My baby sleeps better than my boobs!

[squidkid]

Can I just start by saying, I am NOT complaining.

My baby is 11 weeks and has slept through the night since about 6 weeks. I know, I am very lucky. She is exclusively breastfed.

She has her last feed anywhere between 6 and 9pm, and then sleeps through. I feed her at 4 or 5 am, but only because I wake her up to do so! My boobs are hard and painful by 4am. If I don't wake her up, she sleeps till about 6 or 7am. It just seems a shame, when I've been blessed with a lovely sleepy baby, to be up at 4am anyway! Some days I get up and express at 5am instead of feeding her, but it does seem a bit pointless...

Is there any thing else I can do?

Are you saying she sometimes sleeps from 6pm-6am? That seems an awfully long time, I'd definitely be waking her. Are you sure you're not a very deep sleeper and she does wake in the night but you don't wake up?

I am a very light sleeper, and she sleeps right beside me either in her basket, or my bed (we alternate). She thrashes around a lot sometimes but then settles again without waking.

She is growing perfectly and feeds very well in the day, I didn't consider it a problem.

Hmmm, fair enough, I suppose she'd let you know if hungry! Lucky

As long as she is gaining weight, has wet and soiled nappies and is nice and alert during the day I wouldn't worry.
My DS had been sleeping through since 6 weeks too, we've had a week or two where he has woken for a feed probably due to a growth spurt and is now doing 7-5 again.
Can't help with your boobs I'm afraid, sods law for you though.

My baby was same. Sometimes I'd be able to get away with picking him up feeding him a bit and putting him back down. Almost like when you read about dream feeds.
At about 10 weeks he stopped putting any weight on so I woke him each night (and early morning for a bit) he put the weight back on this way. If your babies feeding fine in day then shouldn't be a problem. Think my little boy was a bit lazy, the HV said aim for at least 6 feeds.
He's 23 weeks now and feeding better in day so I let him sleep at night. The last few weeks he's started occasionally waking for an extra feed and the other night fed hourly! (Unheard of for him)

My mills adapted now. It got better each week but from about 18 weeks I stopped getting really woken up by it and now they rarely feel 'full' but I can always feed him fine. Don't express too much unless you want to as your supply will keep going. I used to wrap a towel tightly around me to give me another 30mins or so

Hmmm... you've made me anxious about her sleeping through the night now! I didn't "train" her to do it or anything, I've been very baby-led throughout... after 6 weeks she just started going into a proper sleep in the evening and not waking/crying till morning... I thought this was a good thing!

I reckon I feed around 8-12 times in the day...

Hmm...

Don't be anxious about her sleeping. If she is bright, alert during daytime, feeds well, produces good wet and dirty nappies and is gaining weight then you are just lucky. Dd was the same she stopped sleeping through at about eight months and hasn't slept through since

my 10 week old DS who is BF also sleeps from 9pm, I wake him@7am for a feed and then he goes back until 9/10am! If you have lots of wet and dirty nappies and good weight gain it's probably fine? Sleeping habits change a lot as baby grows so I'm making the most of it

If it helps, my DS has 6-8, 12min feeds between &am & 9pm and is 91%ile for weight & height.

If she genuinely doesn't need a feed at 4am, by feeding her then or expressing, your body thinks it still needs the milk, so will still make it. Hence your boobs stay full. If you are bothered, you should drop the feed and the expressing (except maybe for a bit of hand expressing to relieve any serious discomfort) and endure the engorgment for a day or 2. Once your body gets through message for "no milk at 4am" it will stop making it.

No no sorry squid.
Like I say my baby was feeding 6 times at a push! So I had to squeeze some more in.

Sorry I didn't want to panic you. If the weights fine and baby is fine all is ok. I just wanted to say because when I started having weight problems everyone suggested formula rather than trying to give more feeds.

At 23 weeks now he's just been up half the night! Make the most of these nights :)

Hearing him cry at 2am the first time (at about 5 months) was the most bizarre thing. Like you I didn't 'do' anything to make him like this

Very here!

DS was 34 weeks yesterday has been EBF since day one and still wakes at least once a night to feed

You don't know how lucky you are!! Both my DDs slept through from 8 weeks or so, but not ds!!

Enjoy it you lucky thing :)

Thank you for all your input!! The answer seems to be I am a lucky cow and should enjoy it

This morning I woke up at 5am from dreams about random strangers sucking my boobs!
I was leaking everywhere and boobs were painful... I woke her up and fed her.

It seems like my options are

1. feed her (dream feed) in the early hours for my own comfort
2. ignore this engorgement and in time it will just settle?

I don't quite understand how it will settle (forgive me, first baby, amateur at breastfeeding) - in the day she takes about 10 feeds between 6am and 6pm, how would my boobs learn to not produce milk at night? Are they that clever??

Actually just discussing with boyfriend and she takes anywhere between 6 and 12 feeds a day (if that makes a difference)

Lucky you! I wouldn't worry about it. Your body will eventually adapt to not producing milk overnight if your dd isn't taking any. Just express a little (even hand expressing) to make yourself comfortable, and enjoy your sleep!