabilizes, you may be able to go longer periods between feedings without jeopardizing your supply.
Nonetheless, unless your baby sleeps through the night naturally and is fed on demand during the day, you should try to avoid going longer than 8 hours without breastfeeding.
So as to avoid your milk supply drying up, developing painfully engorged breasts, and other medical conditions like those mentioned in this article.
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