Breastfeeding but Baby Sleeping Through Night

My baby is 4 months old now and has been sleeping through the night since she was 2 months. The first week of her sleeping through the night I had to get up to pump becuase I was in a lot of pain. After the first week though I didn't have to pump and I still hve enough milk for baby throughout the day and early morning.

It just got to the point where sleep was more important than getting up in the middle of the night to pump! haha! I now sleep very comfortable at night and by morning my daughter has a really big breakfast. I hope this helps.

N.

Great your baby is sleeping through the night! Your milk will not dry up but it will not produce as much at night. I nursed six kids and just keep going. It won't be as painful in a few days.
C. B

Hello! Yes, you're body will respond, but you have to quit pumping (I know you're uncomfortable). If you pump, then you give your body the message to keep making milk at that time. If you have to pump to relieve the pressure, do just that. Don't do a full pump. Hope this helps!

Your body will adjust in probably a week or so. I'd say just express enough milk that you're not in pain, then get as much sleep as you can! :)

I dont' have time to read everything else, so sorry if this is repeat. Yes, your body will adjust. It will also be easier with each baby. Cabbage leaves can really help with the pain. Better it they're cold, so you my have to change in the middle of the night. They also help reduce milk, but not much. Should be okay just at night when you're in pain. Enjoy the new baby!

I have a 3 month old who just started sleeping through the night and it took 2-3 days for my body to get used to it. Definitely don't pump or your body won't adjust. I know it's not fun but you should be all set in a couple of days. Good Luck!

You don't have to give up sleep at night to maintain milk supply. Once your body adjusts to your baby sleeping through the night, you will have less pain, and you will also be able to sleep through the night. Your milk supply will remain constant as well. Remember, it's a supply and demand system. However, I will caution you that you will have to work harder since you are back to work. The pump is not as efficient as a baby. My daughter will be six months on the 23rd, I went back to work on September 4, and she's been sleeping through the night since October, and she hasn't had one drop of formula. You can do it! Good luck!

K.,
My son is also 3 months and has started sleeping thru the night. Congrats on that, most breastfeed babies usually have one night feeding for quite awhile. If you can tough it out your milk will adjust. Your baby will still get enough during the day, he might even feed a little more frequently. You can also just pump off enough to be comfortable, or change your baby's diaper, to wake him just enough to eat, then put him back down. If you find your milk is starting to decrease, putting your baby to the breast is the best, you can also take fenugreek and blessed thistle to bring it back up. You baby will keep the supply up better than a pump. You will just have to try a few things and see what works.
I breastfeed my first for 27 months, but she night nursed until 16 months, so my milk was "more settled" so to speak. It will take a couple days to a week for your milk to adjust. Trust your body and baby and everything will go fine. Hope this helps and goodluck.

Yes, it just takes some time. You may want to set aside a time when your baby is not hungry to pump though along with pumping at work to have milk in storage for your baby.

Yes - your body will adjust. The key, if you can is to not pump when you are engorged at night. Your body will time itself to both nursing and pumping, so if you get up at 3 am to pump, then your body will make sure it has milk for that time again the next day. It just takes a few days to adjust. Your body will sustain its supply, don't worry. Just take your full night's rest and enjoy it!! You may find that your baby will begin feeding at night again at the next growth spurt. Again, your body knows best and will adjust - just give it time!! Congratulations!

Yes! Your body will adjust. Pumping in the middle of the night is not such a bad thing as you will have milk in the freezer for emergencies. But, the less you nurse, the less milk you will produce. It happened to me. I pumped about 5 oz to reduce the pain once a night. Just don't pump as often as you have nursed (ie only when you are full and don't want to leak) Don't worry. It won't hurt for long.

When my daughter started sleeping through the night, I would take a hot shower before bed or use warm compresses. It helped enough that it kept me from having to pump in the middle of the night for relief. One or two nights I got up to use the compress again, much better than having to pump. Don't worry, it won't take too long for your body to adjust! Blessings to you and your soon restful nights!

That is so great that you are continuing to nurse and go back to work. My baby was the same way. I went back to work as well when she was 3 months. She slept through the night but I woke up to pump. The reason I did this was to get a good supply of extra breast milk for days that I had to work. By the time she was 9 months I had saved up a 2 month supply of breast milk so when I decided that I didn't want to nurse anymore she still had my milk to drink. But I easily fell back to sleep. It just became a routine for me and I adjusted. If you are unable to do that kind of schedule, your body will certainly adjust to it. Your body knows when your nursing times are and the amount your baby eats and will adjust accordingly. It might take a week of discomfort. When you wake up in the middle of the night in pain and feel like you have to pump, just pump enough to alleviate the pain. Don't empty out completely. Only pumping a small amount will trick your body into thinking that you don't need very much milk production at these times and production will slow down. Good luck

hi K., i know what you are going through, i nursed my daughter and my son till they were 10 months old. Unfortunately the only way to get your body to stop preducing when its not needed is to let your breasts fill up. When u pump it still thinks u need the milk, so resist the urge to pump. It's really painful at first but after 2 or 3 nights like that your body will slow it down. It also helps to have something tight around your chest too. Good luck! if u have any other questions let me know if i can help.

Try not to pump if you can handle it. If you can't, pump just a little for some relief. Your body naturally adjusts to your baby's demand. As long as your baby's weight is okay, you are doing great!

What a blessing that your little one is sleeping through the night! Yes your body will eventually adjust! I would pump just enough to relieve the pressure, and each night gradually pump a minute or two less until finally you won't need to pump. It should only take a few nights and your body will adjust. Then you can get a good nights sleep! Enjoy every second, because they grow up way too fast! I wish you all the best!

Hello, I just had a baby in july and i was breastfeeding. when he started sleeping through the night i had to get up and pump too, but your milk might not get use to it, Mine didn't it eventually went away and now im feeding formula. My advise to you is to just try to get up around the same time he use to and pump so your milk supply keeps going. I feel so bad that i am unable to feed him but the same think happened to my first one. good. luck.

Your body will adjust to whatever schedule you make. For now my advice would be to pump just enough to make it not painful. Don't completely drain them or your body will think they still need milk for that feeding.

Hi, I know how you feel, I had so much milk myself when I breastfed I pumped and used to freeze it in ice cube trays for later use. I breastfed for 18 months. As you probably already know, the more you pump, the more milk you produce. My suggestion to you is pump as little as possible, just enough until the pain goes away. You will go through a couple of days of irregular milk producing, but your baby will help regulate the feeding. Feed you baby when she wants. And try to avoid pumping as much as possible. Remember you will be going through times when it will be irregular with either not enough milk or too much. It's normal, you're lucky, most women don't have enough milk. :)

Hi K.,

I would recommend *not* pumping when you wake up in the middle of the night. If you do, only pump enough to give you some relief. If you keep pumping, your body will not adjust. It only took me a couple nights for my body to figure it out. Good luck!

S.