Feeding Issues...Oversupply of Milk??

[jemimab]

Hi All,

My 4 week old daughter is having a few problems breastfeeding which I can only assume is from an oversupply of milk. She latches on properly and starts to feed but soon after starts screaming and has a mouth full of milk that she's almost choking on. I'm guessing that this would be when the 'let down' occurs... She then cries to be put back on the breast and the same thing happens over and over again. I'm worried that she's not getting the good hindmilk and that this situation is also causing her to snack feed

Has anyone else had this problem? And how did you fix it?
I have been thinking that I need to express some milk off before each feed so that she doesn't cough/splutter so much and hopefully she will have a decent feed so that she'll sleep longer, etc.

So far she is gaining weight well (900grams in 4 weeks!) so that isn't an issue.

Any advice would be great. Thanks

[xoxoxo]

I hear you!

I am sure I could have fed 10 babies at one feed not just the single one that I had!

I was so bad that would have to have a couple of cloth nappies over the boob that I wasn't feeding from as I would leak so badly once she started feeding - it made feeding out and about extremely difficult and although it did get easier as she got older it was never completely under control (sorry!)

When she was tiny - I expressed some before she started feeding (such a waste as she wouldn't even bottle feed so I couldn't store it and it went straight down the sink). I expressed from both sides - I was also wary as at the beginning I thought that my supply wouldn't settle as my body thought I was using that much. But my body never actually got used to the amount and I should have expressed off more to make it easier for her.

As she got bigger she was better at coping with the amount and stopped expressing before feeds.

She was also a snacker and (at 5 years old) still is! But I made the choice to demand feed so was happy enough with what she was doing (although I realise not everyone is comfortable with demand feeding).

On the plus side it made it easy to keep feeding her and I was sad at 20 months when she weaned herself (though happy to not deal with all the milk).

The CHN I saw told me to feed her sitting up to deal with the problem. If they are lying down it runs down their throat causing them to gag. If they are sitting up they actually have to swallow. I was never very comfortable feeding this way though. My DD did get used to it and dealt with it. As I said it got heaps easier as she got bigger.

I am sorry I have no fixed answer but just keep trying different ways of feeding and expressing until you find the way that works for her and ask anyone Drs, CHN etc for their suggestions.

I just kept thinking that everyone has some sort of problem BFing (mastitis, lack of milk, too much etc) I guess it the scheme of things it os better to have too much than not enough - even if it makes feeding a little sticky and uncomfortable!

Good luck!

[Jessant85]

i had a similar issue with DS2 and things i was encouraged to try by the ABA were
1. Laying on my back to feed, that way bub has to try to get the milk out rather than just having a mouthful after a couple of sucks.
2. express until let down prior to feeding bub.

I tried both but found that there was still an issue, which DS2 grew out of when he was about 6 weeks old (he would vomit up a feed straight away as my let down was too fast and my supply to abundant)

HTH!

[beej]

Posture feeding is one way to deal with it. Which is, as Jessant said, laying on your back with bub on top so bub has to work for the milk and the flow is a little slower.

I find with my DD that she gets a lot of wind with the first let down and often pulls off the breast after a few minutes. Sometimes she is obviously uncomfortable and arching her back and crying. Once we burp her she mostly settles back down and will keep feeding. Sometimes it's lots of on/off every few minutes for a burp sometimes she'll feed for 10-15 minutes before needing a burp.

It does take a good 6 weeks for supply to settled down a bit, so I hope yours starts to settle down a bit so feeding is a little easier for you and your DD.

[jemimab]

Thanks for your replies ladies. At least I'm not alone in having oversupply dramas! Most articles online and other mums I've talked to all have problems with not having enough milk - not so for me!!

I will definately try feeding DD by lying down, although I have a feeling that is still going to be very messy and sticky! I think I may need to invest in more burp cloths

And I'll be hanging out for the 6 week mark and hopefully all will settle down a little.