HELP! Overactive letdown induced bad latch & Nursing Strike

[BakerALM]

Well I only have a few minutes to type so I will get right to it....

My DD is 13wks now and went on a partial nursing strike 13days ago mainly due to my INSANE letdown. I basically spray even when I am NOT letting down, even with pre-nurse pumping. She hates it and this along with me trying to make her horrid latch better caused her to go on strike. I am so depressed and just trying to get through each day, my mom is taking care of my 2.75 yr old basically all day so I can nurse her in a quiet dark room when she is sleepy. To make a REALLY long story short I do forsee a day where this strike will pass and she will be back to her "normal" nursing pattern.

BUT here lies the problem....her latch is bad due to the spraying problem. She is scaired to nurse and really does not look forward to doing it since it is so uncomfortable. I have been block feeding to reduce my supply but even when I feel really empty at the end of the day when I letdown I still spray like crazy. So this tells me and my IBCLC (and LLL friends) that my overactive letdown is agrivated by my oversupply but also no matter if I get my supply down to a normal level I still will spray like crazy. So I feel stuck between a rock and a hard place, what do I do to improve my DD's latch if I can't cure the letdown issue?

I can't nurse in any other position than the newborn cradle hold and football, not even cross cradle. And she pops on and off constantly, so all I do is re-latch and re-latch and re-latch. If she stays latched for 1min that is a long time. Also she wiggles her head, mouth entire body to move the nipple to the front of her mouth to control the flow no matter how tight I hold her to position her correctly. Also if I let go of either my breast or the back of her head (in the correct position on the bones behind her ears) she pops off since much of the time she is not actually drawing suction on my breast she is just letting the milk flow in.

I am frustrated, to say the least:! Any ideas on how to remidy this problem? I can't really leave the house to nurse since she is getting big and is very picky even when not on strike so I need to sit on either the couch or the bed to nurse with a pillow. I hoped that nursing would free me up to enjoy life, nurse anywhere and everywhere.

Also I am worried what will happen with this bad latch as she gets bigger? What happens when she gets teeth?

Well I have to RUN! Baby calls!
THANKS!

[pazerific]

first off, congrats on your HB! i dropped off the planet for the past 3 mos, but i was just wondering how things went for you the other day.

i've got a really overactive letdown too, and it's helped me to break dd2 off once the letdown starts and just use a cloth to catch the milk until my letdown slows, then let dd2 latch back on. maybe you've already tried that, just a thought.

also, i know that when ppl wear a nipple shield it reduces the amnt of milk a baby recieves. would it be helpful, only while you're trying to correct your dd's latch, to wear a nipple shield to slow down the amnt of milk she recieves? i dunno about this whole theory, b/c i'm sure you don't want her getting hooked on the nipple shield. i'm just throwing some thoughts out there.

good luck and keep us updated.

[BakerALM]

Originally Posted by pazerific

first off, congrats on your HB! i dropped off the planet for the past 3 mos, but i was just wondering how things went for you the other day.

i've got a really overactive letdown too, and it's helped me to break dd2 off once the letdown starts and just use a cloth to catch the milk until my letdown slows, then let dd2 latch back on. maybe you've already tried that, just a thought.

also, i know that when ppl wear a nipple shield it reduces the amnt of milk a baby recieves. would it be helpful, only while you're trying to correct your dd's latch, to wear a nipple shield to slow down the amnt of milk she recieves? i dunno about this whole theory, b/c i'm sure you don't want her getting hooked on the nipple shield. i'm just throwing some thoughts out there.

good luck and keep us updated.

Thanks! The strange thing about catching my letdown is that I don't always spray once my nipple is removed from her mouth but as soon as you put sucktion on it again. (don't ask how I know this) also you can tell by the way she reacts when I letdown, she jumps backward a mile! I also spray if I am full of milk even when I am not letting down. That is the annoying part. Even if I pump off an ounce or so before feeding. :

As for the nipple shield I was recommended this option also but have been afraid to try on so many levels. I really don't want her to get hooked on it but at the same time I don't know how else to fix this problem.

Thanks again!!!

[Family4Christ]

You didn't mention this, so I thought I would...have you nursed "uphill?" That really helps a lot - at least it does with my DD. Here's what I mean (there are pics if you scroll down a tad).