Need some help here mamas. I have a post going about my 2mo's weight gain and I'll be getting her weighed tomorrow. I feel that she is up even since Friday. I've been pumping after a lot of feedings and my supply is up. The problem? She's freaking out again about the letdown. This was an issue weeks ago that resolved (maybe it resolved b/c of a lowered supply and less weight gain) but is now back.
The main issue now is I'll try methods to alleviate the force of flow (leaning back, expressing into diaper after letown, and she has responded in the past to constant Shhhh and patting her back while nursing) but she's getting so worked up that she cries as soon as we assume the position again to re-latch and nurse (after I bring her up to calm her or give the paci to calm some).
Middle of the night, she nurses great. More relaxed and sleepy, I guess, so her drinking and sucking are more automatic? During the day she usually eats after waking up from a nap, so it's not usually the situation where she's too tired to work at nursing.
I do not wish to pump off the heavy flow at the beginning of feeding as that is a cycle that doesn't really resolve the issue.
I know she'll handle it better with time but that is probably weeks away and with her slow gain the last month, she needs good, full feedings now to maintain better weight gain.
The only time today she didn't get extremely upset was when it had been an hour and a half or so since the last nursing, and it was the same side. I don't feel we can nurse that often that all the time or always do that side to stay on top of the letdown - the other side needs nursed on and if I feed on one side and pump the other then the supply still leads to as much force.
I feel that my body produces a lot of milk right away but not a lot of milk for a longer nursing session. And if she's like my son, she'll get frustrated in a couple of months when the flow levels out and she has gotten used to the fast flow.
What is the best thing to try? I feel that my supply is much better today with regard to her low weight gain but I don't want to keep up a lot of pumping to just exacerbate the letdown situation. One thing that did seem to work today with only a little fussing was feeding the lower supply side first, and then letdown on the larger supply side calmed enough that it wasn't forceful, and she ate on both sides. That of anything may be what I should try more. What do you think? I have the contact info for two recommended LCs and may ask each one if they have experience in dealing with this, it may be worth a visit with them and especially for them to observe my daughter nursing.
ETA: poops are nice and yellow and frequent
ETA: I'm also thinking that if I take her off to allow letdown to calm, I need to take her off a few moments sooner than I have been, before the milk ejects and she gets upset. I'll try that. This article was helpful: http://www.llli.org/nb/lvsepoct95p71nb.html
Edited by CookAMH - 6/12/11 at 10:57pm
