Full nightime boobs- Help!

10 replies

DetentionGrrrl · 05/09/2006 07:44

My 11 week old is sleeping very well at night- waking once, maybe twice. Problem is that by the time he wakes, say 2 or 3am, my boobs are ready to pop. It's very uncomfortable, and once he gets the milk going, the poor thing gets drenched! Any ideas? And what do i do when sleeps right through the night?

OP posts:

cazwaz247 · 05/09/2006 08:10

I had the same problem. If they got too bad I would express in the middle of the night (normally over the bath, very wasteful I know!). Once my DS had been sleeping through night for about 1 week somehow my boobs didn't seem to get so full during the night. He is 5 months now and still exclusively breastfeeding and although they are full when I wake up they are not painful or leaking everywhere. Good luck no how uncomfortable it is. Do think no one tells you about this before you start bf.

lilymolly · 05/09/2006 08:29

I had similar problem and eventually supply alters for demand so you will find this stops, but I found it very hard to hand express and was in such agony I had to get dp to suck some out on a couple of occasions!! god sounds awful now, but needs must and all that!!

VeniVidiVickiQV · 05/09/2006 08:32

Your body will adjust within a few days, dont worry. Its very uncomfortable though whilst it does so. Boobs are amazing, arent they?

Original poster

DetentionGrrrl · 05/09/2006 15:32

Thanks guys- it's a relief to hear it won't stay like this...i had visions of getting up at 3am to express milk!

OP posts:

JennyH11 · 05/09/2006 21:59

I really struggled with this problem and found the worst bit being wide awake and in agony while baby slept peacefully. I didn't believe it would work, but cabbage leaves really did seem to ease the discomfort.

Enid · 05/09/2006 22:00

I STILL have this and dd3 is 18 weeks!

I sleep on a towel and try and express before bed

laundrylover · 05/09/2006 22:31

When he starts sleeping for longer your milk supply should settle down but in the meantime you could express and freeze for later (you often waste quite a lot introducing a bottle or cup) or donate to your local milkbank for SCBU babies.
Lillymolly LOL at image of your DP latching on in the middle of the night!! You could express and sack the milkman!!

wartywarthog · 06/09/2006 12:27

for the first couple of days i expressed but i soon got sick of that (very lazy!) and just left them to drip all over the bed. they settled down in a few days and haven't had any discomfort since.

odbod · 07/09/2006 08:35

I had this problem when son started sleeping through the night - I was waking him early to feed from one and express the other but it never got any better. It got so much better when I decided not to express - nightmare few days and then everything settled down, I found expressing too much can upset your bodys natural 'balance', although very useful for storing some feeds up for nights out!

mawbroon · 07/09/2006 08:55

When I stopped feeding my ds through the night, I dealt with the full boobs by expressing some during the night for the freezer. I tried to make it later and later each night and didn't express huge amounts so that my body would adjust. After about a week, I was able to sleep right through without any probs and had a lovely stock of EBM in the freezer.

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