What to do about engorged breasts when infant sometimes sleeps through the night?

[allysonrebecca]

My daughter is 8 weeks old and sometimes she sleeps all through the night, but not every night. I am breastfeeding her and I find that when she doesn't wake up in the night to eat, my breasts get hard and achy by the morning. It's uncomfortable, but it also worries me because I am afraid I will get a plugged duct or mastitis. It seems silly to wake up in the middle of the night to pump, because I want to take advantage of the opportunity to sleep through the night. Our pediatrician has said that we don't need to wake her in the middle of the night to feed her, as long as she continues to gain weight, which has been going fine so far.

I am wondering what I could do about my hard breasts in the morning--help! And how much am I at risk for plugged ducts/mastitis?

[lsmama]

Hi.  I have the same question/problem however my baby is 5 months and has just started sleeping longer stretches.  I don't have great advice; however, I have had mastitis twice in the past 6 weeks, and the last time I had 104 fever which was no joke.  I am eager to hear what others say in terms of advice.  I, too, would not get up in the middle of the night to pump.  I've recently started pumping around 10 pm. DD goes to sleep at 6:30, I pump at 9 - 10, and she usually wakes again around midnight.  In the middle of the night if I get engorged, I hand express which works to take the edge off.  I have oversupply, so I hesitate to pump too much.  I'm hoping others offer good advice.  Lucky you to be getting some nice sleep so early!

[SweetSilver]

You don't have to wake her up, but that doesn't mean you can't.  What a lovely way to wake up, with  

a warm cuddle and some mama milk.  I'd bet she'd drop off to sleep again pretty quickly, too.  You never know, but she might.

     My milk supply was always quite touchy and daytime production would drop off if for any reason the nighttime nursing decreased.  

[motherhendoula]

I think hand expression is your best bet - if you tend toward oversupply - but as for sleeping through the night - maybe just wake baby up early like 6 am or so to feed.  OR if she goes down earlier than you do - wake her when you go in to sleep to nurse a bit.  By the time baby is 3 months or so - your breasts get better at regulating the amount of milk that you are making.  Also the composition of the milk changes and less milk is actually made (but nutritionally is still the perfect amount for your child)  so within a month or so this should no longer be an issue for you OP.  My LO is 12 months and recently started sleeping from 7:30 - 4:30 every night!!  then wakes up at 4:30 and wants to nurse for three hours straight.....