i cannot feed dd2 discretely.

[familyfun]

dd2 is 9 weeks old and feeds quickly in 10 mins max and is gaining weight well.
BUT she starts to feed, then pulls off crying with wind, milk is squirting her in the eye etc, then i try and wind her while milk leaks everywhere, then she tries to feed again and it happens again and again, i have to wind her about 5 times per feed and she does huge huge burps.
by the time she is full she and i are covered in milk as are my clothes, breastpads just leak through, i tried feeding vests to cover my stomach but i was drenched.
i basically need to sit half naked, feed her while constantly changing breast pads and then she fills her nappy everytime and when i change her she sicks everywhere and off we go again.
feeding in public is a nightmare as you can imagine.
anyone else?

I'm sorry to hear how difficult it is for you to feed with out showing/showering everything. It sounds like you might have forceful letdown/over-supply.

Does that sound like it applies to you?

Could you get to a bfing support group or phone one of the bfing helplines to talk things through and get some RL help?

National Breastfeeding Helpline 0844 20 909 20
Association of Breastfeeding Mothers helpline 08444 122 949
Breastfeeding Network Supporterline: 0844 412 4664
National Childbirth Trust Breastfeeding line: 0300 330 0771

I really recommend getting a feeding cover. Mine is from mothercare called Bebe Au Lait and it was a lifesaver for the first few months. DD has reflux and I have a forceful letdown so each feeding involved a lot of screaming in the early days. The cover kept it calmer and darker for DD and made it easier for me to basically feed her half naked to feed her without getting soaked. There's also a pocket for your pad so you can slip it in and it stays out of the way of the spraying milk.
Also, I agree with truth Sweet, it sounds like you are having a rough time, and I know I found it very helpful to have someone to talk to (and to encourage me to keep feeding)

I have a similar problem but not as bad - sympathise with the winding and fussing and milk squirting. Do you feed from both sides? I've been feeding from just one side per feed unless he completely drains it which he rarely does. It does help a bit. I have to be armed with a couple of muslins when we go out.

Agree that only feeding on one side helps as baby gets more hindmilk which stays in the tummy better so helps wind/reflux issues. Only problem is you might get engorged for the first few days after you do this so worth expressing a tiny bit from the side you don't feed from, and decrease the amount you express each day so your supply doesn't change dramatically

truthsweet, thanks for that link, that sounds exactly right, dd chokes, gasps, cries, burps etc.
i do only feed 1 side as it is enough for dd so far.
at night when i feed her in bed it is dark and i sit up but lean back and she feeds slowly and hardly ever pulls off or cries so will try that position more in the day.
thank you all so much.
have spoken to a bf councillor in the first few weeks as i was engorged and had a blockage and they helped me so much so may try them again.

Quick tip. Did you know. You can staunch the flow of bm with pressure? Press the heel of your hand over your nipple and the milk stops spraying very quickly. A bit tricky if you are wrestling a windy baby one handed but it saves mess, as does a muslin under the boob.

thanks all, been trying the feeding position with dd above my nipple and it seems to be working, even this morning when my breasts were very full it wasnt as messy so thanks for the help.

I have the same issue and find feeding discretely difficult. What I do to try and cope with the milk going everywhere is to tuck a muslin under the breat that I'm feeding from. This isn't discrete but it does catch the milk so that my clothes don't look and feel awful. If you don't want to do that then I would at least have a muslin or two to hand to mop up with or cover up quickly with when your DD pulls off the breast abruptly. I found that the only breastpads that absorb enough milk are the tommee tippee ones. You could also try wearing a breastshell on the non-feeding breast during a feed.

getting worried now, dd is screaming at feeds, gulping pulling off getting sprayed burping but then falling asleep despite having very little.
she is feeding 3 or 4 times per day, sleeping a lot, goes 8 hours at night, when awake she smiles/laughs kicks, gurgles, on front she pulls her knees up and pushes her body up with ehr arms and shuffles along moving along her play mat so she seems strong and happy iykwim.
is 3 or 4 feeds enough at almost 12 weeks?
looked for local bf counsellor number but coming through number unknwown. will those national ones put me through? will they cost a fortune to ring.

breast buddy been and said dd pulling back to breathe so taking in air cand clicking.
glad to have support