I'm really struggling with oversupply - please help before I give up BF

[eggyblackett]

I'm BF 12 week old dc3 (I EBF dc1 and dc2 so it feels like I should know what I'm doing, but I don't :( ).

We have all the hallmarks of oversupply - powerful letdown, milk everywhere, dd2 crying and gulping, 6 breaks to wind per session...it is miserable. I started to block feed but was getting painful boobs so stopped.

Any ideas please? Feeds are miserable for us both at the moment.

hhmmm
hard one this. I would expect it to regulate itself.
How long has this been going on for- has anything changed- diet, climate etc

No obvious changes. I think BF has always been like this for me, but with dc3 being the third I just don't have the time for hour long feeds (hour ling as it takes time to calm her down, poor wee mite).

Can you express off what you need for a feed and give that via bottle, and not feed from the breast for 2-3 days? Your supply should self-regulate eventually.

I think you need extra help then with other dc. Just for this period. The fact that you need (understandably) to hurry up and help the other kids may be playing a role in this. And I am sure it will regulate. Do you have a partner, friend who can help with dc during feeds?

And has oversupply been like that since birth?
Possibly the latching on is the partial cause of extra wind. I hesitate to say this, I like you BF 3 kids, but perhaps the latching on angle, the fact that you want it to be as quick and effective a feed as possible (due to other dc) are making the oversupply more of a problem than it was before. So like I say, logically, the solution is to create a calmer atmosphere and get some space for you and dc3 to have the hour long feeds that the others enjoyed???

I had really really bad oversupply with both mine, particularly the second. It went on for nearly a year (but you probably didn't need to hear that!). However a few things helped and I ended up feeding both for over 2 years, so it doesn't have to mean the end of a good breastfeeding relationship. But I do sympathise. It's tough going. The 3 things that helped me:

1. Hand express a little bit first into a cloth/cup - get rid of the fast rush of milk at the beginning of the feed
2. Doing 2 or 3 feeds from one breast before swapping to the other wasn't enough for me. In the end I switched to feeding 12 hours at a time on each side, and that was what really made a difference and finally reduced the supply. It sounds extreme but you could try 4 hours or 6 hours first and find what works for you.
3. Feed lying down. It allows baby to control the flow better and is much more calming for everyone. I can't tell you how much difference it makes. Obviously it's not great for going out and feeding, and difficult with other children, but my eldest got used to us all going and lying on the bed and various times on the day to talk and nap and really without this option, I'm not sure I could have kept going.

Good luck!

It can take a while for your milk to settle down. Took mine about 4 months to settle to the point where i knew when i was going to leak, and could (sorry if tmi) push my boob to stop it leaking. In the beggining i used to put terrys towels up my tops to catch the leaky milk.
It does get better hun

I had oversupply - this is what worked for me:

Block feeding - I fed from one boob for 6 hours, then swapped over. If you can, stick with this, it takes a few days for your body to understand what is happening, but gradually it does get the message to stop producing so much milk! If your boobs are getting painful, expressing just the tiniest amount for comfort is recommended. It's a careful balancing act as obviously expressing signals the body to create more milk, but you also have to be careful as the last thing you want is mastitis/blocked ducts.
Sage tablets - Started off taking 3 a day, then increased to 6 a day, there is alot of research to suggest that they reduce supply. I was taking them at the same time as block feeding so I can't say for sure whether they worked or not, but it can't hurt to give them a go.
Feeding lying down or in a reclined position - I used to get LO latched on and then lay right back so he was right on top of me - anything that goes against gravity basically and therefore slows down the flow of milk a little.
Taking LO off for initial letdown and then re-latching once the spraying stops.
Time - as frustrating as it is, and probably not what you want to hear, things do get better in time. LO will slowly be able to cope better with the flow of milk and your body will get the message eventually. I finally don't have the nickname 'Trevi' anymore as I am no longer like a fountain

Thanks everyone. I'm going to try again with block feeding, as I guess I didn't try for long enough. I'll also give the sage tablets a go.

Funnily enough I've always fed lying down as its been easier for my dcs and they've hated feeding in the cradle position. With hindsight I've probably always had oversupply issues.

Thanks everyone. I'm going to try again with block feeding, as I guess I didn't try for long enough. I'll also give the sage tablets a go.

Funnily enough I've always fed lying down as its been easier for my dcs and they've hated feeding in the cradle position. With hindsight I've probably always had oversupply issues.

Another question please - how long should I block feed for?

I was advised to block feed for at least 4 days and told it can take up to a week for it to work if the problem is quite severe. I noticed a difference after about 5 days but I didn't go straight back to feeding normally, I still block fed but for a shorter amount of time on each boob, then I fed from one side only per feed and even now at 15 weeks it is only in the afternoon and evening that LO will take both sides. It is a little bit of trial and error I'm afraid but go with your gut feeling, if you return to feeding normally and you feel the problem has returned, you can always return to the block feeding again. I was always worried that my supply would reduce too much and I'd end up going the other way, but this didn't happen and I still have plenty of milk!

Thanks scrumdiddly I will try that. We've just had another stressful day feeding, so I need to do something about it.

Nothing new to add apart from my sympathy! I had the same. Lying down was the way to go, and block feeding too, as all have suggested.

It made me feel really low - people thought I was lucky to have so much milk and while I know I was, my DC, especially DC2, hated breastfeeding as it was too much for them.

I just kept going one feed at a time, one day at a time, and he got bigger and bigger and more able to cope with the gushing, while my supply settled too. He never would feed anything other than lying down though, got very good at balancing him on the baby changing table in the toilets and boob dangling...

Hope it settles for you soon x

That's the irony isn't it Bobbie? So many of my friends have struggled with poor supply, and yet I am moaning about too much. It is awful for dd2, she gets so upset, and if I'm honest it makes me hate BF.

Fingers crossed it gets better soon.

Possibly too late but have a read of this for another suggestion: www.internationalbreastfeedingjournal.com/content/2/1/11