Forceful letdown/ over supply
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Topic: Forceful letdown/ over supply
Posted By: BellaBoo
Subject: Forceful letdown/ over supply
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 2:44pm
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Any one experienced this?
For the first couple of weeks I fed Bella and expressed alot in order to have a big supply of milk. I did this thinking it would make bf easier because baby would always have plenty (I had an under-supply phobia!). However, it seems that this has given me other problems. I think I have too much milk and maybe this is why Bella often pulls off, gets fussy, coughs and splutters, slides off breast, gets alot of foremilk and therefore dosnt have long sleeps and is always hungry. Sound familiar to anyone? and ideas how to regulate my supply? ------------- http://lilypie.com">   http://lilypie.com">
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Replies:
Posted By: kebakat
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 2:54pm
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She might be full of wind, when she's gulping it down and coughing etc she's probably swallowing a lot of air too, which will make her feel like shes full and not get enough actual milk into her.
I don't know how true this is but a MW i spoke to said don't worry about foremilk and hindmilk etc as the foremilk is gone within a minute or two of baby starting to feed. |
Posted By: peachy
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 3:08pm
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Topsy, I have the same issues as you and for me it hasn't gotten any better, although it is great having lots of milk for bubs and being able express heaps for the freezer!
I find in the morning at Laurens 5am feed I am so engorged, she really struggles with this feed and then as the day goes on the feeds get easier and easier and by the time I do the last 8:30-pm feed for the night I feel just about empty! Lauren still manages to get a really decent feed out of what I think are empty boobs though! Regarding foremilk and hindmilk, I pretty much ignore the difference between these and just let her go for as long as possible on one side then swap to the other just to even the boobs up a little! I also find sometimes stopping her and giving her a good few minutes burp time over my shoulder every few minutes can helpas kebakat said, then she will go back to being a good drinker again! ------------- http://lilypie.com">  http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: peanut butter
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 4:41pm
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I had the same problem and I can happily say it does get better.
What I found helped was... 1) feed in a reclined position (ie you relax back in a chair...dont do the upright, cushion behind back, feet square on the floor bollocks...lax back and pretend you have a cocktail in your hand) 2)put bubs a little upright too (I used to sit tom slightly between my legs) 3) if they are really engorged you can put bubs on, let them do the first few sucks to bring in your milk, take them off and let it fly into a towel or something (bottle if you like) and then put bubs back on once things have settled. It will get better and personally, although it has its own problems I was happy to have an over supply rather than an under supply. Bubs will learn to cope with it as she gets stronger. You may find she will empty a breast in about 5-10 min and that is great in the middle of the night. I think all our probs settled at aroun 8 weeks. Hope that helped. |
Posted By: mum2paris
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 4:55pm
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Yep I had this prob with both girls - With paris it led to heaps of probs as i didn't catch on and she got to the point she wouldn't feed just scream at the breast cos she knew what was coming, i never understood why she'd pull off just after let down and cry, or she started to pull away just as i started to let down. Until i talked to someone on another forum who asked me this same question and it all made sense. It started after the 6 wk growth spurt when my supply had just icnreased a whole heap.
The thing i found was i had a forceful let down, so paris would choke and splutter, which meant she learnt to pull away before that happened and by hook or by crook she just would go back on - it's like she developed a fear of being fed. With ayja i just had a towel handy and when she pulled away i would place it over for a minute or so until it slowed a bit then she'd go back on nicely and feed wonderfully. actually i think i remember talking about this with you ladies above. lol. Peachy, in regards to the not feeling full by night time, alot of your milk is actually made as you are feeding, and babies tend to feed a bit more at night so you don't have time to fill up whereas if lauren's had a bit of a longer sleep befor eher 5am feed you'd have had time to build up a bit more. ------------- Janine and her 2 cool chicks, Paris & Ayja 
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Posted By: BellaBoo
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 6:56pm
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Thanks for that ladies! I didnt think there was so much to bf successfully. It really is an art!!! ------------- http://lilypie.com"> http://lilypie.com">
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Posted By: 3boys
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 8:13pm
Hi Topsy - me too. I can feed several babies and can squirt ya from across the room 
My babies really struggled until they got older and stronger. I did the same as mum2paris and once letdown began would pull baby off and let it drip into a cloth until it slowed and I would then put baby back on. For further advice and tips the la leche league website is really helpful. www.lli.com ------------- http://lilypie.com"> 
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Posted By: Bobbie
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 9:30pm
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Peachy could have pretty much written that post for me - I'm engorged first thing and then it gets easier as the day goes on but I think a lot of the problem may have come from having to express in hospital for top up feeds for her.
Like Kebakat and Peachy said, stopping part way through for a burp seems to help. NZpiper glad to hear it might sort itself out in a few more weeks. -------------  
 
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Posted By: babyg
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 10:29pm
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O wow, i know how you've felt. I've had exactly the same (see my thread 'anyone BF with sore, sore, boobs?') and have just come out the other side!!!!
The pain was excruitiating and i now feel like i've just birthed after a 3mth labour!!! (I would happily go through labour again rather than still have oversupply and overactive letdown issues.  
My letdown is still forceful and a little sore and i think i will always have to take baby off and drain (so i don't drown her in foremilk) but i only letdown when she is ready for food and maybe a couple extra times a day now instead of every bl**dy hour of the day and night!! I used the instructions to fix both oversupply and overactive letdowns in the LaLeche League website (given above by 3boys and link in my other thread) and swear by it - i consult the LLL website for everything BF related now, it's fantastic. And fixing my oversupply has resulted in my seriously sore blocked ducts nearly disappearing altogether!!! 
I changed from feeding both sides per feed to only one (yes, it was hard and sore adjusting but settled down after a couple of days) and refuse my baby the letdown milk and I went from near giving up on BFing to loving it! Check out the website - their tips are worth trying! I sure wish i'd been told about it 3wks after the birth of our baby! Best of luck, let us know how you are getting on. ------------- Ev, Mum to: Carys Ruby - 4 October 2007 Spencer James - 2 July 2010 |
Posted By: miss
Date Posted: 07 January 2008 at 10:44pm
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I do rugby hold feeding and that means that I can have Lily almost lying vertical, which helps with her not taking in so much wind and stuff when she feeds.
Your milk supply will settle to what bubba needs if it is caused by over expressing. If it doesn't then you could just have an oversupply. I have found as lily gets older it got easier and she doesn't cough and splutter anywhere near as much, so either I have adjusted or she has. One girl I know hand expresses off about 50 ml before feeding as the had expressing doesn't stimulate the supply like other expressing (if you are careful to express without creating a let down) but it means bubs gets a better mix of milk. -------------  
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