So what happens during a nursing session?

[mrs.t]

I'm trying to understand exactly what happens with milk production and let downs when I am nursing. It seems like DS will nurse for a few minutes, get frustrated and give up when he nurses from the right breast. I've always had a faster and more forceful let down on the left, and now that he's older I think he's frustrated with the slowness of the right. But what exactly happens? Is there a let down, then a pause where he has to work at to get another let down? Is there anything coming out during this time? Does the breast actually "empty"?

[lunarlady]

I don't know what is going on with you, but my nursing sessions look like this. DD latches on with a vengence. She suckles vigorously for about a minute, during which time, unless I'm engorged, nothing is coming out. Then I get my letdown, and the milk comes out quickly. She likes to unlatch then as this is a bit much for her (I have a forceful letdown) and rub her face all over the nipple to get her milk bath (for soft and clear skin, you know?). Then she latches back on and nurses contently until she is full. Her "drinking" latch is slower and deeper, and if it is quiet I can hear her swallowing.

When I pumped with DD1, I would have two letdowns. The first about 30 seconds into my pumping session, and the second about 35 minutes in if I had time to go that long. I never felt fully empty unless I got that second letdown. Of course, the breast is never actually totally empty since it is making milk all the time.

[mrs.t]

She likes to unlatch then as this is a bit much for her (I have a forceful letdown) and rub her face all over the nipple to get her milk bath (for soft and clear skin, you know?).

Thanks for the giggle...

I get the same thing, I know when DS is drinking because he has long, slow sucks with definite swallowing. That's what confuses me...if the breast is always producing milk and it's never "empty", what is happening when he stops swallowing? When he pulls off, nothing seems to be coming out, even though I know during the first few minutes there is plenty of milk. Does it just slow down?

[lalemma]

Yes, I think it slows down. During the first few minutes of nursing, my son's suck-to-swallow ratio is about 1 to 1 - he'll suck once and get enough milk to be worth swallowing. As the flow of milk slows, he'll suck two/three/more times to get a mouthful. I think milk still comes, it just eventually slows to a trickle (although if he keeps sucking he'll get another letdown on the same boob.)

[Parker'smommy]

If your babe isn't doing those long drawn out sucks where they open their mouth, <pause>, and then close their mouth, it is more difficult to get a letdown.

For me, baby latches...nice and deep. Then she starts doing those nice long drawn out sucks. She IS getting milk from the very beginning. Your breasts have milk at the ready for your babe. But, when letdown happens, your body makes MORE milk. My babe will start gulping at this point because I have a pretty active and forceful letdown. Sometimes she comes off sputtering and gasping. But she can usually handle it. Then the milk slows down. If babe continues to suck vigorously, with a good latch ( hasn't slipped off and have a shallow latch ) and with good drawn out long sucks, she'll get another letdown.

Sometimes breast compressions can help babe do the long drawn out sucks or pulling down the chin can get them to go wide too. Usually they figure out that if they nurse the right way....they get what they want.

Also, www.kellymom.com has a link that talks about this...."What happens when breastfeeding"

[haydn'smommy]

My babe is older and my supply is lower now, but when he was an itty bitty, he'd latch on and start sucking. Within 15 sec I'd hear him start gulping vigorously. This would go on for 5-7min and then he'd slow down and he'd suck a few times and then swallow. If he stayed on longer than 20min, he'd get another letdown where he'd suck and gulp, suck and gulp for another couple of minutes.
Now that he's older, he'll latch on and suck for a minute before he starts actively swallowing/gulping and this only lasts for 2-4min. If he keeps nursing for another 10min, I get a second letdown most of the time.

[Llyra]

What always happened for me was baby would latch, and suck briefly (maybe twenty seconds) and then the first letdown would come. Baby would swallow vigorously for a few minutes. Then baby would start a slower, more rhythmic suck, but still swallow actively, for about five minutes or maybe more. At some point it would slow down to a gentle flutter suck. If Baby kept that up long enough, a second letdown would come, and I'd see more vigorous swallowing for a minute or two, then it would slow down again. We'd see that pattern sometimes only once, and sometimes many, many times, depending on time of day (and which kid it was-- my DS was famous for hanging on for HOURS waiting for all those subsequent letdowns).

They are getting some milk during those periods of slower sucking, though. I know that because if I removed them from the breast at that point, there would be drops of milk in their mouths, and I could still express some milk. It slows down, but it doesn't stop, and even if it does stop, if they stay with it, another letdown always comes.