How can I speed up my letdown?

[suzi2]

DS is 9.5 months and feeds 3ish times a day. The problem is that at every feed other than the middle of the night one, he suckles and screams and pulls off and gets frustrated. Mainly because my letdown hasn't happened. It takes several minutes of coaxing him to suck, calming him down in between sucks etc to achieve a letdown.

I'm sure it wasn't always this way but has been for a good month or two. I know that relaxation helps but I'm finding it difficult! I've also tried expressing or massaging my boobs first but that hasn't helped - I'm not good at expressing either as it takes me ages to get a letdown.

[NotQuiteCockney]

I have a slow letdown sometimes, although thankfully neither DS seemed/seems to mind. A few things that may help:

• try to hand-express a bit, while he feeds.
  
• yoga breathing while he feeds.
  
• as much relaxation as possible. Think of what you need to do, to make yourself pee, when you don't quite feel like it. It's a bit like that.

[morningpaper]

I gaze out the window and try to switch off and relax

I always make sure I am warm - if I'm cold it takes forever

It is difficult sometimes, I sympathise

[Miaou]

What works for me suzi is to think about feeding before it happens - imagine myself doing it, think about the milk flowing, and drop my shoulders, relax and take deep breaths. If you do it before he feeds (even up to 30 mins before) then the milk should be right there. And whilst he is sucking that, then I experience further letdown.

I'm on 3 feeds a day too - first thing int he morning, 3pm -ish, and last thing at night (when I go to bed). It's the first thing in the morning one which I find the most challenging from a letdown aspect - presumably because I have been sleeping immediately before, not anticipating feeding!!

[Dragonhart]

I had a slow letdown too esp when expressing and found that the best thing to stop ds getting stressed was to use a hot flannel (from really hot tap water) on the breast then as he latched on to take a deep breath and relax my shoulders and pull them down.

Def agree with morningpaper- it has to be warm or no hope.

[mrspink27]

i think if you have a drink once they are latched then that helps let down, think i heard this from a mw or hv... think?!

[morningpaper]

I did read about this Buddhist meditation to do when breastfeeding

(bit lentil weavy this)

When you breath in, think "I am breathing in the energy of life"
When you breath out think "My milk is nurturing and flowing into my baby"

or sommat

[suzi2]

had to laugh at the meditation thing... although it might well work as I'm sure that this is mind over matter. I'll try the realxing to wee thing too - that's oddly relaxing! A drink would be an easy thing too.

Miaou - I wish I could drop the night feed - he takes it instead of a morning one but can't seem to go all the way to morning. Oddly it's that feed that I find easy - probably because I'm half asleep!

[suzi2]

It's actually a fine line between relaxing to wee and not weeing.... I'm verging on it at the moment

[Miaou]

lol - ikwym but wish I didn't!!!

[snowleopard]

My midwife taught me to:

1. hold whole breast in hand and jiggle it about
   
2. push firmly from outer edge of breast towards nipple, working all the way around,
   
3. tap all over breast with fingertips.
   
   Do them in that order, then repeat as often as necessary.
   
   Also used to get unwanted letdown when I saw pics of baby animals!

[LucyJu]

Fennel tea is reputed to help speed up let down. Can't say whether or not it works.

[suzi2]

lol - I must try the baby animals thing. i used to get unwanted letdown when I heard newborn babies cry so perhaps I should see if I can find an mp3 of one on the web.

[bramblina]

Suzi I'm worrying about the same thing too and as I've seen Miaou on here too I wonder if it's normal to experience it when the los get to around the 9m mark? Also, amazing to think we met on a thread about painful and very responsive let down! Now it's quite the opposite. I'm going to try the suggestions too, hope you get on better. Quite opposite to morningpaper I actually have to look at ds and concentrate, I find if I don't then it takes a lot longer.