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Infant feeding

Fire hose boobs!

8 replies

DocMcFanjo · 23/09/2016 17:15

I'm having real trouble with this. I don't know if it's oversupply or fast letdown or both but when DD2 (7 weeks old) is feeding, my milk is jetting into her and causing her to splutter, choke and cry. We've had a few massive vomits as a result of wind from gulping too.

It's particularly exuberant when I feel the letdown so I take her off and let the stream off into a muslin, but even after that if I apply the teeniest pressure to my nipple it's like a hose, and that's obviously what she's getting whenever she sucks.

It takes a good while to ease off and when it does it's never long till I get a second letdown and we're off again. It's really difficult for her to comfort suck as a result .

Does anyone have any tips? BF support where I live is pretty hit and miss.

I'm not sure it's oversupply as I never seem to have rock hard boobs. I've tried laid back nursing but I'm not sure I'm doing it right- I think it makes a slight difference but she generally ends up spluttering even then. I wonder should I try block nursing, but I don't want to affect my supply negatively at this early stage.

She looks for boob quite often and we rarely go more than 2 hours without a feed. Poos are fine and wetting nappies plenty.

Soory for essay, but does anybody have any suggestions, or similar experience that settled in the end?
I have to go back to work in another 8 weeks so will have to introduce a bottle for EBM at some stage but I'm afraid to do it now in case it precipitates a nursing strike!

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ChipIn · 24/09/2016 02:16

I have a friend who tried block feeding from a very early age and it worked for them because she had a similar issue. Her boobs got used to it and produced what she needed. Could you express for a few minutes before a feed? That normally helps with a strong let down and could help you build up a stock pile in the freezer for returning to work.

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fionnthedog · 24/09/2016 13:08

I have a similar forceful letdown and basically just had to wait for my supply to settle down and DD to get used to it. Was much better by 12 weeks though still occasional splutters even now at 20 weeks! Catching the most forceful flow in a muslin was helpful (still occasionally do it now) but I would caution against expressing prior to feeding as this may cause even more milk (but obviously everyone is different).

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SolomanDaisy · 24/09/2016 13:16

I was advised to block feed from three weeks and it does calm the flow a bit. If you've got oversupply then you won't mess it up by block feeding (I had oversupply and never had rock hard boobs).

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DorotheaHomeAlone · 24/09/2016 16:03

Same issue here. I Let the first bit into a muslin then fed. Uphill nursing made zero difference for me. It settled down at around 12 weeks but he'd already developed a shallow latch by then to cope with it. Worked fine. He also took regular breaks and I winded him quite thoroughly throughout the feed.

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DocMcFanjo · 24/09/2016 16:58

Thanks for the advice all.

I've been trying the block feeding today and it does seem to be helping. And I'm using muslin clothes like they're going out of fashion!

The evenings tend to be the worst time as DD is getting tired and fussy anyway so fingers crossed we'll have some success.

Good to hear from others in the same boat!

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primarynoodle · 24/09/2016 22:53

I could have written this. DD nearly 12 weeks now and it has settled a bit but still frequently choking and spluttering. Lay down nursing only thing that seems to make a bit of difference.

Might not be relevant for your dd but we introduced bottle at 8 weeks because I was worried about nipple confusion and she is a total bottle refuser - I'd start introducing one now if I were you!

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OhWhatAPalaver · 27/09/2016 11:38

My dd is exactly the same. She's 14 weeks now and it's setting down a bit. Just be careful with the block feeding though as I tried that and ended up with mastitis! Not good. I think my dd needs encouraging to latch correctly as well though so that could have also contributed to the mastitis.

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DocMcFanjo · 27/09/2016 18:22

Thanks again.

Block feeding is helping but I do have to be careful not to let them turn to boulders as she does have a sloppy latch at times. So far no blocked ducts or engorgement so hopefully we'll escape mastitis.

She took a bottle no prob the other day TG so I think I'll just give her a reminder one every so often!