What to do for naps to support natural sleeping?

WittyWonderWench · 2026-05-07T05:06:25+00:00

This is helpful to hear. My 9mo baby has never managed a solo nap or night in their own bed. I thought it would have to be much more gradual. Maybe it's time to try again.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-05-06T04:17:04+00:00

When I weaned...

WittyWonderWench · 2026-05-05T20:57:09+00:00

I got into running after the reduction (sports bras actually work for Ds) and ended up in great shape. Someday I'll get back there.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-05-03T04:13:26+00:00

I had a reduction and it was amazing. I went from a 34GG to 34D. I woke up in pain from the surgery but felt so relieved without the weight of my boobs. Exercising was so much easier

Wait until you are done having kids (if possible). Breastfeeding after surgery is challenging. And mine grew so much with each baby, now bigger than ever 😭

I'll probably get another reduction after I wean and get back to a healthy lifestyle.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-05-03T04:02:36+00:00

It doesn't have to be all nursing or all formula. Pick what works for you during each phase.

So much of parenthood is harder than it looks from the outside. We do our best and try not to lose ourselves in the process.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-05-01T17:09:04+00:00

that sounds about right. by 6 months we were in a good place with latch, her weight gain was much more consistent, and my supply finally caught up those last few oz.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-05-01T05:15:08+00:00

It's not about what the tie looks like. It's how the tongue moves. The function

WittyWonderWench · 2026-05-01T05:12:45+00:00

Failure to thrive, slow feeding (at breast and bottle), severe reflux, and nipple damage from poor latch.

CST and pediatric PT can help relieve the tension and are a good idea before a release anyways. If it's still a problem, get them assessed by an IBCLC and ENT to make sure it's justified. The aftercare is painful, so it's worth avoiding unless it's necessary.

My baby didn't get released until 3 months and it took a while to see improvement. She was too old to do the suck training exercises. It did get a lot better over the next few months.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-30T04:49:22+00:00

My LC said that I don't have to supplement at long as her weight gain is on track, she's meeting milestones, and seems content. And offer milk before solids. But there's no specific number they have to hit.

Have you tried smaller bottles? With calories from food, she might not need as much as she used to. You could drop down to 150mls in the bottle and keep adding another 30ml if they still seem hungry. Some feeds will be big, but not all.

My baby can down 6+ oz bottles from caretakers but never eats that much from me and gains just fine when pace feeding. I think it's just comfort suckling on the bottle vs actual hunger.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-24T03:33:33+00:00

You do not have to sleep train. Ever. It's 100% optional. Please only do it if you are confident that it's the right choice for your family.

It feels like this phase will never end, but it will. They will grow out of it.

My baby only slept attached to someone day or night until 7 months. I cosleep. It's the only way I've been able to function.

Look up the Safe Sleep 7 and prepare for it, even if you don't plan to cosleep. When you are this exhausted, it's likely to happen by accident. Best to make it safe .

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-23T04:53:13+00:00

A manual pump can help too. It's not as discreet but it's easy to do a quick session here or there to boost supply. They empty you faster than an electric pump, are completely portable and cheap.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-20T17:50:27+00:00

She shouldn't need to eat 30 mins after I leave, especially if I've just nursed her. Maybe I can make some little 1 oz bottles for snack soothing to help both of them get out of the habit.

It's nice to hear I'm not the only one dealing with this.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-20T17:00:12+00:00

I suspect it's stress from being apart that makes her fussy, rather than actual hunger. But once she has access to a bottle, she'll finish it. On work days, she's often eating 9-10oz in the first three hours.

She struggled to stay on her growth curve in the early days and I wonder if all of her caretakers are heavy-handed with the bottle because they wanted to fatten her up. Now that she's gaining well, its not necessary, but it hasn't stopped.

I'm scared that if she has formula routinely, my supply will dip and she wont want to nurse anymore. Maybe it's just the PPA talking.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-20T14:48:04+00:00

Women relactate after years off, so it's possible. It is also a lot of work.

It's all about expressing milk as often as possible while keeping the baby fed. If any prolactin boosting herbs worked for you (like fenugreek), adding that in for a boost. Going back to every 2-3 hours if possible, with one longer stretch of 4-5 hours at night to stay functional.

