The Dream Feed
by Barbara Dehn - 12th July 2007
This week, I saw a mom who is a 5 weeks postpartum. We were talking about her breastfeeding and how it’s going, when she mentioned her baby’s nightly “Dream Feed”. I loved the sound of those words and asked her to tell me more. She told me how she goes to bed at around 9 pm with her toddler, and that her husband gives the new baby a bottle of pumped breast milk each night at 11. They call it the “Dream Feed” because Dad and baby are both drowsy and sleep and both nod off to sleep and dream time together. It sounds so cozy and delicious.
She considers this her “Dream Feed” too, because it allows her to sleep until the baby wakes at 2 or 3 for the next feeding. She gets a 5 to 6 hour stretch, which has helped her keep up her milk supply, feel more energetic during the day, and helped her moods.
She is not pumping on any schedule, just once each day, whenever she has time, so the amount she gets varies from day to day. I suggested that she try pumping each morning at about the same time each day, to help stimulate more milk production in the morning. Resting at night will help her produce more milk. It’s all about Demand and Supply. More stimulation from the baby and/or the pump means more supply.
Believe it or not, my favorite, dream feed was between 2 and 4 am. The whole house was peaceful, dark and quiet. There were no distractions or other tasks that had to get done. I could be completely present and experience the joy of feeding my precious baby. The Forum provides an easy way for you to tell us about your personal experiences. As moms share what worked for them, we all benefit. I'd love to hear about your Dream Feed.
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