https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Sun, 12 Apr 2026 23:04:54 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-night#post-98694 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:21:40 +0000 Maysprout 98694@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I tried to have about a 7 hour period where I didn't nurse and didn't pump. I took a week to wake up and pump, but just enough to take the edge off and just a little more but not enough to empty my breasts. Then I didn't get engorged while I was sleeping. It didn't affect my supply that I could tell. My daughter started waking up around 6 months to nurse at night, and my breasts started making milk again during the night. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-night#post-98691 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:16:22 +0000 miranlee 98691@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@banana, i totally agree--the worst thing about breastfeeding is not being able to get a full nights sleep. I would give anything to sleep for 9 hours straight! The kicker is that I'm pumping all of this milk that I'm not sure I can use at a later date, since we still have thrush. I'm not clear on whether the milk is considered contaminated. yeesh...! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-night#post-98146 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:06:21 +0000 mrs. wagon 98146@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>When RJ was down to 2 night feedings, I'd pump while he was getting his bedtime bottle and then wake up and pump during his night feedings (around midnight and 3am). When he dropped to a single night feeding around midnight, I pumped during his bedtime bottle and during his night feeding. Basically I kept to the rule of pump or nurse whenever the baby eats because their demand will keep your supply at the level they need. </p> <p>When he started sleeping thru the night I did NOT pump at his bedtime feeding (so my last nursing session would be around 4pm). Then I'd let myself get super engorged and then pump right before I went to sleep around 11pm. Then at 6am he'd wake up and I'd be engorged, but he'd have a nice big nursing session for breakfast. It was SUCH a relief to pump right before bed and not have to go to bed engorged because I was too afraid to pump while he wasn't eating.</p> <p>My supply kept up until he self-weaned at 7months. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-night#post-98141 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 12:01:17 +0000 banana 98141@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Actually for me, when I stopped pumping in the middle night, it totally affected my supply. :( I did the same thing as you....I woke up at 3:30am every night to pump, even when the baby slept through the night. That has seriously got to be the worst part of breastfeeding. Everyone is souuuuuund asleep and here I am still waking up at 3:30am to pump. Sigh. I don't think it's necessary to pump twice in the middle of the night. When I pumped once, my supply kept up. When I stopped the middle of the night pump, within a week I saw a huge drop in milk (maybe half?). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-night#post-98108 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 11:06:41 +0000 LivsMama 98108@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>like @chopsuey119: I would only pump at night if I was super engorged, and it never seemed to alter my supply. Your supply is probably regulating. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-night#post-98085 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:30:24 +0000 autumnlove 98085@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>My LO is sleeping through the night (for now) so I pump around 10 and 2. I get engorged and I wouldn't want to waste the milk since I can get about 10-12 ounces in the early morning pump schedule. The few times I didn't wake up to pump didn't affect my supply. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-night#post-98079 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:24:33 +0000 chopsuey 98079@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I used to get up to pump only because my breasts were SO engorged. It also gave me the opportunity to freeze some milk. I stopped bottle feeding after ~2 months and have been exclusively breastfeeding since (LO's almost a year old). Not pumping or feeding in the middle of the night didn't affect my milk supply. I started AF at 7 months too.<br /> My milk is interesting.. some days it'll flow like crazy, other days I feel like I'm not producing as much.<br /> So far I've been able to produce enough for my LO. She's large and chubbs! :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-night#post-98073 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:21:51 +0000 T.H.O.U. 98073@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I haven't been so luck to have her sleep through the night on a consistent basis. She still likes to get up at least once to eat. I would try to just time it so you sleep for like 4 hours, pump, then sleep for another 4. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/pumping-at-night#post-98056 Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:01:37 +0000 miranlee 98056@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>At 11 weeks, Baby Z has been sleeping through the night from 9pm to 7am, and may or may not wake up once in the night to nurse or get a diaper change. She has days where she sleeps straight (yay!), which means that I may need to pump once or twice in the middle of the night. </p> <p>How does this affect your milk supply? </p> <p>In the daytime, she nurses or I pump about every 3 hours (I try not to go longer than that, but have gone to 4/4.5 hrs a few times) But, depending on her last nursing session, I may go 4-6 hours at night without pumping/nursing. I usually get up somewhere around 2:30-3:30 am and pump, but in the last few days, I've found that I can only pump about 3oz, when I was pumping 4-6oz before. I also don't feel so engorged, like I did a few weeks ago. Is my milk just regulating itself or am I hurting my supply by going longer than usual to pump?</p> <p>Should I be pumping twice at night in that 9 hour period? Would love to know what other moms do about sleep/pumping at night. </p> <p>Thanks! </p>