Boobs v full up for first time at 8 weeks. (I bf and ff)

[Homophone]

So I do ff and bf and did so for my first child too. Baby is eight weeks. Have mix fed about half and half since week 1. Happy with doing this and don't want to ebf as hate expressing and having dh and my parents do feeds helpful. But I have wanted to up my amount of milk and make the ratio more like 75/25 bf to ff.

To this end I have been putting him to the boob as much as I can as I just wasn't producing enough for my big hungry ten pounder who, despite good latch and mammoth feeds, lost lots d weight and was nearly failing to thrive.

Have also been taking lots of fenugreek for two weeks.

Anyway last night I went out (yay - feel so much better for a night out). Got tipsy so decided rather than bf baby before I went to bed (not least because I often fall asleep while feeding and didn't want to co sleep when a bit drunk). Usually I bf then ff every feed but last night I didn't bf between 6pm and 3am. He then fed from me at 3am and as far as I know all night as from 3am we usually co sleep and he snacks on and off. From this morning normal service resumed.

Today is the first time my breasts feel uncomfortably full despite lots of feeds. It's great as I think it is a sign my supply finally on the up. Is uncomfortable though. Now for first time I realise what people mean about needing to feed or express to be comfortable.

Sorry, rambling post. But is this normal. Isn't it weird this ha happened day after I didn't bf for 9 hours rather than on days I tried to do it by feeding him every hour? Or is eight weeks a magic moment?

Or is it all coincidence? I had ewcm couple of days ago so think I am ovulating so perhaps the tender full up ness is not milk but ovulation and all that.

Any thoughts/advice etc welcome thank you.

Oh and for first time yesterday and today he only wanted half a bottle at his 6pm ish feed whereas he has never until this point ever refused an ff.

Really sorry, haven't got time to post. Hopefully this will bump for you

I get the full feeling for a few days after DS has had a growth spurt. So after he's fed very frequently for a few days when he starts eating normally they feel full.

Homophone, what you are experiencing is the way breasts react in the short term to a lack of bf.....it's as if you built a dam in the river, and stopped the flow. You have a temporary build up. Temporarily your breasts have stored a bit more than they usually do, because the milk has not been removed. Temporarily there is more than before for your baby.

In the medium and long term, full breasts like this act to stop production at the 'river source' (unlike a real river which is unstoppable), because when breasts are full, biological and biochemical mechanisms work on your body processes to make lactation cease.

In order to ensure continued production, mothers need to remove milk frequently without long gaps - long gaps stop breastfeeding happening. You won't get full/uncomfortable breasts with frequent feeding (unless you have a long gap again).

I think that's probably what happened with your breasts, anyway :)

Should add that yes, breasts can also feel full temporarily after a period of unusually frequent feeding, like IsThatTrue reports - so it could even be the many feeds you had after that 3 am feed the other night that caused the fuller feeling next day.

Those are sort-of-contradictory explanations, but both possible :)