Sleeping Longer Stretches and Pumping?

abbyfp2324 · October 2011

For the first time ever, my LO slept from 7:30 pm until 3:30 am (usually wakes up between 12-1). I nursed on one side at 3:30 am and she went back to sleep. It's now 7 am and she still hasn't woken up. I woke up with my other side feeling extremely engorged so I pumped a little. However, I feel almost like small hard lumps in my breast still--are those plugged ducts or are they just still full from milk? I've never gone this long without nursing before (essentially I went 12 hours since nursing on my left side, since I nursed on that side at bedtime)...now I'm worried it's going to affect my supply.

Do you moms regularly get up at pump at night when your LO starts sleeping through the night? Or just the first few times?

ladybugpjb · October 2011

I stopped getting up at night around 5 weeks - it was too much for me since DH is gone and I'm doing it by myself. DS usually wakes up sometime between 4:00 and 5:30, so I usually end up going from 10/10:30 until 5:30 or 6:00 when DS goes back to sleep.

That being said, I EP and struggle with my supply. When I made the decision to stop getting up, I made peace with the idea that I might have to start giving a bottle of formula. Fortunately, my supply has kept up and I very rarely give formula.

As far as the lumps, I had that the other day when I went extra long without pumping. It did turn into a plugged duct and I finally worked it out with a hot shower.

bonitatinabina143 · October 2011

I usually pump both sides before I go to bed at night or I'll wake up around 6 am to pump if she's still sleeping. There are days where she will sleep until 9 and some where she gets up around 5. So my best bet is to do one last pump before bed. Then when she eats in the morning whatever she emptys will hopefully tell my breasts what to keep making at that time so it will regulate so I don't feel so engorged anymore. My breasts do feel hard and lumpy if I go any longer than 8 hours but I've never gotten a plugged duct from it yet.

mcatmay · October 2011

I'm so glad you asked this question, OP, because i've been wondering the same thing. As for the hard lumps, I have those when the girl doesn't nurse for a while but it's never turned into a plugged duct. I just encourage her to nurse for quite a while when she does wake up and usually solves the problem. I also pump the minute i get up (after she's had her breakfast), both to drain the breasts and to continue encouraging milk production. I haven't pumped at night yet but i've wondered about it.

lanbob · October 2011

I dont pump at night unless i need to. I let Lil Man nurse on deman at night if he sleeps through a feeding then he sleeps.

mattsgirl515 · October 2011

DS started sleeping through the night about 2 months ago and I continued to get up to pump until about a week ago. I slowly weaned off doing it. I was setting an alarm and getting up at 3:00am every night and then did it 30 minutes later and later each night until I just stopped. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night feeling full and then I get up to pump. And it hasn't effected my supply at all. Good luck!

genekelly · October 2011

This has happened to me and usu once LO eats from the engorged breast, the hard spots and tenderness go away. I did not pump overnight b/c I wanted my supply to regulate and I didn't want to be telling my boobs to keep producing. You'll want to sleep consistently at some point too!

If I'm feeling full, I'll offer the other breast even if LO appears asleep after one breast. He latches and sucks for several minutes, enough so I get a letdown and some of the fullness goes away and I'm not as engorged in the morning.

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