Block feeding & engorgement overnight

[lsmama]

My 5 month old has blessedly just begun sleeping longer stretches at night; however, she's teething and wants to nurse like crazy during the day.  I tend toward oversupply, so I've been block feeding (switching every 2 hours) since she was 3 weeks old.  However, now that she's going 5-6 hours at night, I have been really engorged and in pain.  The nursing marathons during the day have boosted my supply to epic proportions.  I hesitate to pump in the middle of the night b/c (1) I am finally getting some sleep and (2) the pump always seems to make my supply shoot up.  I have had mastitis 2x in the past 6 weeks and do not want to mess around.  Any thoughts?  I feel like my body and baby are out of sync right now.  Thanks!

[i*wish]

Hi there. Congrats on your baby and the sleep...! I would say your body just needs time to adjust to the new sleeping situation...I think hand expressing a liitle into the sink in the middle of the night would help (if you wake from discomfort). Just enough to relieve he discomfort. Also do this before the first feeding if you think it will help if baby has trouble with forceful letdown/over-full breasts. Your body should adjust in a bit and you won't have the issue anymore...definitely don't pump or you'll get mastitis again I fear.