Overactive letdown - please help

[FeedMeCakeNOW]

I'm certain I have an overactive letdown.

Letdown is painful and when it occurs my 7 week old starts gagging and choking and pulls off. When he pulls off milk is spraying in his face. He is incredibly windy (probably as a result of this) and cries with discomfort. All his poos are green. I'm having his poo tested for allergy (awaiting results as we speak) but I'm sure his poos are green as a result of his wind.

No health professional I've spoken to (nurse, midwife, health visitor, GP) has even heard of an overactive letdown, so I have no support.

What should I do? I do not want to give up breastfeeding.

I had this too. Have you tried changing around how you hold him. Rugby ball meant the milk didn't spray directly down his throat andhe didn't choke. Also, I know some "experts" insist a bf baby doesn't need winding but they really do - at least, both of mine did. I used to wind them when I changed sides and at teh end of the feed. At 7 weeks your hormones are all over the place and the hormonal surge that starts when you feed can be pretty intense and I used to feel like I had been punched in the chest when letdown came with my second baby. It did lessen as time went by (or did I get used to it?). Good idea to rule out a gastric infection with tests, but if nothing comes back and he is gaining weight and otherwise healthy then it may be a case of waiting for it to pass with time. On the plus side expressing becomes a breeze when you get around to it!

Here's the kellymom page on overactive letdown and oversupply.

It's a shame you can't get any real life support- is there a breastfeeding support group near you?

You may also consider block nursing, if you're not already as overactive letdown and oversupply go hand in hand.

I have this too but my baby is a bit older than yours. I had it with my first DC as well and I found this helps: taking the baby off when the letdown happens (if he doesn't let go by himself), and covering your nipple with a muslin cloth until the letdown has calmed down and milk has stopped spraying, then reattach. They can feed much more calmly once the letdown has subsided. Trying to cope with the fast letdown leads to them sometimes swallowing a lot of air which sounds like it's happening to you. Then their tummies are full of air = not much room for milk = no hind milk in tummy = green poo. Good luck with it.

Thanks guys. I think I'll try the muslin cloth technique and the rugby hold.

Do you know if overactive letdown calms down after a while?

I have the same thing. It hasn't changed from my point of view, but from DS's point of view it got better around 4-6 months or so. I think at that point he could deal with the flow and just swallows it rather than spluttering and choking (and crying.. when he was a tiny newborn it would make him so upset!). Also same with DS, he was a very windy baby. Re: green poos, do some googling on foremilk/hindmilk. Make sure DC completely finishes the one boob before offering the other one.

I'm going through similar at the moment. I saw a brilliant bf counsellor today who showed me how to feed ds3 with him sitting on my lap facing me - not rugby ball hold as they are actually sitting upright, and this helped a bit. Also she showed me how to lie flat on my back and get him to attach himself with him lying on his tummy - this was actually even better as the milk is having to flow 'uphill' iykwim and he definitely seemed to cope with the letdown much better. Worth a try, and at least you get a lie down...

cripes, wish I had the muslin and crazy88's advice. well too late now but the survived I guess....

I had this too. And I know a lot of people who do. I tried most of these tips, and it settled down a little after block nursing for a few months. Also he learned to cope with it better!