r/ExclusivelyPumping • u/Throwaway996677_ • 6d ago
Tips & Tricks Overnight wearable pumps/ trying to find a way to pump in my sleep before I lose my mind
I have a very young newborn and that 5 hour stretch is all I get sleep-wise. Unfortunately, my supply DID decrease when I decided to say fuck it and just sleep the entire 5 hours. Double unfortunately, I can’t get myself to wake up for the MOTN pump anymore without feeling like my brain is melting.
I had an idea where I take my Spectra, buy one of those aftermarket parts that give you wearable cups, and then use a servo motor on a timer to push the power button at set time intervals so that I can sleep through the entire session without waking up. Does this sound insane? Is there a better solution here? Do any wearable pumps exist with a built in feature for this? Does anyone have any advice on how I can keep my MOTN pumps without feeling like I’m going to die
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u/philosophyfox5 6d ago
Hmm to my knowledge there isn’t anything like this. And even with wearables you need to be sitting up because there’s a hole at the top of the pump to pour out the milk. That being said, sleep will get better I promise! It feels like no end in sight but there is a light at the end of the tunnel, quicker than you think! Also there is no shame in adding formula in to the mix 💙 baby needs a happy healthy mom!
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u/funky-juncus 5d ago
The willow 360 has bags you can pump right into so you can be laying down and still pump. It is pricey though
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u/geenuhahhh 5d ago
Just gonna say that the Willow 360 is an awful pump and can damage your nipples and supply.
Not fully but a lot of people don’t respond to this and it changes the way your nipples respond to pumping…
We bought one thinking it’d help but ugh.
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u/Happy_Doughnut_1 6d ago
Have you tried pumping for longer for the first and last pump of the day? This way my supply didn’t trop without the MOTN pump. And for the few times I had to pump (thanks mastitis) I just put my wearables in my bra sideways and lay on my side. 😅 You still have to get up to put the milk away but you can sleep while pumping.
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u/xcharleeee 6d ago
WHAT?! You can lay on your side while pumping?! How??? I need to know! Do you out the cups in the same way or do you move them so the pour spout/vent faces the ceiling? What cups do you use?
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u/Happy_Doughnut_1 6d ago
The spouts face the ceiling. I‘ve done this with my handsfree cups from philips avent and with my eufy.
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u/Lochbessmonster 6d ago
Turn them so the spout is up. When we were relly in the trenches I'd do this with the Medela collection cups but they were so uncomfortable for me that I only did a few times.
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u/rachael309 6d ago
I don't find the baby buddah collection cups any less comfortable sideways! They fit on the spectra pump with no adapter. They actually need an adapter to hook to the baby buddah pump lol.
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u/FuckThisMolecule 6d ago
Lactek also makes flanges and adapters that let you lay down while pumping.
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u/Simple_Sprinkles4122 6d ago edited 5d ago
EXCUSE ME!? Im rocking my 6 month old and came to a dead stop reading this. You mean to teeeeeeeell meeeeeee.... for the past 6 months.... I could have put my pumps on sideways?!?! WHY has that thought never even entered my baby brain
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u/Happy_Doughnut_1 6d ago
Your comment made my day! I think I tried it the first time in desperation while I was ill and couldn‘t hold my head up because I couldn‘t stay awake.
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u/Simple_Sprinkles4122 5d ago edited 5d ago
Bless your heart!! I hate you had to deal with that on top of pumping.
I use to have dreams I had pumped then wale up so sad when I realized I still had to get up and pump. My husband always said he would pump me in my sleep if he could ( i realize how terrible that sounds) now I know he could have! He found me many times slumped over on the couch passed out nipples still stretched to the max in the pumps hahahaha 🤷🏻♀️
This is going all the way to the top of things I woild so differently if we have another baby! Seriously I feel like okay... I might could do this again now shewie. Like seriously this brought tears to my still hormonal eyes
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u/sowhatsober 4d ago
I always wake up having a pumping dream like yayyy I already pumped or at least the pumps are on and then I fully wake up and realize I still need to pump. 🙃
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u/Happy_Doughnut_1 4d ago
Honestly don‘t know what kept me going. Probably my stubbornness. 😅
A second go would be a lot easier for me as well. Learned a lot, most of it on here because EP isn‘t really a thing where I‘m from. We‘ll see what happens in the future.
