If your little one sleeps through the night, how do you handle engorgement? Are you getting up to pump, do you wake your LO up to feed or do a dream feed, or are you able to sleep through it?
Since I am dealing with oversupply issues, the LC told me not to pump in the middle of night but now I find I am awake between 3-4 and cannot sleep because I'm uncomfortable.
LOs last feeding at night is usually at 8:30 - 9:30.
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@autumnleaves: I was/ am in almost exactly the same boat. My son is currently 6 months and I am EBF. I guess I am oversupplier too though I have no issues with it- I don't get engorged, I have milk all the time, and never leak so I don't see a problem!
At that 3/4am time when I was super uncomfortable I used to pump or baby would almost always wake up to nurse. Sometimes he gets up at 5:30.
As time goes on, your supply should regulate so you don't get engorged. For example I used to be SUUUUUPER full at 3am and now it doesn't bother me at all, I'm way less full. The only time I'm engorged these days is today when I last fed him at 7:45 and he just woke up -- at 6:15!!! -
How old is your LO? Mine started sleeping through the night around 11 months and I just had a few nights where I would get up and pump enough to relive the pressure, but my body adjusted pretty quickly and was able to make it until morning and feed him right when he woke up.
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@pachamama: @tlcbaby: thanks! I am hoping I self regulate soon. Tonight will be a week since I took out the MOTN pumping session. LO is 3 months old.
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@autumnleaves: I hope so, too! If not, is there a lactation consultant at the hospital? Maybe they could give a few tips?
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When DD STTN and I BF my body regulated pretty well, maybe give it some time?! But if you are uncomfortable hand express in shower before bed?!
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I second hand expressing just enough to relieve the discomfort but not to stimulate more milk production.
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@muffinsmuffins: that was my thought too!
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@Autumnleaves I dealt with this for MONTHS. My DD started sleeping through the night at 7 weeks and I would wake up in PAIN around 4am every morning and use a hand pump to "take the edge off". I did endless research, talked to my midwives, etc. and this was the only thing that made sense. I got the Medela hand pump for Amazon and it was excellent. The upside to all this waking up/pain is that it provided my freezer stash. Good luck--it seems like such a hassle when your LO is sleeping but trust me it's way better than them waking up. Happy to answer more questions about this issue any time. If you do self express/hand pump I highly recommend keeping a small towel/burp cloth with you because whatever boob I was not expressing would inevitably start leaking!
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@muffinsmuffins: @FaithFertility: thanks! I have been hand expressing a little and then waking LO up to feed but I think I should try hand expressing more/possibly getting a manual pump and not waking LO. The last thing I want is for LO to get used to waking up at 4AM.
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@Mrs. Pajamas: thank you!
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We kept up an 11pm dream feed for a really long time, and that worked out perfectly for us. I did sometimes get engorged in the MOTN but that regulated pretty quickly - at least, to the point where the discomfort wasn't enough to wake me up; I still had maaajor leaking all night long for months and months. I think LO was over a year old before I was able to sleep without nursing pads and wake up not in a puddle.
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So not quite the same but I never BF'ed or pumped overnight (by choice). I got the Medela manual pump and my doula/LC recommended pumping with it just enough to relieve discomfort. I also used to wake up around 4am so unbelievably uncomfortable. It regulated after a couple of weeks and my body learned to stop producing milk at night. But by 6/7am I was definitely in need of a pump!
ETA: oh yeah, and while I was trying to train my boobs for overnight I got lots of clogged ducts. My LC also recommended lecithin. It definitely helped.
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Hand express to comfort.
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I put him to my breast when I feel engorged and begin to leak. He nurses with his eyes closed and quickly goes back to sleep. He doesn't always STTN, typically 5-6 hours and then wakes, so he's used to waking on his own to nurse and then going back to sleep. The times where I have had to initiate the nursing haven't broken his sleep to the point where he is up for hours.
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@autumnleaves: Ye don't wake a sleeping baby...lol
But if you manually pump maybe start for 10 mins then lower the time so you are not jest telling your breasts to continue to make more milk -
@SweetiePie: Yes - I have had more problems - mastitis, clogged ducts lately - not fun! I've been considering starting lecithin if I get more of them.
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@FaithFertility: yeah that's true. I forgot to mention that about trying to slowly reduce the amount of manual pumping each night or every couple of nights.
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@autumnleaves: I second the manual pump. I wish I had gotten it sooner. Very convenient 61st night. $28 from amazon.
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He goes to bed at 8pm, I pump for a full session also with hand expression around 9. Then I slept until 5 or 6 when I would have to pump again and/or feed. That only took about a week, and now I can go 9pm-7am without engorgement or leaking.
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at* night oops
Update: 2 nights in a row I just went 11 hours without nursing or pumping! I was FULL but not really uncomfortable. FWIW My son is 6 months and I am an oversupplier.
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