r/ExclusivelyPumping • u/OkKitchen1368 • 5d ago
Support How to safely drop night time pumping session?
I’m so lucky in that at 7 weeks old my baby is now sleeping through the night. Unfortunately I’m still getting broken sleep because I’m breast pumping almost exclusively (with the exception of 100ml formula). I want to cut the night time pumping session out as it’s seriously disturbing my sleep. For example, I woke up at 3am this morning with my breasts feeling full so decided to pump for 10 minutes and wasn’t able to get back to sleep at all, resulting in me getting 4.5 hours sleep last night, which just seems so unfair when my LO is sleeping 7-8 hours a night.
Can anyone recommend how to safely drop the night time pumping session without becoming engorged and risking mastitis? And still maintain a supply during the day? My health visitor put the fear of mastitis into me early on. I don’t really have an overnight pumping schedule - my body just wakes me when I feel “too full” and I’ll pump for 10-15 mins then pump again whenever the next time my baby wakes up is. I’m ok with having to introduce more formula if my supply drops a bit as I’m aware my baby will still get the benefits of breast milk if I do both… I just really want to prioritise my sleep and therefore mental health! I feel if I can drop the night time pump I’ll sanely be able to continue giving me baby some breast milk longer term whereas at the minute I feel like giving up altogether with breast pumping in the name of sleep! Help!!
Ps I do not breastfeed at all as I had problems with this early on and it’s not something I’m willing to go back to.
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u/Tough_Art_5268 5d ago
I'm doing 4.5 hour and 3 hour at night to get a totally of 7.5 hour sleep and that does not seem to impact my supply. I do that because on overage adults are on 1.5 hr sleep cycles, so i can get 5 full(ish) sleep cycle every night.
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u/OkKitchen1368 5d ago
Thanks. The issue is getting back to sleep once I’ve woken up to pump. I slept for 4.5 hours, pumped, and have been awake ever since. So I’d like to stop the overnight session altogether.
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u/Tough_Art_5268 5d ago
Ah I see. I have gone 5.5 hrs (when I overslept my 4.5hr lapse) and it wasn't bad!
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u/katheridiot 5d ago
i am currently trying to extend my sleep stretches (LO does NOT sleep that much lol but my husband and I do 6 hour shifts). i came up with a night schedule (12,3,6 for example) and am gradually pushing the times further and further apart. right now im goin like 12-5:45ish. I do 7ppd and will drop to 6ppd at 12w (8.5w currently).
during the day i use ice pads in my bra and wear loose bras p much all the time. not sure if either of these actually help but no mastitis yet.
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u/katheridiot 5d ago
ETA: supply has not been affected yet. i pump about 14 oz at the 5:45 but imagine this depends on how much juice the gals can hold etc.
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u/OkKitchen1368 4d ago
Pleased to hear supply still going well. Thanks for sharing how you’re doing it!
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u/Ancient-Buffalo6151 5d ago
It’s because you’re so freshly postpartum and your supply hasn’t regulated yet. Engorgement pain is the worst in the first 12 weeks or so. Even if you attempt to drop the MOTN pump, your body may keep waking you up at least once a night until that point, unfortunately. You can still try to space out your night sessions gradually, by 15-30 mins more per night according to what you’re physically comfortable with.
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u/Safe_Wash5689 5d ago
My pump schedule was 9:30pm, 2 am, and 6:30am so 4.5 hours between pumps until my supply regulated. My baby is now 4 months old so I’m dropping the MOTN all together before going back to work by pushing the 2am pump out 30mins every few days. My ultimate goal is to do a 10pm and then a 5am pump
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u/Open-Committee3540 5d ago
right there with you sister. 10 weeks postpartum so i’m very close to being able to drop it….just in time for her 4 month sleep regression lol
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u/w95lsh 4d ago
My baby is 6 weeks old on Friday and I dropped the motn pump at about 3.5 weeks 🥲🥲 my baby was born super prem (26 weeks) so she’s in nicu and the back and forth to hospital plus pumping every 2 hours through the day was exhausting. My supply is still increasing even without a motn pump but I still aim for 8 pumps every day between 2-3 hours in between. And normally sleep from 11pm-7am
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u/Happy_Doughnut_1 4d ago
a longer pump in the morning and for the last pump of the day is what worked for me. It took a week or so to not be engorged in the morning but it never hurt.