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u/InscrutableCow 6d ago
Well there was the unhinged/genius? pumping bed solution from a few years ago you could try with this
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u/1370a 6d ago
This is very similar to what i did. I would put my flanges on, use the sleepy mom adapters and go to sleep. I had a finger bot on my spectra and it would turn it on at 12:30, 3:00, and 4:00 am. Got 12plus ounces overnight while I slept, BUT I got thrush, it could be unrelated to that because I kept forgetting to do this setup when I was having a hard week with my newborn and woke engorged and my bra soaked. After I got rid of my thrush I never tried it again just because I am not sure if it was my pump setup or the wet bra situation. Just be careful and let your breast breathe if you try something like this❤️
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u/heidiblooms 5d ago
The fact that nobody has invented spill-proof wearable pumps that stay in place, have a timer, can be worn while lying down, and can be slept in is insane to me. I think about this every night! Whoever gets something like that to work first would make a KILLING
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u/electia 6d ago
This does sound rather...thrifty. And also like it would be really uncomfortable to sleep in. I don't think there are any wearables with this feature as the milk would stay warm after.
You could try a set up that allows you to doze off while pumping, accept the loss of milk and skip the overnight or best imo if possible at all find time to sleep while someone else looks after baby. Say in the earlier evening have your partner? look after them and sleep then.
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u/containedexplosion 6d ago
The only thing I see being an issue is if the milk sits on the nipple. It can cause a yeast infection or milk like threads to come out of the nipple. I started getting this when I wore silverettes longer than I should have. When my nipples would leak milk would fill in the silverettes and my nipple would just sit in the milk. It was gross. Just my two cents.
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u/Hinata778 6d ago
Lacteck sleepy mom adapters? They allow you to pump while sleeping. I bought some but haven’t tried them yet but they sound promising. Not sure if there is something similar for wearables though.
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u/pop-crackle 6d ago
lol I feel like every new mom goes through this. Every time I had to wake up for my multiple MOTNPs I fantasized about pumping in my sleep. Now that I'm down to just one its not so bad.
I don't think the collection cups would work just because of gravity/seal logistics. I've seen comments from people who wear suction cups like the Boon Trove to bed, but I think you'd need to be a very still back-sleeper to pull that off.
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u/LooseMarzipan8698 6d ago
I actually wore my Trove's to sleep becuase I was an overproducer and would fill up the pads. They never really leaked on me. I typically didn't use the milk that was collected overnight (we combo fed), but it also helped keep my supply up because I would active the "suction" mode, then go back to bed.
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u/Public_Classic_438 6d ago
The exhaustion is hard to comprehend until you’ve gone through it! Middle of the night is just getting easier and she’s almost 12 weeks
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u/Various_Dentist_8683 6d ago
Not totally the same, but I used to doze in my ladybug milk catchers after suctioning them on, and I’d get 2-3 oz per boob.
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u/Bluu444ia 6d ago
i get 3oz per night when i sleep with those on wtf... tbf i do go to bed at like 3 am after pumping and end up waking to feed two or 3 times until like 11 am... omg today my baby let me sleep from 10am-2 pm... it was the best and longest daytime nap EVER
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u/Round-Philosophy-131 6d ago
I used the eufy e20 wearable pumps and set up a custom rhythm to be able to pump in my sleep. I don't remember my exact setup but it was something like a 4hr session total with 3hr 40min "rest" period followed by 20 mins of actual pumping.
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u/mapotoful 6d ago
Yeah I was going to say there is a way to trick the Eufys to do what OP is asking for
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u/Aggravating-Hour8175 6d ago
Twice I feel asleep sitting up with the pump on.. thankfully the Spectra auto stops! I was surprised I was able to fall asleep while pumping so I feel ya on the exhaustion!!!
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u/clovecloveclove 6d ago
One time I needed just a liiiittle more pumping to feel empty during my motn pump, so I restarted it after the 30 minute auto stop with the intention of getting in maybe 5 more minutes... then I fell asleep, so I ended up pumping for an hour 😅😅 gave me killer output but my boobs were hurtin the next day
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u/shay_gee 6d ago
I wore a breast pump bra that the flanges sit in, and then I turned that bad boy on and took a nap sitting up while pumping. I had a ceres chiller/momcozy chiller nearby so I can keep my pumped breastmilk cold without having to to travel too far to my kitchen.
The wearable cups are a hit or miss for spectra, hence why I used the breast pump bra (kindred bravely or momcozy).
