Newbie Questions

[GuavaGirl]

My little guy is almost 4 weeks old. He's a really good eater, gaining weight very well, etc. I just have a few questions...


Switching Sides:

I've heard that you need to switch sides, and I've also heard that you don't need to. Which is it? I have just been doing one side per feeding, for about 20-25 minutes. After that he's done....and there's still milk flowing.

Pumping:

Also, sometimes my breast still feels pretty full after a feeding. I want to pump so they feel better, but I'm afraid it will increase my supply too much. ...but then can't bad things happen if your breasts are full for too long?

It comes out fast:

Sometimes my milk comes out fast and my baby chokes on it. What can I do about that?




Thanks!

[KristyDi]

nak sorry if I'm terse

I never worried too much about switching sides. I did whatever seemed right at the time. If dd was done with one breast and seemed like she might like more I'd offer the second. If not Meh, since we were demand feeding I figured if she didn't get enough now she'd ask for more in a bit.

I never felt uncomfortably full after a feeding so I can't really help you there.

If your babe is choking on your letdown then you can pull him off for a second and catch the milk in a burp cloth or something till it lets up a bit then latch him back on.

[CherryBombMama]

i always felt full no matter what until ds was about 8 months. thats when my milk "leveled out" with the demand for it. before that, i always had extra milk left over in my boobs

[GuavaGirl]

Is it okay to leave the milk in there, if I still feel full? If it's too uncomfortable and I pump, will that just make the problem worse?

[Conifer]

Switching sides: I think you should do what feels right to you. I usually just feed one side per feeding and switch at the next one, but if ds didn't eat a lot I might put him back on the same breast. lol my husband laughs because I often forget which side I fed him on last and I will squeeze my breasts to see which is fuller and feed ds from that one.

Pumping: I think you could pump some just to relieve if you are uncomfortable. If it doesn't bother you, I would leave the milk there. I just wouldn't regularly pump them empty.

Fast:

If your babe is choking on your letdown then you can pull him off for a second and catch the milk in a burp cloth or something till it lets up a bit then latch him back on.

This.

Your baby is only 4 weeks. You will level off and not have an over abundant supply in most cases. Also as your baby gets older, he will be able to handle the extra milk when you let down and you won't have to worry about catching the milk in a burp cloth.

[judybean]

Originally Posted by Conifer

Switching sides: I think you should do what feels right to you. I usually just feed one side per feeding and switch at the next one, but if ds didn't eat a lot I might put him back on the same breast. lol my husband laughs because I often forget which side I fed him on last and I will squeeze my breasts to see which is fuller and feed ds from that one.

haha! I had to laugh at this brcause I do the boob squeeze all the time

otherwise, op, you've gotten great advice thus far.

(nak)

[lifeguard]

I NEVER switched sides. Never.

Occassionally I would pump to relieve uncomfortableness - but only enough to relieve the pressure.

Sorry, no experience with fast flow.