HELP!! - Advice needed desperately

[classychick]

Morning all.

My DD is 6 weeks old and has started to sleep through to about 5.30 each morning with the last feed at night being around the 10 or 11 pm mark. I wake up looking like Dolly Parton at about 4 and have to go and express.

I have an abundant milk supply and can easily express 4 or 50z from one boob.

My question is this..... should I be expressing this milk - what will happen if I merely express a tiny bit to make myself comfortable and not leak all over the bed before DD wakes.... will my milk supply reduce too much ? should I keep up the expressing for growth spurt periods??? What if I don't express at all - apart from feeling like my boobs will explode - will this allow me to get a full night sleep like DD or will this completely screw up my milk supply.

OK so that is more than one question!!!

Confused - why is there no definitive info out there.

Go get a full night's sleep - your milk will (should) adjust in a few days. I had exactly this with DD. Bra in bed & plenty of breast pads is my advice ;)

Congatulations on the your dd sleeping too

Sorry fogot to add - watch out for dd having trouble latching on - I found it much harder for my DD with the Dolly Parton look!!
Try expressing a small amount (even manually) just before latching her on.

I agree - get some sleep - my ds fed every 2-3 hours through the night until 1 yr!!!

Your milk supply will adjust quickly to your DD needs so don't worry about planning for a growth spurt!

You may find you leak though - or if you're woken to DD crying the milk may start squirting everywhere!

Oh the joys! can't believe i'm doing this all again (22wks pregnant)xx

I would just add that expressing is good if you want to build up stock or baby finds it spurts out too much but if you want your body to adjust to what your baby needs just put up with it for a morning or two and then things will change for you. It always takes a couple of days but your body will adapt to baby's demands- you do not need to express to be able to cope with growth spurts. Just depends how much you can cope with the discomfort.I remember it well. The pain can be agonising but it really doesnt last long...

Thanks all. Will try and look forward to sleep then!!! Have a small stockpile in the freezer if I have any probs so should be ok. Sleep here I come ... just hope the sleeping through lasts.. then again she has been doing it for just over a week so think we have hit the jackpot. (Famous last words???)