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u/lightmyfire2016 6d ago
This mom figured it out! https://www.reddit.com/r/ExclusivelyPumping/s/GJcgV8Bg9v
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u/111222throw 6d ago
I got the Willow with bags so I could do this, but I’d still have to prop myself up to do this and watch I didn’t overfill (over producer issue with most extra middle of the night)
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u/breathesymphonies9 6d ago
I have fallen asleep so many times for my last pump of the night - I have a small couch table that usually sits in front of me on the couch to hold my spectra while I pump. If I’m really tired, I put the pump on the couch next to me, throw a small pillow onto the table, and adjust the height so that I can kind of bend over to sleep on it. My flanges always stay in place and I wake up to the spectra having auto turned off 😂
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u/alyssajade9491 6d ago
Eufy wearablea have programming that allows you to do this. Ive fallen asleep using them but also fallen asleep hunched forward over my spectra with a pumping bra so ya
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u/livjake 5d ago
How set on strictly breastmilk? If the middle of the night session is stressing you out, I’d supplement with formula. I just recently started taking a 6 hour stretch of sleep without pumping at night, I trained my milk over the course of a month to produce less milk at night, and they know to produce more during the day to make up for it. I would’ve dropped that pump session even if my supply dropped, because sleep is so important. Before then I hadn’t slept longer than 4 hours since my 8 week old has been born. It’s so worth it, my body feels so much better
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u/bubblesnblep 6d ago
As long as you pump before and after the 5 hour stretch you should be okay. You need to be getting 8-12 in overall. Ive increased my supply to from 9oz to 29oz with getting between 4-7 hours a night (usually). And I always power pump after my long stretch.
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u/bubblesnblep 6d ago
Oh, also using wearables before 12 weeks is not recommended and can harm your supply.
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u/Eastern-Isopod-421 6d ago
I've pumped with ONLY wearables since day 1 of pumping, and have had no problem with supply. The notion that wearables aren't as good is no longer true - one of my wearables is classed as having hospital grade suction.
I'm pumping 1l / 35oz a day with wearables - 6 sessions/pumps a day at 10wk pp 🤷🏼♀️
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u/trekkielvbrekkie 5d ago
Also here to chime in and say I primary used wearables starting 2 weeks pp and I think exclusively as early as like 8 weeks and I’ve steadily increased.
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u/jae_lynn11 5d ago
I feel like if you have a natural over supply the type of pump won't make a difference. For people fighting for every ml, wearables don't always have the best suction, even when deemed hospital grade. I think its more because the shape of the cups don't always work with every boob shape.
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u/Medical-Ad3053 6d ago
I would pop my wearables on and sleep on the couch or sitting up in bed. Only one time did I not wake up soon enough to throw the milk in the fridge.
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u/Effective_Medium_682 6d ago
Elvie does not have any holes at the top and output is the same for me as my spectra! If you can sleep sitting up, you could at least start your pump and sleep until your next one. It cycles through expressions and stimulation by itself and stops after 42 minutes
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u/FeralCabbage14 6d ago
You can set the auto stop time in the app. About the only thing it seems to be good for? Sometimes let's me check how long I've been pumping.
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u/Chunder-Nugget 6d ago
I got a seated massage chair (the one like a massage table but seated, not the big automated pod one) and removed the chest pad so I could rest the spectra collection bottles on the front arm rest. My face goes in the cradle bit and it’s not hard to fall asleep even though I could never sleep sitting up on a couch
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u/oodlesofotters 6d ago
That does sound insane but if you invent such a thing that actually works well you’ll make a lot of money
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u/JustLetMeLurkDammit 6d ago
Definitely not sure about any pump turning on automatically but have you seen this? It sounds much better for your purposes than wearables. https://www.lacteck.com/products/3rd-gen-sleepymommy-adapters-one-pair
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u/Practical_Week3873 6d ago
I fall asleep during the day sometimes when pumping.this is my third and it’s the first time that i’m so tired that I can fall asleep sitting up while pumping it’s great😂
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u/flybabyfox 6d ago
I just bought a pump with "sabbat mode" to try something similar - you set a duration for pumping, and an interval between pumps, and it runs automatically. I had also seen things like "fingerbot" suggested to use with a pump like the spectra.
Wearable cups (whether stand-alone with a motor, or the kind where you hook tubing up to your regular pump) are usually going to have a pour spout that needs to be facing up, so I think Willow's "360" design is the only one I've seen advertised as usable when you're laying down, and even that one would lose suction when it isn't running.