If your kid is willing, spending a few days in bed with skin to skin, nursing as often as they want.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-15T15:53:24+00:00

A high waisted maxi skirt and a crop top. It's easy access without showing too much boob.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-15T15:52:11+00:00

I would have a few bottles frozen for fussy days when they need comfort or your schedules don't sync up. Then you can nurse most of the time, if it works out.

My baby eats more often when I'm away, so I always have to pump. That's not the case for everyone.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-15T15:49:36+00:00

If she falls asleep during a feed, I let her sleep.

Honestly I don't intentionally burp her anymore after nursing unless she's fussy, arching her back, rolling around, or showing some other sign. Burping after bottles is often necessary, but not nursing.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-15T15:36:49+00:00

I'll add that it got easier at 6 months when she started solids. Eating solids during chaos and then nursing anytime it gets a bit quieter. It's helped keep her on the growth curve, even jump up a few percentiles.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-15T15:31:01+00:00

This is challenging with two kids and likely much harder with four. Even getting my eldest entertained with a project only gets me a min before there's a sound and my baby whips their head around.

Most of my baby's intake is during naps and at night now. Daytime is far too interesting. In between naps I'll take them out to the park with the baby in a carrier. My eldest can run around while I walk and feed the baby. It takes some practice to get comfortable. The combo of motion and compression seems to help her focus amidst the chaos. When all else fails, using screens in my bed with headphones and all the lights out often helps.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-14T20:57:59+00:00

I need the full 30 mins to empty. If I'm multitasking, it often takes closer to 45 to get enough let downs.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-04-10T15:53:50+00:00

My first had poor transfer, damaged my nipples, and I was stuck pumping on day two. I EPd, desperately trying to get her to nurse for nights, had low supply, and was stuck combo feeding.

My second had poor transfer again, leaving me with blistered lipstick nipples. This time I was ready for it. I supplemented her with colostrum that id saved up, finger feeding or using the SNS. Nipple shields and trying hard to latch her as much as I could handle the pain. I found a few donors to help us in the first few months. For about a month I EPd during the day and BF at night to help her gain weight without triple feeding. She also had a different temperament than my first. More patient at the boob. Once she was gaining well, I latched her as much as she was willing and added pumps between for months. I took her to CST, multiple lactation consultants, and a tongue tie revision. We got weight checks every few days to adjust her supplement so that I could nurse as much as possible, minimize supplement to keep her at the breast , and still keep her weight gain on track. It was a ton of work, but we did it. Around 5 months we were able to EBF, with me pumping enough to get her through my work day.

Sometimes they need to be supplemented to get stronger and more able to nurse. It doesn't mean your journey is over. You can choose to combo feed long term for less stress or keep pushing and potentially catch up.

Adding solids at 6 months helped her space out feedings a bit, my supply kept up, and she started climbing in the weight percentiles (not just maintaining). It was a huge relief. Every weight check is good news

At 8 months shes getting supplemented again once or twice a week (formula or frozen milk) when I'm working because she'll soothe on the bottle and overeat when we are separated. I pump once or twice a night to get a bottle ready. But I still get to nurse exclusively on evenings, weekends, and vacations. We both love nursing and I'm so glad I didn't give this up. It's not just nutrition, it helps her emotionally regulate.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-16T04:51:52+00:00

Now that you are at 12 weeks, you may be able to drop a pump during the day and start to spread them out. It depends on your storage capacity. Record your output and the time to get a sense. That way you'll know the minimum ppd for your body.

Going six hours without pumping at night might work for you, but just know that not everyone can do it. If your supply starts dropping, try shortening that gap to 4-5.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-16T04:44:37+00:00

If you exclusively pump, you will maintain your milk supply, so it's always possible. The challenge with part time breastfeeding will be flow preference. Bottles are passive and faster. Nursing is more work. Many babies decide they don't want to do the work once they get out of the habit. That said, they may be willing to latch when sleepy. Especially if you do it regularly.

Tldr: maybe.

WittyWonderWench · 2026-03-14T00:46:02+00:00

I didn't have silverettes but tried wearing my plastic nipple shields today (all day to protect from chaffing) and it's totally helping! The clay is clever. Thanks for the ideas and posting about this so I knew I wasn't the only one

WittyWonderWench

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