Clicking sound while nursing

[MarineWife]

My baby sometimes makes a clicking sound while nursing after my milk lets down. I have a very strong milk ejection reflex where my milk sprays out very fast. When I look at his latch while he's making the sound, it appears as if he's not latched on very deeply. It kind of hurts me but is mostly just an aggravating feeling. He does it mostly on my right breast, which has the strongest let down, but does do it sometimes on my left. He doesn't do it all the time.

I asked a pediatrician if he might have tongue-tie and he said no. He's gaining weight fine. He's quite chubby, around 15 lbs. at 11 weeks. I'm thinking maybe it's because he loosens his latch so that some of the milk dribbles out of the corner of his mouth so he can handle it.

Anything else it could be or should I pursue the tongue-tie further?

[AJandElijahsmommy]

OMG I have the EXACT same issue. I mean EXACTLY! 3 week old clicking when he sucks, I have extremely forceful let down too that sprays out and chokes him sometimes (or gets him in the eye.poor baby). And my right breast sprays him more than the left. i was just about to go on and post this very same question and saw yours. I am guessing since we are having the same issue the clicking must be baby trying to slow the flow. But I gave him a bottle of breast milk because my breasts were choking him so much but he still clicks on the bottle.   Interested to hear what others say.

[MarineWife]

The only thing I've read about in relation to that clicking sound is that it's a symptom of tongue-tie. The tongue-tie can interfere with latch and make it hard for them to nurse but then they usually don't gain weight. My baby is gaining weight just fine.

I can't figure out how to look under my baby's tongue to see his frenulum. If mine does have tongue-tie, it's very, very mild. I've never given him a bottle so I don't know if he'd do it not on the breast.

[kathrineg]

My baby doesn't have any latching issues but I have a strong letdown. He makes the clicking sound when my letdown is particularly strong (if we went a long time without nursing) or sometimes just randomly, or when upset.

I think it's him swallowing air.

[MarineWife]

I do hear my baby swallowing air and he's had a lot of problems with gas.

[homemademom]

I think clicking can be a sign of a shallow latch, for whatever reason.  TT is definitely one of them, but over active letdown is another. My first baby slipped off a lot because he was sputtering and choking from all the milk. If you're still concerned it's not just oald, I'd find someone (not a ped) really versed in tongue tie (and posterior tongue tie) diagnoses.

[Baby_Cakes]

Finn makes the clicking sound too but only when trying hard to keep up with the OAL.  Same as you, I can't see any tongue tie.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by homemademom 

I think clicking can be a sign of a shallow latch, for whatever reason.  TT is definitely one of them, but over active letdown is another. My first baby slipped off a lot because he was sputtering and choking from all the milk. If you're still concerned it's not just oald, I'd find someone (not a ped) really versed in tongue tie (and posterior tongue tie) diagnoses.

Thanks. I'm not overly concerned that it's TT. I just am not sure and I read that it could be a symptom. I had read that peds aren't necessarily experienced in diagnosing TT and the one I asked didn't even look at his mouth before saying he didn't have it. I don't really want to pursue the TT thing because I don't want it to be that. I don't know if I could go through with having it clipped if it were TT. I can deal if it's just related to my OALD and babe will eventually grow out of it (hopefully). He's already gotten better at handling it.

[homemademom]

Have you started block feeding?  That can help with the oald.

[AJandElijahsmommy]

i know my ds isn't TT. And he has gained 3.5 lbs in 3.5 weeks! I know he is getting plenty of milk. The thing is, because of the OALD he gets plenty of milk no matter if he latches well or not. I am hopeing as he grows he will get used to the OALD and nurse better because he sure gets pissed off at my breasts.

[AJandElijahsmommy]

Originally Posted by homemademom 

Have you started block feeding?  That can help with the oald.

explain block feeding please.

[homemademom]

Originally Posted by AJandElijahsmommy 

explain block feeding please.

Here's a description from Kellymom.org:

• If nursing one side per feeding is not working after a week or so, try keeping baby to one side for a certain period of time before switching sides. This is called block nursing.
  • Start with 2-3 hours and increase in half-hour increments if needed.
  • Do not restrict nursing at all, but any time that baby needs to nurse simply keep putting baby back to the same side during that time period.
  • If the second side becomes uncomfortable, express a little milk until you're more comfortable and then use cool compresses - aim for expressing less milk each time until you are comfortable without expressing milk.
  • In more extreme cases, mom may need to experiment a bit with time periods over 4 hours to find the amount of time per breast that works best.

[MarineWife]

Originally Posted by homemademom 

Have you started block feeding?  That can help with the oald.

Yes, I have been block feeding for about 2 months now. While it seems to have lessened my supply some (which I'm not sure is a good thing) it doesn't seem to have done anything for my OALD. The only thing that has helped with that is baby getting better able to handle it as time passes.

[AJandElijahsmommy]

I am trying the block feeding it is seeming to help. I am also taking him from the breast during the initial let down and letting the milk flow into a burp cloth untill it slows down that has seemed to keep him from freaking out. he absolutly hates it when the milk shoots into his mouth, so much that he gets so pissed he refuses to nurse after that. i have to calm him down and start over. Thanks for the info ladies. (sorry to leach onto the original persons post but I thought it kind of silly to start a new thread with the same question.

[NYmomma5]

It does sound like the problem you're having is from the OALD and not TT. I tried block feeding with two of mine and though it lessened my supply, it didn't help my forceful letdown. I still ended up with a completely soaked shirt from both sides letting down so much milk at the same time. Also, I noticed my babies getting too much foremilk when I did this. In the first few months before my baby is used to the OALD and can't chug fast enough, I will relieve some milk from my breast before letting him latch and then he's able to get a good latch and not choke. i still have a forceful 2nd letdown but he's already on and will either start swallowing faster or will pull away causing me to spray all over his face :) I rather do one breasts at a time though so I know he's still getting the fattier milk and filling up for longer.

[homemademom]

Just throwing this out there, but I've read (and I can't remember where!) that a forceful ejection reflex can sometimes be helped by supplementing with calcium and magnesium.

[scottishmommy]

Originally Posted by homemademom 

Just throwing this out there, but I've read (and I can't remember where!) that a forceful ejection reflex can sometimes be helped by supplementing with calcium and magnesium.

Really? I had a very forceful letdown with DD1. My milk would spray a few feet! This time I don't have a forceful letdown at all and I take cal mag. I had no idea it would help with oal. One more reason to take cal mag I guess.