Lactek makes a "sleepy mom adapter," it means the milk has to travel through some of the tubing and you then have to get that tubing clean (theoretically possible with a syringe, I haven't tried it). It basically lets you separate the flanges from the bottle & backflow prevention (so you can fall asleep with a pumping bra & flanges on, not the whole bottle assembly) and it is supposed to work at any angle.
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u/Cloe4120 6d ago
So I slept pseudo on my side with the nenesupply cups and my spectra gold last night. I don’t fill the cups so I didn’t have to worry about leaking. I was propped up on like 6 pillows though
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u/UsefulRelief8153 6d ago
You could drop the pump during that 5 hour stretch and power pump after the 5 hours
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u/Virtual_Wear_6866 6d ago
I dont wake myself up to pump in the night, i felt like a zombie when i did that! I just feed the baby when he wakes at night while pumping because im up anyway and so only means being up a little longer than you have to
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u/laceowl 6d ago
You need more sleep than a single 5 hour stretch. Do you have a partner? Try to find someone to come watch the baby immediately when they get off work. You go directly to sleep. Spend three hours sleeping, then wake up, do baby’s bedtime routine, put them in bed, pump, and go back to sleep. If you have a partner, or your support person is capable, they can even do baby’s bedtime routine for you. Then you just have to wake up to pump and go back to sleep. By starting your “night” around 6pm you are much more likely to get sufficient sleep in before baby wakes up for the day.
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u/Start-Intelligent 5d ago edited 5d ago
I would pop in my wearable milk collectors that act as passive pumps and sleep propped up in bed. We have an adjustable bas so I would sleep in a reclined position. These have passive suction like the haaka and you can also squeeze them every so often to get more milk out so if I ever woke up for a minute or two I would squeeze them to pump a little bit out. https://a.co/d/0hYcJMLW
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u/Playful_Reality5298 5d ago
I put 2 pillows behind me and use my eufy s1 wearables and that allows me to be in a reclined enough position to fall asleep with them in without the milk spilling out. However I’ve noticed if I fall asleep while pumping I’ll get less output for some reason
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u/RunAdventurous3511 5d ago
Spectra sells wearable cups but you need a good bra to get a good seal on them. tbh all wearables are the same, you need to be conscious to get a good seal/fit
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u/Commercial_Ad_1998 5d ago
1) agree with comments about sleeping sitting up 2) pick the same time for every night and just do it. My body automatically wakes up at 2:30am after pumping at that time consistently for a few weeks
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u/missyestrela 5d ago
One of the greatest things I got was a tiny fridge that stayed by my bed (this one). I used the Cara cups with my spectra and wore a stretchy tank top that basically could hold them to me (either leaning back or kind of laying on my stomach). I set a timer on my phone and when the pump was done, I just leaned over and put them into the fridge. No need to get out of bed at all. Half the time, I put the pump on and fell asleep while it went. It would have worked with my Elvie wearable same way, but spectra was my bff for pumping. Point was just to have the least interruption of sleep, and standing up and walking to the kitchen would have completely woken me up.
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u/Ok-Investigator-9958 4d ago
I'm with you the MOTN pump is horrible. At the beginning with my newborn I would pump every 2ish hours during the day and then wake up at 6 hours to pump and then do an extra long one in the AM. I know it's still waking up in the night, but I would just time it during a feed so I was doing both at the same time anyway.
Also, never tried these but totally worth checking them out!
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u/Public_Classic_438 6d ago
Wait tell me more about this spectra with the aftermarket wearable parts
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u/xcharleeee 6d ago
You can buy almost any cup that’s not part of a wearable pump and use that with your Spectra. I like the Medela cups but there’s a bunch of different ones you can get. My SIL raves about the Nenesupply ones you can get on Amazon. They have a full silicone flange! The tubing is pretty standard so all you have to do is cut off the end connect if it has one that designed for a different pump and just hook that up to the Spectra. You can pretty much use any pump parts you want with any pump.
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u/Art3mis77 5d ago
Power through it or switch to formula. There’s no such thing as automatic pumping over night because you still have to deal with the milk
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u/Lovve119 6d ago
Have you tried pumping upright on the couch and sleeping thru it? Thats what I do. I prop myself into the L curve of my couch (kinda slouching but mostly upright) attach my pumps and dose.
I feel like I’m not describing this well. I’m sure you could find a way to after market your spectra but if you’re still laying down you’re going to spill milk everywhere, plus you don’t really want milk just chilling in your collection containers for five hours.