longer night sleeps = painful boobs!

[erinsmum36]

hi - dont know if anyone has some advice for me, but here goes.. my 8 week old (12lbs) is on a 3 hour routine and has a last feed at 6pm. Until a week ago she would regularly wake for a feed between 1 and 2am but this week the norm is closer to 3/4am (no complaints from me and then only again at 7/8am. Although I am delighted that she is pushing on through the night my problem is how do i maintain a good milk supply for feeding all day but not end up in pain through the night with leaking, swollen boobs?
Would it help to express and if so when? I dont currently do a dream feed and have been wondering about introducing one to see if LO would go through to 7 am, but have been reluctant to play with her routine. I am also worried that if I express I will make the problem worse...

Would appreciate any advice on this and also whether I should introduce a 10pm feed or if this is more likely to just add an extra feed to her existing pattern

thanks!

[First Time Mom]

Hi erinsmum,

Sounds like you're doing well with your routine and you are lucky to have only one night feed at that age.

I just recently dealt with my lo dropping her night feed. I don't think I ever had a huge supply and have never had leaks but I was engorged from the lack of night feed, it lasted about 4 days. You body gets accustomed to the quantity of feeds your lo needs so within a few days your swelling and leaking should diminish. If you express at that time you will continue or possibly even increase your supply for when you don't need it. I would recommend a df, it may or may not change the night wake. My lo is df and only 2 weeks ago dropped her one night feed just before 5 months of age but I think the df helped her to go to 4am when she did wake.

[erinsmum36]

thanks - i'll persevere for now then - as the pattern is not fixed (one night this week the feed was a bit earlier than 4am) it will probably take a while to regulate, but good point re expressing increasing the yield.
I know I am lucky that she only has the one night feed - i guess my frustration is that her longest period of sleep is 7pm - 3 or 4 am and not more on the other side of midnight, hence wondering about the dream feed. I tried it once and it took me nearly an hour to get a 1/4 of the usual amount into her via bf, so I didnt do it again. I know the Gina Ford plan recommends throughly waking LO before the feed but  I am scared of upsetting her and then her not getting into a deep sleep again after, but the BW dream feed was too gentle for her to bother!

I would like to express regularly to build up a supply in the freezer - any ideas on the best way to do this without creating a new 'feeding' type cyce whereby if I dont express at that time it would feel painful like a missed feed? LO only feeds off one side at each feed so should I express from the other side at that time or would that leave me low for the next scheduled feed? sorry.. lots of questions!!

[Shdef]

That brings back memories

When DS was in intensive care (first 3 weeks) I breastfed every 4 hours during the day. That was when we were allowed to go in becaue it was "feeding time". At night (3.30 am) the nurses woke him up and gave him a bottle of EBM and I had an 8 hour break. The only place where there was a bed for me was in the children's ward. Every morning I got woken up by toddlers crying and my milk just came running out and I was very sore and everything was wet...

It got better, but it took a few weeks for the breasts to respond...

[First Time Mom]

I don't have experience pumping so I can't answer on that. As for the df, my dd takes it bfing, it did take a while for her to get used to it- the first few times she was totally asleep and didn't take much. I don't fully wake her- I slightly wake her just from lifting her up out from her crib. Sometimes she falls asleep during the switching of sides and I pop a paci in her mouth for 2 seconds and it gets her sucking action going.