Pumping at night?

Sammie6

My LO just started sleeping through the night. Most of the time she'll go 9 hours without feeding. Last few nights it's been 12. Do I pump so I'm not so engorged? Or are you suppose to not pump so your body knows she's not feeding those hours? She's 8 months so I know she's going to start to ween more. Was just wondering because I dont want to lose my supply, but I also don't want to unnessarily increase it.

Thank you

Juliebird8307

You shouldn't pump. If you are in pain, you can hand express just to the point where you are comfortable. My DD is 9 months and has been sleeping 11-12 hours a night since 4 months. I still wake up engorged, but not in pain. I only hand expressed the first couple of nights that she slept that long and then it got to the point where it wasn't uncomfortable.

Sammie6

I figured that. Thank you

BootsOrHearts

Not needed unless you wake up sore/engorged and can't get back to sleep. Then hand express or pump since you're awake anyway. 5-10 minutes of pumping should be enough to get you some relief and as a bonus you can build up a bit of a freezer stash.

mattanda2011

I will give a little bit different perspective, but I am a working mom so I probably have some different goals.
When my DD started STTN, I would pump right before I went to bed to add to my freezer stash. I would normally get about 3oz, but for me it was worth it. In the end I had over 600oz pumped that we used after I stopped nursing to still give my dd breastmilk. I was really glad that I had such a freezer supply.
Unless you are trying to do something like thay, I don't think you need to pump

Sammie6

@mattanda2011‌ Thanks. That is a good idea, I do work. I have a great freezer supply but adding a night pump for extra will not hurt. Thanks for the tip!

stephcrosby09

Agree with the night pumping. Also, my LO sleeps 9 hours, and then eats from one side, so I usually stay up and pump the side she didn't eat off of. Any I can get to put in the freezer is super important to me.