01/13/2026
Your body’s smart but it doesn’t always get the full picture 😭 When your breasts stay full for long stretches, especially at night, it takes that as a sign that baby doesn’t need as much milk… and it slowly starts making less. Not just at night, but during the day too.
In those early months, most babies do best with night stretches no longer than 4 hours (3h MAX for babies in first 2 weeks of life)
Around 3+ months, some might naturally go 5 hours but only if they’re leading the way (no swaddles or sleep training keeping them from waking).
Breast storage capacity plays a role in how long you can go without feeding or pumping, BUT skipping bight feeds affects baby’s daytime feeds too.
To make up for it, babies may need 6-8oz feeds (!!!) every 2.5-34h during the day to “make up for it” and that’s just not how their bodies - or yours! - were designed to work, and it’s not the biologically normal amount for babies to have at each feed.
Every baby is different, but honoring their natural rhythms (and your body’s cues) can go a long way in protecting your supply ❤️🙏
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