Breastfeeding: when baby sleeps through, my norks are killing me

[morningpaper]

Much to my enormous surprise, my 4 month-old keeps wanting to sleep through. My breasts are killing me though. Last night I woke her up at 4am to feed her to ease the pressure! Her last feed is a dreamfeed at 10pmish.

Any tips?

Just go with the flow mp, you will find it eases off pretty soon. Ds went through a phase of sleeping for longer periods. The first night or two was very uncomfy for me, but if you relieve the pressure (by expressing or feeding) then your body will assume milk is needed at that time! Ds went back to feeding at night but I still had enough milk. And last night he missed out two night feeds and I wasn't engorged. It is a learning process for your body too - it gets used to making milk at short notice when requred!

yes as miaou says, go with the flow, you milk will adapt.

Hi MP. I'm the same. DS hasn't been fed through the night for almost a week now and I've noticed that the nork pain is waking me up later and later each morning. I just grit my teeth until DS wakes up as I want a full nights sleep soon! His last feed is at 6.30pm and I don't wake with the pain until 6am ish. I am soooo tempted to pump the milk for the freezer but then I'll just be waking up to pump instead of feeding.

Many commiserations - it took me about six weeks to adapt, actually, remember it well. Apparently you can express a bit off, just so you don't get engorged - I'm very surprised I didn't get blocked ducts when DD1 did this, actually, as I was up at 4pm in a lot of pain for ages.

That feeling is horrible, my dd and ds both slept through at 6-8 weeks, and I would have boobs the size of watermelons when I woke. They got really full and dd couldn't get a latch. I expressed for a bit, gradually reducing it as it eased off. You don't want to get engorged or end up with mastitis.

i had this problem (dd1 and dd3 slept through the night from a very early age). used to be agony. i used to leak onto towels as baby slept for 12 solid hours. was woken at 5am regularly by boobs leaking and sore.

My boobs never adapted to 12 hours off every day from baby being a month old. this went on for months with both children.

rather strangely, none of my new mum friends were very sympathetic. not at all.

sleep with a towel and be glad the baby sleeps. you can't have everything really.

(to the sleeping through)

Fennel, you can have my sympathy! I honestly didn't realise that it might not ease off. I do remember the pain of engorgement very well though.

I'll stick to my original advice - give it a week or so and it should ease off. Be on the watch for blocked ducts/mastitis. If it continues though, follow fennel's advice and sleep on a towel, and possibly express if it gets too much!

thank you Miaou! first time i have ever achieved sympathy for that.

it does rather come under the list of problems which are not really deserving to be called problems. but was painful and persistent in its own way.

thanks for your wisdom ladies!

Can I ask a really stupid question ? My dd is 5.5 months and has just started this. If they revert to night waking at some point will milk still be available for that feed and the usual ones ?

redstar, IME yes - your breasts will begin making milk as soon as your baby starts sucking, so even if you aren't "full" you will be able to satisfy her (albeit perhaps a little more slowly).

norks is a brilliant word. Ha!