Could this really STILL be oversupply?

[BollocksToThis]

Hi folks.

I got great help with my oversupply trouble on here. Wonder if anyone has any thoughts they could add as I'm still having a bit of a struggle at times.

I'm still block feeding. DD (now 12 weeks) is sleeping a 6 or 7 hour stretch most nights and then having a tiny brief feed before dozing off again for another 2-3 hours, so I am waking up with very full breasts (note - not complaining!). I then block feed (ie first and second feeds on the same breast, until it really feels soft and then some - so maybe a 4-6 hour block). Then she has the other breast for the next few hours which is by this time really full of course. So we get through 4-5 breasts in a day if that makes sense.

Now, in the morning she's happy, settled and has one or two massive yellow poos. In the afternoon she gradually becomes less settled and by evening has a hard, sore, gassy abdomen, grunts and strains, farts LOADS and has been producing 2 or 3 scant, green, mucus-but-mostly-a-fart nappies. She's obviously exhausted but can't settle to sleep and wants to be latched on all evening, often crying and straining and using the sucking for comfort.

So, she needs to suck but I feel like that's just maintaining excess supply, despite no breast swapping all evening. OR, alternatively (this has been suggested to me) she's also got a dairy allergy or something which was masked previously with the oversupply being so bad (does that explain the happy mornings though ?).

It's just fine tuning, and goodness knows other people have much bigger problems, but she's miserable and some nights hysterical with tiredness but just can't settle and all the carrying and holding and rocking and massage in the world don't help until she's rid herself of the farts.

Wow.

Poor baby :(

Time to investigate dairy, I agree....

Thanks very much for that tiktok. I'll cut dairy and see where that takes us. Shame I also have what I think is gingivostomatitis just now and have been surviving on yoghurt because it's all I can eat without weeping. Guess I could see if the library has any Annabel Karmel books I could borrow

I guess the Bailey's and brandy butter are off the cards too, I'll have to subsist on pureed turkey washed down with port

Sorry, tiktok - I'm just wondering. How long would you advise excluding dairy for? Someone has told me 6 weeks but surely an intolerance bad enough to upset her guts like this would show improvements sooner - 6 weeks is long enough for her to grow out of it!

And my HV thinks that no eczema = no dairy problems in a BF baby, although I took that with a pinch of salt due to her designation, poor woman (apologies HVs!). Any thoughts?

Not my specialism, sorry, OP, but 6 weeks sounds ridiculously long. I have heard that 2 weeks is the time most often recommended.

Your HV is wrong - exzema is only one way diary intolerance manifests itself. Its absence means nothing. How odd she doesn't know this

Any chance you could find an informed person who could talk you through this, and maybe help you with a dairy free diet (not easy to maintain)?

Thanks again. To be honest I've been scouting for help and phoned various helplines and it's only been advice from you and other posters that's helped - and things are lots better with the oversupply. GP thought snotty nose, HV nice but not vastly knowledgeable, local NHS provides NCT trained peer supporters but it seems there's nobody official who can help much. And of course as long as it's not terminal they all reassure me she'll grow out of whatever they've diagnosed . The thing is, DS was exactly the same (but worse, I am assuming I had oversupply with him too and as it was never addressed he really struggled, feel so guilty now :() and he's fine with dairy and has been since weaning.

It's all such a muddle but expertise is thin on the ground so I feel a lot like I'm on my own. Am sure if it was newborn latch issues there would be lots more support.

Sorry that turned into a big old

oops! ... big old moan. I'll try dairy. If poo is happy in the morning then surely any allergen is having a fairly rapid effect so hopefully that'll sort it, poor mite.

Peer supporters are not trained to resolve this sort of difficulty - I wish mothers with real difficulties that need fixing were not referred to peer supporters. It's not fair on them - their skills are in listening, support, and the basics of how bf works so they can share that with mothers.

There is no excuse, IMO, for HVs not having much of a clue - there is plenty of opportunity for them to train, read and find out out.

I know, tbh I haven't even approached the peer supporters because I realise it's beyond their remit.

Incidentally, why the "wow"? :)

'Wow' simply because I know you have worked so hard for weeks to make this whole bf thing work better and it's still less than great :(

I know it will be great though, because after a hellish slog with DS it became fab and wonderful for years :).

Thanks for your time and advice, again.

Just an update in case you spot this tiktok - still no progress really, dairy exclusion didn't make any obvious difference, still very green and mucusy on the nappy front, although just yellow and watery in the mornings she's grumpy and strains for a while before poos. Bright, cheerful, sleep is much the same, growing and well. Looks like something we'll both have to live with, although there's no doubt in my mind something's not right it obviously isn't serious. Bloody annoying for me and tough for her but she's getting older, we'll get there :)