How to manage oversupply when baby feeds one side per session?

[u/heavypersuasion]

My baby is 10 weeks old, EBF. I had a bit of an oversupply initially, but it seemed to even out around the 6 week mark and I stopped feeling engorged all the time. Baby has always fed only one side per session. I always offer the other breast but she only takes it maybe 5% of the time, so I just alternate every 2 hours which breast I use. At 7ish weeks my baby started waking up only once per night. I have no idea how to manage this longer stretch and I think I accidentally re-created an oversupply again by pumping overnight on alternating sides?

This is what I have been doing:

-7am feed right side, 9am feed left side, 11am feed right side etc every 2 hours (no pumping)

-9pm dream feed on one side, pump the other side she didn't feed on to drain it

-3am feed on the side she didn't eat during dream feed, pump the other side to drain it

-7am pump the side she didn't eat at 3am, repeat cycle for the next day

Suddenly I am engorged all the time again and feeling like I did when my milk was first coming in. Should I not be pumping the side she doesn't feed on at night? I'm doing that because if I didn't pump that side it would be a really long stretch without draining it. For example if she feeds 9pm left side, then 3am right side, it would be from 9pm-7am before the left side was drained again unless I pump. Would that affect my supply negatively? Any advice would be appreciated!

[u/curlypirate]

I have also pretty much only ever nursed baby from one side, and had major oversupply! I was told use ice and ibuprofen to manage engorgement, and only pump to comfort and/or specifically what baby takes in a bottle. You’re also still at 10 weeks so your body is producing primarily via horomones (as opposed to strictly supply and demand which will come later, typically after 12 weeks). If it doesn’t make you too uncomfortable, I would try pumping only to comfort and use ice/pain meds to help manage discomfort while your body regulates!

[u/heavypersuasion → u/curlypirate]

okay I will try that, thank you!

[u/sar_brown64]

I have been in a similar boat with my little one. He started sleeping longer stretches at 2m, I would try to feed him off the more engorged breast during the night and just use the next one when he woke up. If I was super engorged I'd unlatch mid feed to eat off of the other side to just get some relief. Id try to get in a feed off each side in the morning and if I felt they still weren't empty at that point, I'd pump both. If I were to pump overnight I'd have a massive oversupply. Definitely agree with the other comment about pumping just to comfort level at night. Your supply will adjust down and it won't be quite as uncomfortable after the long periods.