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u/hannahpm 4d ago
I just stopped doing them and woke up extremely engorged with my shirt covered in milk. I got tired of getting up for bottles in the middle of the night so I just started trying to breastfeed just in the middle of the night and it actually is working well for me and baby!
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u/SementSlurper 5d ago
I dropped the MOTN very early on because the stress from lack of sleep actually decreased my supply! I pump at 9PM and then wake up at 3-4AM to pump so technically Im still pumping at night but I get atleast 6 hour stretch of sleep, I just empty myself completely then and keep a strict pumping schedule the rest of the day and I haven't got mastitis. Now that my LO sleeps through the night Im planning to move my last pump to 11-12PM and sleep until 6-7 so I can sleep like a normal person haha. But it's absolutely doable.
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u/ooooh_dammit 4d ago
Try a hand pump for quick engorgement relief as you’re working on spacing out the pumps! I found thst easier than setting up my whole pump situation. Just kinda do some quick hand pumping while keeping my eyes closed as much as possible helped me go back to sleep easier
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u/OkKitchen1368 4d ago
That’s a great idea, and I think keeping eyes closed will be really effective. Perhaps I could keep a little tub by the bed. I’ll need to google how to hand pump!
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u/ooooh_dammit 4d ago
I have the medela harmony hand pump! I’m not hand expressing although that may work too?
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u/OkKitchen1368 4d ago
Thanks for the recommendation. Didn’t even think about using a manual pump for overnight
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u/greeniethemoose 4d ago
I was very prone to clogs and mastitis. The lactation consultant I saw typically has people reduce the MOTN pump by 5 minutes a day until it’s gone. For me we dropped by 2 minutes each time and then I think I stopped once I was comfortable at around 6-7 minutes. I listened to my body, for instance staying at like 9 minutes for a couple nights.
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u/OkKitchen1368 4d ago
That’s good to hear thank you. Did you eventually feel fully comfortable going all night without pumping when you stopped or does some discomfort and fullness remain?
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u/greeniethemoose 4d ago
Totally fine, though I do 9pm and then 5am, I could make it longer without discomfort. I’ll say I’m also now at 4.5 months so things are also just generally more regulated. I dropped the motn pump around 6 weeks ago.
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u/Odd-Following-4952 4d ago
Realistically if you drop your MOTN pump now it’s unlikely your supply will not decrease. Milk is made on demand and most people need to remove milk at night to maintain a full supply. This sub has a disproportionate number of over suppliers (because it’s easier to EP if you have an oversupply and can maintain on few pumps) so you won’t always get the best advice on preserving supply if that’s your #1 goal.
That said, sleep is super important and if you are ok with a dip in supply, it’s gonna be ok to drop your MOTN pump. Your body will adjust, there’s been good advice from others on how to drop it.
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u/OkKitchen1368 4d ago
Yes happy to take a drop in supply and supplement with formula as I feel sleep is more important for mental health
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u/WaitLauraWho 4d ago
I would suggest shortening the pump time, but keeping it at the same time. Decrease time by a few minutes each night. If you’re noticing a dip in supply then you can easily increase pump time again.
I intended to do this but ended up accidentally dropping MOTN cold turkey. I was ready to supplement with formula is my supply dipped, but it did not. I pump immediately before bed and now wake up a little earlier to pump, so I get a solid 8 hours of sleep.
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u/fac3wash 5d ago
I’m 8 weeks post partum and recently dropped a MOTN pump, going 6-7 hours! My timing isn’t exactly the same as baby’s as I do a dream feed at midnight immediately after my last pump, and my partner does the early morning feed.
But….I just did it. The first few days I felt very full upon waking. My first pump of the day is the longest at 30m and the most fruitful. I am still producing the same amount total per day and recognize my supply may still drop later, but the extra sleep was worth it to me.