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overnight pump

taraleannetaraleanne member
in Breastfeeding
My son usually goes 12 hours overnight without nursing (he's 5 months old) if I don't pump at least 1x in that period then I wake up leaking, engorged, sweating several hours before he gets up. So I sometimes pump about 3 hours after he goes to sleep and then again 1x in the middle of the night, whenever I wake up. I don't mind doing this, I have a little freezer stash for when I am away at bedtime 1x per week and also for other times I am away or if we are going out to a place where a bottle would be more convenient (he's so distracted under the cover, he likes to pull it down) and thankfully he goes from breast to bottle no problem and even happily takes a bottle from me.   

I stopped pumping for a while, just hand expressed a few times a night until my supply regulated, it didn't take long, but I think it affected my supply as he got really fussy by day's end, as if I was "out" of milk. Although it could have just been a phase too as that happened around the 4 month mark. In any case, I took fenugreek, started pumping overnight again and everything seems back to normal.

Just wondering if anyone else pumps overnight like this for the same reason? How do you think this will affect my long term supply, perhaps when he starts solids in a month too. Looking for experiences and thought,thanks!!
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Re: overnight pump

  • ZulixxZulixx member
    I don't and I used to have an over supply. Now I feel like I don't have enough. So I'm going to start again my lo only sleeps 4 hours, wakes up, then sleeps another 4, and I go roughly 8 hours with out pumping. She only nurses one side most of the time and I have to pump the other to keep it going.
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  • taraleannetaraleanne member
    theresat858 said:
    I would let your supply regulate again...there is no reason to pump overnight.  The four month wakeful is notorious and probably had nothing to do with your supply.
    He was waking a few times in the night around the four month mark but he nursed fine then. It was in the evening when he normally nurses that he was getting really fussy as if I had no milk left! That's why I thought my supply was getting low from not pumping overnight. I'm scared to try it again until he's on solids... The thing is, he goes a long stretch overnight, then 3 hours during the day but in the evening before bed he likes to eat every 1.5 - 2 hours. 
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  • taraleannetaraleanne member
    theresat858 said:
    That sounds like completely normal nursing behavior...it's called cluster feeding.  It isn't a sign of low supply.
    Yup, I know that. The problem was he was getting very fussy and seemingly unsatisfied almost as if he wanted more milk and I had none during the cluster feeding period and it only started after I stopped pumping overnight. He was noticeably happy, practically shaking with excitement when I brought out a bottle. I'm just totally convinced it was a supply issue, perhaps it was just a phase for him then but it was so bad I'm not sure I'm willing to try it again. 
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  • lindsay johnston818lindsay johnston818 member
    I'm the same way. I used to pump after lo's last feed then again around 2 am. Once she turned 6mos I dropped the before bed pump and now just do it once around 1am. I get engorged if I don't pump at least once. She seemed a little irritated by my supply when I dropped the before bed pump but it's regulated well and alls back to normal. I like the freezer stash so I can quit pumping a little earlier hopefully! Plus some nights she gets up to nurse so pumping keeps me comfortable on nights she doesn't wake
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  • lindsay johnston818lindsay johnston818 member
    Also, I'm going to phase this out after 9 mos. (6.5 mos now) when she's hopefully sleeping consistently through the night and if I keep pumping enough at work for her bottles while I'm gone
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  • fusionbridefusionbride member

    it might not have been your supply that made him fussy in the cluster feeding, but that you had a reduced letdown/flow speed because your breasts were less full.

    WHichever route you decide to go, I don't think it will affect your long term supply.

    I did pump at night from about 6-9months because on days I was at work, I would double pump at like 3pm and there was nothing left for LO to nurse before bed.  SO I used that nighttime pump to give a supplementary bottle after her bedtime nursing if she wanted it.


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