Ouch! Help, it's all gone wrong......

[MummyDayDream]

Ds is almost 17 weeks, has been feeding really nicely (he's a big chap, 9lbs 13 at birth, was 17lbs 12 at 15 weeks, so I must have been doing something right!). I thought we had bf sorted out between us, but then this morning I woke up absolutely drenched with milk and with painfully full norks!!!!! Had to express 1 side as it was sooooo painful and ds was still sound asleep (I struggle to wake a sleeping baby, somehow). Am now worried that expressing was the wrong thing to do, in case it sends production further into overdrive, IYSWIM. Anyway, I don't understand why supply/demand suddenly seems so out of sync. Could it be that because he's got a cold he's not taking as much, even though he's still latching on regularly?
Ideas would be appreciated, please. Esp. as to whether I was daft to express. Didn't have this problem with dd!

Hiya MummyDayDream, I'm no bfeeding expert but I think you could be right about your DS's cold affecting supply and causing the flood. My DS (also bfed) has had a couple of nasty colds and he seems to feed the same number of times but not for as long.

I don't think expressing is a bad thing, it's better to do that than to be really engorged! Hope things settle down soon.

If it's any consolation, I would have done the same thing - expressed at least enough to feel comfy until DD woke. This only really happened to me when she started dropping night feeds, but the cold theory sounds plausible to me. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will come along soon

Mummydaydream, I presume DS is sleeping through. I think if it was his cold causing him to take less, he would be waking for more sooner than normal. At 17 weeks your milk supply should be quite well established. I think DS has probably become much better at draining your milk and therefore, as milk supply works on a supply and demand basis, you are now making more. Express if it makes you feel more comfortable and helps DS latch on, but I wouldn't worry, things will settle down again. DS may well have had a growth spurt and the demand for more milk has encouraged your breast to make lore milk for him.

Don't worry about expressing making the problem worse, it probably won't make much of a difference.

Hope this helps you a bit At least you know you have plenty of milk to fill DS up

Thanks ladies. I see what you mean ASH about efficiency of feeding. I suppose I'm now feeling daft for expressing one complete side (and it was 7oz, which is a lot for me) rather than just enough to be comfortable until he woke. Still, it'll be useful knowing it's in the freezer when needed

Still don't really understand why it was so suddenly a problem, though????