There she blows!: Nighttime engorgement

[lily_layne]

Honestly, some nights I worry that I am going to wake up to geysers of milk soaking our bedroom! The times that DS wakes to feed at night vary quite a bit and I have very responsive breasts so if wakes to feed at 1 one night and not until 4 the next night, my breasts are huge, hard, swollen, and painful. I actually sleep worse on the nights he does longer stretches because of it Is there anything I can do (besides getting out of bed to express some milk) to lessen the engorgement or relieve the pain?

[*Ali*]

I have similar issues right now.

Can you express just before you go to bed so they are starting on empty? You'd need to find a time to feed the milk though or it would increase supply further.

Do you use Breast pads to stop them soaking your clothes?

[lily_layne]

Breast pads can't absorb it all so I've started stuffing a cloth diaper under my bra. It is usually soaked by the time DS wakes to eat. I will try expressing a bit before bed tonight to see if it helps.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Do you have disposable or reusable breast pads Jill? (I am remembering your name right I hope!!) I had some that were bamboo backed with PUL that were fab.

[lily_layne]

You did get my name right. Good memory!

I was using disposable ones but it just seems so wasteful (and expensive) when I am going through 6 of them a night. I have reusable ones but they aren't very good. Where did you get the bamboo ones from?

[Domestic Engineer]

Maybe try decreasing the amount of water you drink in the evening before bed. You don't want to get dehydrated and hurt your supply, certainly, but drinking lots of water can contribute to producing too much milk.

Also, just to reassure you, if your baby is a newborn, this is just a short phase for most women. I would guess that you'll feel much better by 6 weeks and will rarely or never get engorged by 3 months.

[lily_layne]

Less water at night is a good suggestion. I often get busy in the day and don't drink enough so I end up drinking lots in the evening.

I would guess that you'll feel much better by 6 weeks and will rarely or never get engorged by 3 months.

I wish that was the case! DS is 3 months and while I rarely get engorged in the day, nights are a different story. With DD, I often had engorgement at 6 months if she switched up her NF routine significantly and it took ages for me to quit producing milk at night once she stopped night feeding entirely. I think it was something like 2 months! I think I was a dairy cow in another life. I started producing milk 6 months into both pregnancies and took over 3 months to dry up when DD weaned.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Jill are you opposed to second hand stuff? I still have them, I could drop them in the mail - totally get that that is not everyones thing though! I got them off of Etsy but last I knew the lady had closed her shop. I will double check that.

[lily_layne]

Definitely not opposed to second hand stuff! I would have been naked for most of my pregnancies and my children would be naked and sleeping on the floor if it wasn't for hand-me-downs That would be great if you could send them.

[MasynSpencerElliotte]

Lol! Same here! Pm me your address and we can send them off in the morning.