Hyperlactation/forceful letdown

[MrsR84]

OMG, PLEASE tell me this settles down eventually? I know I should be grateful to have lots of milk but its become a battle to get under control at each feed - I can't even feed in public as it makes such a mess, I take expressed bottles instead.

Baby boy is 4 weeks 3 days old and every feed I have to express a tiny bit off and press a muslin against the nipple to slow the flow, or he gets a shower and screams after the feed because hes gulped too much air in trying to handle it.

I'm block feeding and leaning back when I feed, he takes bottles of EBM but I'd rather keep him on the boob for convenience. My boobs regularly feel hard and slightly uncomfortable.

Can things still settle at this stage, or am I stuck with it?

[Latium123]

Good news from me as I'm here to say, yes, it can get better. You have described exactly what I went through. I too couldn't feed in public because I ended up absolutely drenched after every feed. It did all settle down and the leaking gradually lessened. I can't remember exactly she it settled down for me but I know I was confidently feeding in public by around 6 weeks so I would guess it all started to settle down around then. I just made sure I had loads of muslins with me in the change bag. I am still BFing mine at 11 mo and I don't have any problems at all. The good news is I think the fast letdown helped DD become a very efficient feeder and she takes her milk in around 3-5 mins now. I was never stuck feeding her for hours on end like some friends. Maybe there are some positives to this too. Good luck, it sounds like you are doing everything right.

[NotCitrus]

It should improve - he'll get bigger, for starters. It was around 6 weeks for me things got more civilised with both babies, and after a couple months I wasn't leaking really.

I found finding places in public that weren't too public really helped (the large Sainsbury's cafe with wipe-clean sofas facing away from everyone, changing rooms in various department stores, baby cinema, John Lewis feeding rooms, middle of a park) - I got more practice at feeding and got more confident - by 3 months could do it anywhere, especially as my babies could be sat up on my knee for a feed.

Hope it improves similarly for you.

[MrsR84]

Thank you both, thats really reassuring! He feeds in 10-20 minutes at the moment - today has been hell as hes screamed in pain & needed a quite elaborate winding routine after each feed, despite starting off with the manual pump each time ???? After the last feed I put 2.5ml of gripe water in a bottle teat and let it drip into his mouth, he settled a while after that.

[helloelo]

Another "I'll get better" vote here (at around 10 weeks here).
If you're already doing block feeding, you could also try the method of fully emptying both breasts with a pump before block feeding (and repeat every week).
Good luck

[JRWREN2110]

Hi,

Yet another "it gets better", I have over-supply and forceful let down. My DD is now 8 weeks and my supply is a lot better, although I still get engorged every now and then, my let-down is still pretty forceful though- if I am not spraying, I am leaking profusely.

I stopped expressing some off, as I didn't want to increase my supply, so I used to latch on DD then after 2 sucks take her off and allow the spray to come off into a muslin. I also block feed and still do. I began doing 2 feeds one side, then two feeds on the other. I had to use an icepack on the unused side. My supply began to lessen, so I now do one feed on one side then the next feed on the other.

I still spray all over the place but as she gets bigger she can cope a lot better, she still coughs and splutters a little, she does throw up here and there. But she will only get better and BF only gets easier :)

Well done, you are doing fab as is your DS!

[JRWREN2110]

Bf in public is tricky-I also have large breasts-so staying hidden was tricky-I had a pashmina on to hide her, a muslin under my breast and one close at hand incase of spray-best thing to do is preempt a feed and find a comfy cafe or at least a sofa place so you can lean back.