how to avoid engorged breasts if bub is sleeping through the night??

[cherryblossum]

I've been bfing DD for 3 months now. She feeds every 3-4 hrs throughout the day and night. Her last feed of the evening is at 9.30pm and then she wakes up at around 12.30-1am and then 3.30 - 4am in the middle of the night for feeds. Lately she's been waking up less and less for feeds, and a few times even lasted for 6-8 hrs without feeding during the night. However, during those times that she doesn't wake up every 3-4hrs for her feed, my boobs become so engorged that it was uncomfortable for me to continue sleeping and I end up waking up waiting for her to wake up so I can feed her and relieve myself!! So in a way while I'm happy that I can finally get 6-8 hrs of uninterrupted sleep my boobs hurt because they become so full. I wake up with leaking boobs and wet PJs

I wonder if any other bfing mums whose bubs are sleeping through the night also experiencing the same thing? Or is it just me??

How do I avoid uncomfortable full boobs when bub no longer feeds every 3-4 hrs around the clock?

[LimeSlice]

Hi there

It's definately not just you!!
I had a similar problem when Charlotte went through this (unfortunately it didnt last long - the sleeping through the night part!! lol
Charlotte's last feed is usually around 9.30 and she doesnt wake again until about 1am either, so I find that if I express at about 11pm I am usually fine. Obviously if you are not a night owl like me this may be a little late, but I really couldnt find any other alternative. And it also means I have a good stock pile of EBM in the freezer for when DF looks after her or we go out, or god forbid I want a couple of drinks
I would be reluctant to wake her as if she needs to wake and feed then she will, if she doesnt she wont. So enjoy the time she is sleeping throug - it may revert again!! lol
The other thing is wear your breast pads at night...Charlie is almost 6months and I still have to wear mine all the time but especially overnight! (saves the Wet PJ Syndrome!)

HTH
Alexis

[Barb Glare]

Hi,

We pray for a good night's sleep - then when we get it we are faced with full, leaky boobs - it's a double edged sword. Eventually your breasts will get the idea that they need to produce less at night if she continues to sleep through the night. But if they are uncomfortably full - best to wake her, or express a little off so you can get back to sleep
Regards
Barb

[~kellie~]

I had exactly the same problem as you when my DD started sleeping through the night, and eventually my supply overnight decreased so I wasn't waking up engorged and sore. I used to have to express a little before her 1st morning feed cause if I didn't, it would spray out at her so fast that she would cough and splutter.

I cant remember exactly how long it took to settle down, but I think it was a couple of weeks.

[cherryblossum]

Unfortunately the sleeping through the night bit didn't last long..lol.

Alexis, I wear breast pads 24/7 but even then if DD doesn't feed for more than 5 hrs I really start to soak through.

Also, I work full-time and study part-time so by 9 or 10pm I'm buggered. We started co-sleeping with DD so that I could get more sleep so if I wait until 11pm to express I'll be too tired.

I think I'll just have to wake DD up if she sleeps for too long during the night and I start to leak lol.

[Mads]

Hi! I have had this exact same problem. So frustrating to finally get the opportunity for a decent sleep and the boobs have another idea!!

I too wear breast pads 24/7 and leak through them onto my bra and pjs. Very uncomfortable especially now the cold weather setting in!! I can go through 6-8 breast pads on a bad day!

I find that expressing is the only way to relieve this. My question is how much do I express, I have been expressing a decent amt (about 120ml is all i get) , but this just seems to perpetuate the problem. But if i express less will it negatively affect my milk production ?

[Ezz]

DS has been sleeping through the night for over a month now (7:30pm-5:30am) - but I am still very full & hard in the morning. Fortunately, I'm not as sore now as I was when he first started sleeping through - so my boobs must be making less milk overnight. I find I am ok until 5:30 - but if he sleeps longer than that, I am lying there waiting for him to wake up because I am sore!

A couple of suggestions
1. Hawksey - Have you heard of booby bibs? (google it). I wear one of these now instead of a bra/breastpads. It's not perfect (I do still leak through every now & then) - but much more comfortable & most nights it's great (I just wear it under my PJs).
2. Try to let your boobs get used to the longer time between feeds, so that you produce less milk overnight (although if you are really uncomfortable then you'll need to feed bub/express)
3. Shower in the morning after your first feed & massage out any lumps that you feel (I still get lumps in the morning sometimes - my boobs are still extremely full when I wake up!)

HTH

[~Raven~]

Rather then wake up bub just have the pump ready and express off a little to take the edge off. After a few days of her not having a full feed overnight they will settle and not be so engorged.

[Mads]

My DD slept through again a couple of nights ago, that was fun for the boobs- I keep waiting and waiting for her to wake to feed, lying there uncomfortably, not sleeping. I should have expressed a little as recommended!

Will try searching for the booby bibs- thanks for the suggestion!