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overnight pumping/breastfeeding question

google is not solving this very well.

when you babies started STTN, did you still get up to pump/feed when you got engorged? right now C generally wakes before they do (they have one 4.5 hr sleep now, woot). This seems like a dumb question but we're hoping they'll be sleeping 8-10 hrs by the time she goes back to work and it seems ridiculous for her to pump overnight if they're not eating at 4 am

Re: overnight pumping/breastfeeding question

  • I did not, because I was so thankful to have the full nights sleep. I would typically  pump one side when I would wake before N, knowing that N would take care of the other side when she woke up. 

    C's body should adjust in a few days to the new schedule. So she will be engorged a bit those first couple of days of full sleeping.

    Craig had a co-worker that did continue to wake up in the middle of the night and pump till her DD was about 1. Maybe that is why she had a huge stash and I could barely cover what was needed... But C should do whatever she feels most comfortable with.

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  • That's kind of what I was thinking, that it'll even out in a couple of nights. I thnk she's nuts for getting up early to pump (they don't latch well, so they're 95% on expressed milk). I think it's more logical to do a big pump before bed and in the am (which is theoretically after and before they go to sleep and get up, in my dream world where they sleep 8-6 Stick out tongue)
  • I never woke up to pump.  If she slept, so did I!  I also never had a true supply issue and I wasn't nursing twins.  I would say she should try sleeping through and see what happens to her supply.  If she thinks her supply is dipping and isn't enough for the babies, she can always start pumping again and build it back up.  She may feel engorged the first couple of nights, but her body will adjust naturally on it's own without needing to pump.
    ~DD born 3-25-10~DS born 6-5-12~
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  • I never had to get up to pump in the middle of the night.  I had a few times I leaked through pretty bad (through breastpad, shirt, etc), but by the time I noticed I was either getting woken up by Lucas or it was time to eat anyway.  But, I was a pretty bad leaker too.
  • Eli has been sleeping through the night for over two months and I am still dying of engorged by the time I wake up (but I am also constantly engorged). Unless it's a random night and he misses his last feeding, I never pump when he doesn't eat because if he isn't eating at that time, I don't want to continue producing (more).

    Unless she is trying to build up a freezer supply, I would say not to pump if the girls aren't eating at that time.

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  • nope if the babies are sleeping then so should C.

    If she gets up to pump then , her body will  keep thinking it needs to make milk then which it won't ;)

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  • last night she slept till just before they got up (then pumped 15 oz...), so i think it'll work. I feel like its such a fine line between pumping enough and risking supply. I am sure she's going to dip when she does back to work, so we're counting on the freezer stash to help with that. We're hoping to keep them on breastmilk through March at least (she's pumping 2- 3 hrs/day now , so I don't know if she'll want to keep it up at that point).
  • I'm late to jump in but I will let you know what I did just because it is different than the other ladies but it worked for me.

    When I went back to work Brynn usually went to bed between 8-9 at that point and I would nurse her at that point and then I would pump right before I went to bed anywhere between 11 and 1. It was a hassel but in order to produce enough not to need to dip into my freezer stash every day. Brynn was also only eating on one side at that time so I would pump the opposite side in the morming.

    I hope C doesn't have a problem when she heads back to work and gets to sleep all night. :)

  • Like Paige, I also did pump once a night (double) for about a month when M reached 5 mo to keep up with her daytime intake before we started solid foods at 6 months.  If I only single pumped I got barely anything, so I would double pump an hour after she went to bed.  I already had 300oz in my freezer at that point, so I probably could've gotten away with not doing it, but it eased my mind.  If you needed to build a stash, I'd go this route vs waking up the night first to see if it works.  Sleep is precious!
    ~DD born 3-25-10~DS born 6-5-12~
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