Can I skip a night feeding & not get engorged?

[posterelle]

Last night my husb. gave our son a bottle of ebm at 3 a.m. to relieve me of one night feeding. since my husband's a night owl, we'd like to do this on a regular basis. My question is: how do I skip a feeding & not get engorged?

Last night I went 5 hrs w/out nursing. By 5 am I felt slightly engorged (I think) on the left side. I nursed, then pumped that side, & continued to nurse & pump that side frequently this morning, & it seems mostly relieved now, although a little tender.

But, if I have to work overtime nursing & pumping after every skipped feeding, it's obv. not worth it. Is there some way around this?

many thanks . . .

[bnme]

If you do this several days in a row your supply/demand should equal out. Especially if it is only one feeding you are trying to skip. I gave bottles of formula though, so I am not sure if there is a diffenece (since you also pump and I didn't). Once I got into a routine I skipped several feeding a day w/o a problem.

The only time I did get engorged was when I tried to drop to only 2 feedings a day too drastically.

[brubeck]

My son has been sleeping through the night for more than 6 weeks. In the beginning I was engorged in the morning, but not painfully so, and now my body has gotten used to it I am full but not rock hard. Just give it a week or two and your body will adjust.

If it doesn't you can just pump for a couple of minutes when you wake up. I do this anyhow (even now that my body is adjusted) and manage to siphon off a few ounces of milk for the freezer before my son gets ahold of the morning supply. :-)

[cara1]

In general, skipping one feeding is fine. How old is your son? Your body will adjust, but some people have concerns that if this is done before breastfeeding is well-established, skipping feedings may reduce overall supply. That being said, DH gave DS a nightly bottle from 5 days old without any problems.

[posterelle]

thank you everyone! last night was already much easier.

but one thing that's confusing to me -- a doula suggested I pump b4 bed to "empty" my breasts for the long stretch. But then pumping encourages MORE milk production, right? so is that counter-productive?


(btw, pumping b4 bed seemed 2 work well last night, so maybe I shld just go w/that)

[cara1]

It all depends on how uncomfortable you are in the morning. But really, it's best to pump in the morning if you're trying to build up a supply...you'll get more yield in the early AM.

[kaitlinsmommy]

I always pump before bed and it has worked for me. DD eats frequently during the day so I feel like I only have enough milk to pump after she is down for the night. I have gotten engorged if I skip this pumping. I know it is recommended to pump in the morning but I personally think it's good to pump whenever is best for your schedule.