Sleeping through - how long before breasts get used to it?

[Mayandbump23]

My ebf baby (4 months) has started sleeping through (7pm to 7am) and it is causing as many problems as it has solved. I am no longer feeding in the middle of the night but my boobs don't seem to realise this and the engorgement is so severe that I have to get up to express to be able to sleep from the soreness. So instead of getting more sleep I am getting less with all the faff with bottles and pumps in the middle of the night! How long does it take for the breasts to adjust to the new routine? It's been a week now.

It usually takes mine a week. And then my lovely little DS2 decides that he does want to feed at night so they go into production again, then he decides that he doesn't so they have to re-adjust and around and around we go.

The pumps and bottles will just prolong the problem, if there is milk being removed your breasts will assume they need to keep producing for that time.

It is indeed a PITA but it does get better!

I think mine took a week as well. I agree, it's really uncomfortable. Try taking a paracetamol and put some dark green savoy cabbage leaves in your bra (really does help a lot). If you have to express, just pump until your milk comes down then stop, so you just release a little bit of the pressure.

Wow, you lucky thing. My DS did this for almost a week and I was starting to adjust by the end, when he went back to waking up again. (Sadly he now wakes every 2 hours but that's another story.)

Agree that pumping as little as you can will work best, although it is horrible waking up in the small hours so engorged that you have to use both hands to pick your breast up off the bed.

Enjoy the sleeping while it lasts!

Once my DS2 slept from 10pm to 5am I just gave him a tiny feed (eg 2-3 mins on each side) just to take the pressure off, in the hope that it would be enough to get him through to 7am when I had to get up to get DD and DS1 ready for school. Because of that I never really had a problem when he started to sleep until 7am.

So I would say just to pump a tiny bit off, just enough to get the pressure off. Otherwise you'll be pumping in the night long term.

I am with you here. My DS is also 4 months and sleeping through, and has been for about 4 weeks on and off (as the others say just as you think its a routine they wake at 1am again!!). My boobs are now not so sore overnight (this went after about a week) but do leak a lot. I suppose that is releasing the pressure. I did try pumping off a bit each night just before I went to bed but this really didnt make much difference.
I end up with a very soggy bed, I currently sleep with a waterproof mat and a towel under me!
Sorry if not much help, but wanted to show support as if you tell people that your DC sleeping through is a problem, they look at you as if you are mad!