Pumping with OS/OALD

[@llli*jnjsess]

My baby is 7 (almost 8) weeks and gaining very well. He was 7lbs 3 oz at birth 10lbs 7 oz at 4 weeks. I have had issues with over supply and OALD. I did full drained block nursing with blocks 6-8 hours long blocks. It worked well until he he must have hit his 6 week growth spurt, and supply went up, but not as bad. Then he started sleeping from 11-6 or 7am. I wake up so engorged. I have not been pumping aside from the one time with FDBN at 5 weeks . Even engorged at least now by early evening and up till 11 pm my breast feel nice and not over full, and he doesn't gag and choke. It is coming up 2 weeks with morning engorment. He is my 5th baby, and since it is summer I like to take the kids places, but have been trying to work around when I nurse because he chokes and screams. I can nurse in public just fine when I am not so full. I hate feeling so uncomfortable in the day while I wait for him to "empty" my breast. I would happily pump each morning if it meant the day would not be me waiting to get all this milk out. I am so scared it will make things worse for me as far as over supply. Do you think I could get away with pumping everyday first thing in the AM, or should pumping be avoided at all cost.

[@llli*maddieb]

Then he started sleeping from 11-6 or 7am. I wake up so engorged.

Many moms would wake up engorged if baby did not nurse for that long a period, even if they had normal production.

I would suggest encourage baby to nurse at some point during this period, even if it means waking baby. If baby refuses to nurse, then maybe hand express a little overnight. If you are waking up painfully engorged, that means you have been engorged for some time by that point. For your own health you want to try to avoid this, and this might help the flow be less in the morning as well.

If you need to pump because you have become engorged and are uncomfortable and baby will not nurse (or cannot nurse enough at that point to help relieve the pressure) then pumping (or hand expression) makes sense. Yes it is best to keep pumping to a minimum to avoid increasing the issues of OP, but more important is to avoid as much as possible becoming engorged.

But fully "draining" the breast is going to increase milk production. Usually when pumping is required to relieve engorgement, moms are told to pump "too comfort." I understand what FDBF is and why it is believed helpful when some hyperlactating moms are trying to reduce production. But if a mom is not doing that specifically and is rather pumping to relieve pressure, then all she needs to pump is enough to relieve the pressure so she is comfortable.

For helping baby handle the flow when mom has OP, I have found encouraging baby to nurse very frequently is the most helpful strategy. Leaning back slightly so the milk flow is kind of "up" rather than "down" also seems to help.

If you are continuing to have hyperlactation issues at this point that are not improving over time, you may want to see (or re-see) an IBCLC.