Ready to give up

[cindyrella]

Excuse me whike i have a moan...
My LO is 7 weeks. My supply is too much. She drinks little and often. I've been thru:
Toe curlingly painful let down
Constant 2 hourly or less feeds
6 week growth spurt feeding half ti hourly for 2 days
Screaming matches due to too much milk
Reflux & projectile vomiting

The latest has me ready to give up.
She is feeding for 5 mins on one breast...this is usual...but the hind milk isnt kicking in (i know because i can feel it in my nipple when it is). I cant persuade her to drink more so she is waking hungry after 1 hour. With holding her upright after feeding for reflux, I am getting about 20 minutes sleep.

Sorry for long post. I have been sitting here crying onto her head & have had enough. Any advice?

[Lovelybitofsquirrel]

Am far from being an expert (bf ds1 5 weeks!) but could you express the hind milk after she finishes then offer that first next time? Apologies if this is useless advice!

[Gileswithachainsaw]

First of all 6 weeks is fab and you would have done so much good!!! Well done x

Secondly it sounds as of the reflux isn't quite under control. Have you been back to gp?

What breast feeding support is available in your area? Hopefully other bf and reflux experts will be along shortly to give the amazing advice they always do. I can't advise I just didn't want to leave your post un answered, an I wanted to tell you that you have done really really well in what sounds a very difficult situation.

And also want to add that formula is not poison and should you decide to give up or mix feed for a bit of a break then please do so without guilt or fear xx

[hettienne]

If you have an over supply, have you tried block feeding to reduce it? This is when you feed just on one side for a set period (say, 3 hours) and put the baby back to the same side for every feed in that time. Then for the next 3 hours feed just off the other side. You might have to experiment a bit with the timings to find what gets your supply under control.

[CelticPromise]

There is a good article on oversupply on the kellymom website, but I'd be wary of trying to reduce your supply without getting some RL support first. You could certainly try putting back on the same side if she wakes after an hour though. Have you tried biological nurturing position so she is working against gravity? Is there a bf drop in you could go to?

Don't worry about the foremilk/hindmilk thing too much, your milk changes gradually over the course of a feed not suddenly and most babies will sort out their own needs. Is she doing the hourly feeding 24/7? That sounds very tough.

Is the reflux medicated? Do you have a sling? I'd try putting her in a sling after feeds, keeps her upright and you can do other things, she may even sleep longer close to you.

It sounds like you have had a rough ride and you are doing a great job. Take one feed at a time. Try to get RL help, and know that feeding is not an either/or thing and you can mix feed if you prefer. However formula won't necessarily solve any problems especially if baby feeds little and often due to reflux.

Hoping for a better day for you.

[cindyrella]

Thanks so much for your replies. Very helpful.
I do have a sling & use that durong day. Its night thats a bother. Reflux is ok as long as i dont put her straight on her back after a feed.

I have block fed but i need to go back to doing that!

I just tried her on expressed milk to see how much she
took & it was 100ml/4oz. I just dont see how 5 mins on one breast can be giving her enough! Lets see how long she goes before her next feed...

Yes, 7 weeks of 1-2 hours b/w feeds. She hss given me a couple of 3 hrs recently. Am hoping that signals a change!

[tiktok]

Some good suggestions here esp on block feeding.

No one can feel when the hindmilk 'kicks in' and that's not how it works - what you are sometimes feeling is, I would guess, a let down, which happens several times in a feed and only some of which mothers feel (some mothers never feel one).

You don;t need to persuade her to drink more - going with the flow is usually far less exhausting than trying to make a baby do something she does not want/need to do.

I think you have misunderstood foremilk/hindmilk - lots of people do.

You can get a good explanation here .

[tiktok]

//thefunnyshapedwoman.blogspot.co.uk/2011/05/foremilk-and-hindmilk-in-quest-of.html

[tiktok]

And you cannot measure how much a baby needs/gets on the breast by offering expressed in a bottle....babies may well take more than they would otherwise, with a bottle, because the bottle teat gives a super-stimulus to sucking (one of the reasons why bottle fed babies gain more quickly than breastfed babies after the first few months, because they are in less control of their intake than with breastfed babies).

On top of that, babies take different volumes and like all human beings, do not take the exact same amount every time they eat or drink :)

Do call one of the bf helplines and talk this through. Much of what you describe is normal, temporary and easier to cope with once you accept this is how it is at the moment.

[cindyrella]

Ok thanks. Great info re hind milk!

I know that she'll take a different amount when on bottle. Thats kinda my point. If she'll feed better/more and then sleep longer, i'm ready to give up on ebf & bottle feed although I hate that idea very much, i'm knackered & it doesnt feel like theres an end in sight :(

[cindyrella]

Ok thanks. Great info re hind milk!

I know that she'll take a different amount when on bottle. Thats kinda my point. If she'll feed better/more and then sleep longer, i'm ready to give up on ebf & bottle feed although I hate that idea very much, i'm knackered & it doesnt feel like theres an end in sight :(

[cindyrella]

You're right. I need to accept this current situation & trust it'll change. I'm just so tired!

[tiktok]

Feeding 'better' does not = feeding 'more'.....

It should help to work out how to meet her needs and your needs for more sleep. Lots of options for this - co-sleeping at night, feeding lying down, letting her fall asleep (instead of holding her upright for 20 mins, which she might not need any more now).