too much milk problem

[fiikske]

Hi,

I know this sounds like a luxury problem, but just as with dd1, it seems I'm again with "too much milk". And specifically one boob that just gives way too much too hard too strong milk. So one boob seems to be going fine, but the other one is too tense, and when ds (now 2 weeks old and a bit) starts sucking, he gets too much, he chuckles, stops, gets too much air, burps a lot, etc...
Also, the poo... his poo looks like 'shifted butter'... so you can clearly see flocks of butter/cheese or call it whatever you like. I remember this being also a sign that he might be getting too much milk.

What to do? I don't remember anymore...

How should I organise the feedings, so that my boobs are set to 'normal'... so that the good boob stays good, and the too-much-milk-boob gets less filled?

KR,
Fiikske

[Swandira]

I've always had the same issue. I found when I had newborns the only thing I could do was either have the toddler nurse for two minutes on the overproductive side before nursing the newborn, or pumping for five minutes before I got started. Some people have good luck with block feeding, (feeding on only one side at a time for a few hours and then switching), but I haven't.

Nealy
mama to Thales, almost 7; Lydia, 3 1/2; and Odin, 12/12/08

[alegna]

The curds are normal.

For oversupply on just one side, I would offer the slow side more often for a few days and see if it levels out.

good luck!

-Angela

[ewe+lamb]

Yeah nurse more on the slower side and if needs be express off the faster side for comfort, just in case you needed some bfing support, there's LLL Belge which maybe useful to you, all bfing mums need some support, I'm sure you'd be most welcome.

[*MamaJen*]

You can try "block feeding", where you nurse from one breast for a set number of feedings or hours. If you google it or run a search in this forum you'll find a ton of info.

[Ruthiegirl]

Gravity can sometimes be very helpful when the milk flow is too strong. You can try leaning back in a chair to nurse. This will often slow the rate of flow to a more comfortable level. Find yourself a chair that leans back (think Lazy Boy) or use your bed with some pillows propping you up. I have seen this work for several moms with a heavy milk flow.

You could also try hand expressing a small amount of milk before bring the baby to the breast. And really, only a small amount (maybe 1/4 cup or less). We do not want to increase your supply further. Releasing a small amount of milk may help reduce the surge of letdown that is troubling your baby.

And your baby will grow quickly and be able to handle larger milk volumes soon. Two weeks is still so very young.

Good luck and congratulations!

[Ruthiegirl]

Originally Posted by fiikske

Also, the poo... his poo looks like 'shifted butter'... so you can clearly see flocks of butter/cheese or call it whatever you like. I remember this being also a sign that he might be getting too much milk.

And to address the poop issue (ah, we do talk about poop a lot as new moms, don't we?)

Shifted butter is fine. As long as it is a nice yellow (butter to mustard or somewhere in between) your baby is doing just fine. A true 'over-nursed' baby will have greenish poop indicating that too much lactose is going through the guts.