[goldrose]

dd#2 is now 4 weeks old, and feedings are just no fun, nights are almost a nightmare, we're both exhausted. My let-down is so powerful, dd can hardly eat fast enough. She gets loaded with air, and it takes her forever to burp it all out. Nursing lying down is out of the question (i wish!!) because we just have to get right up to burp, and besides, I just leak all over. We cant do comfort nursing,she just cant suck for comfort if milk keeps pouring out! I dont switch sides after each feeding, I do one side at least twice in a row, sometimes more. I have tried stopoping nursing when the milk lets down, allowing it to spray into a cloth, and continuing when it calms down. Nothing works. She just eats so fast, gets loaded with air, and leaves us both drained from the whole experience.
It was similar with dd#1, except that at night, I sat up, nursed, and she got full of air but didnt wake up. I was able to put her down and she would squirm and squirm but not wake up. I didnt know how to nurse lying down then. NOw I do know how, wish I could, but it's just so unpleasant. We can NEVER fall asleep nursing, let alone nurse in our sleep.

ANY SUGGESTIONS? I want to be able to: 1) nurse for more than five minutes at a time! 2) comfort nurse 3) nurse lying down 4) nurse in my/our sleep 5) not have to burp baby for an HOUR or more after each feeding 6) nurse baby to sleep-what a dream!

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[Geofizz]

We dealt with many of the same issues.

As the baby gets older, she'll be able to handle milk coming faster, so you'll grow out of it in time.

In the mean time, you can try a few things:

I also would nurse Karen just long enough for a letdown and then pull her off. I'd let the jets of milk spray into a cloth diaper or burp rag and then bring her back once the flow had subsided. This worked some times, but not all. When it was really bad (mostly in the mornings) I'd actually express some milk (~1/2 oz?) to get past the second letdown.

I also found it useful to let gravity help. If I would lie on my back while nursing (granted it took quite a bit of coordination!) gravity would keep the milk from coming out too fast, and she'd only get what she'd sucked out herself.

We also only nursed on one side at a time to help with this and a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance.

All these problems went away at about 3-4 months.

Good luck!

 

[Quirky]

Sounds like great advice you've just gotten, and here are some information and links from Kellymom.com. HTH!

 

[goldrose]

thanks both of you. Does anybody know of any way to SLOW a powerful let-down, instead of coping with it?

 

[DaryLLL]

Well, nursing against gravity will slow it, b/c the milk has to go uphill. Nurse flat on yr back or in a semi-reclined position, in bed with pillows or in a recliner chair, with baby on yr tummy facing down.

Some mom go 3-4 hours, even up to 8 -9 hours on the same side, if it is really bad, to reduce supply and forcefulness. Experiment, and express just to comfort on unused side as you adjust.

Nurse frequently, so baby is only a little hungry, not starving, and she may nurse more gently. Small frequent feeds, and no pacifiers or bottles to confuse her.

 

[pumpkinhead]

Oh yes, I know of what you speak. DH used to call me 'Ole Faithful'.

Overactive letdown is NOT fun.

Anyhow, everyone here has made great suggestions. I had to nurse on the same side every time ds nursed for at least 1-2 hrs, whether he nursed 2 or 5 times within that time frame.
I also would express some milk, but had to do 1-2 oz to get past my let down. Then I'd nurse DS and if he was still hungry afterward, rather than give him the other breast, I'd just give him what I'd expressed in a bottle (with a wide based nipple) or a spoon or a cup.

The good news is that it DID eventually settle down for me and I eventually sorta stopped leaking (at around 9 or 10 mos, BUT STILL!

) DS did get used to it too. It got so that he wasn't interested unless the stuff was shooting into his mouth

. When we bottle fed him EBM (which wasn't very often) we had to used the #3 Avent nipple cuz the newborn one just made him SCREAM in frustration!

Good luck Mama!

 

[Shanghaimum]

Just wanted to say, "Me too, me too..." Like you, we had this with ds as well, but I think he coped with it better. My milk supply regulated at about 3 months. Until then, I always nursed on one side for at least 4-5 hours, no matter how frequently he fed on that side. I saw several lactation consultants and they all suggested everything that you are already doing.

With ds, who is 4.5 weeks old, it is a struggle. Like you, I can't nurse her to sleep and she swallows so much air because she has to gulp to keep up with the milk. Fortunately I can nurse her laying down. The worst thing is that if she doesn't burp enough times, she actually projectile vomits... we have been up to the hospital twice for it. Both times, the gp said it is just cause she is swallowing so much air... it is scary though - especially for ds who is 2...

Sending you positive thoughts

Emma

 

[pumpkinhead]

I just wanted to add this! My public health nurse gave me some WONDERFUL advice for helping DS pass gas. She told me to take his little legs, bend his knees and push them gently up into his tummy and apply gentle pressure, while he was lying on his back. Then take his legs, unbent, hold them up straight and push them against his little tummy, applying gentle pressure. Do this repeatedly a few minutes after a feeding (not to soon so as to avoid expelling the tummy contents

). It worked very well for DS. The gas he would pass

...you'd thought he'd been eating nothing but beans for a week

. Always much happier afterwards tho!

 

[DaryLLL]

Your babies get gassy b/c the overabundance of milk you make is more like foremilk, high in lactose which creates gas when digesting. If you keep them on one breast for a period of time, they will get the higher fat, lower sugar hindmilk.

 

[BowenTherapist]

if you really have that much milk, i have heard that cabbage leaves in your bra will dry up your milk some. i have also heard from hilary (on this board) that she recomends nursing for 6 min each session and that will decrease supply.
i don't know if over active let down and over supply are the same things though, so take my post with a bunch of salt

 

[DaryLLL]

Take a look at the link I posted. It says the 2 scenarios, over-active letdown and over-supply are different, but often accompany each other.

Giving a time limit of "6 mins" to a feed could be dangerous. I have not seen any research that shows 6 mins would be a magic number. As I mentioned before, allowing the baby to stay on one side will allow them to get the hindmilk which they need for grwoth. A baby only on for 6 mins runs the risk of only getting foremilk.

That said, short frequent feeds, even 5 mins 3 or 4x/hr, for ex, may work for the baby. It is important to experiment and be sensitive to the baby's cues and responses, not just watch the clock.

My link recs cabbage leaves or sage tea as a last resort.