help with fast let down?

[docket]

Sorry if this has been done before, I haven't had any joy searching through the archives.

4 week old DD is fussing a lot when feeding, gulping and spluttering and getting horribly windy after a couple of minutes and it seems from a bit of googling that these could be the symptoms of a fast let down. Anyone know whether I can do anything to help? Each feed can take 2 hours, on, off, endless burping and crying then back on again and I'm exhausted!

TIA

If it is fast let down i was told by a LLL lady to encourage mum to lie on her back and have baby above her so baby is nursing against gravity so wouldn't get swamped.

I'm sure another more experienced will be along.

Docket, this is probably a result of your supply being extra-generous. Lying back is one way to control flow and is worth trying, though not terribly convenient every time ; a better and more 'systemic' way to control it is to try 'one sided feeding' - I have written about this a lot on Mumsnet. Basically each breast is only used once every few hours (the other side is expressed to comfort, if needed). This reduces the supply, without reducing the nutrition for the baby.

If your baby is piling on the weight, then that's another sign you are prob producing a little bit too abundantly - nothing wrong with the wonderful weight gain, by the way, it's just that it's a sign of over-supply.

Hiya
this link may help

I have this problem with over supply and have tried the one sided feeding and it seems to be working I also try to have DD higher than the breast cause her head is so small compared to them!!

thanks very much.
she is piling on the weight as well, shall try the lying down feeding and one sided feeding - does this mean feed off one side only each feed and change every feed or feed consecutively off only one breast?
ta

docket, kellymom suggests one-sided feeding at first, that is, at each feed using only one breast and then moving on to what they call 'block nursing' which is using one side only for several hours at a time. My experience is that this is unnecessarily cautious - going straight to 'block nursing' is fine, and gives good results within a couple of days or so if it is going to work.

To be honest, it's probably actually easier to do this than mess about with positioning, and I wish more people could teach women this very simply 'engineering' of the milk supply when they are faced with the 'extreme' end of this issue, as you are. It's not a common problem, but I think it comes up on MN about once a month, and I get a similar rate of occurance on the phone as an NCT bfc. It's nothing like as common as sore nipples or concerns about not enough milk, but it happens often enough for anyone who aims to support bf women to have it up their sleeve as something to try.

I suffer with this as well so you have my sympathies. I hate to see DS struggling to keep up with the flow.

My technique for coping with it is to uncover both sides at each feed. I then sit with a cloth under the side I'm not feeding from, and lots of milk lets down. This seems to ease the really fast flow at the start of each feed. I've cut up loads of towels to use for this purpose, and get about 3oz of milk each time (feeding 2hrly), so it must be making some difference.

Thanks very much all for your responses and Tiktok thanks for the advice on block feeding, I'm giving this a go!

Mumsnet is just great!

Hi, Kayzed. In my experience, fast let-down is symptomatic of over-supply, if it happens a lot, say at most feeds, and every day. Over-supply typically starts a few weeks in.

I think you are a bit hung-up on emptiness/fullness/dryness. There is no way you can really tell how much milk is in the breast at any one time; breasts which feel soft can have plenty in them, and in any case, volume is only part of the story. The emptier the breast, the creamier the milk.

I don't understand what 'feeding during 7 1.5hr wake periods during the day' sorry. Do you mean she feeds 7 times in the day and sleeps for longer periods at night? That's quite normal, if so.

What's her weight like?

Kayzed - how about you just continue what you are doing, accept it as normal and that it will change when another 'normal' comes along, and trust that your baby will learn to cope with the fire hydrant effect!?
I don't know how you can tell you seem not to have enough in the evenings, sorry.

Engineering a separate supply and flow from each breast is probably possible in time, but things change day by day during this newborn stage, that hanging on in there is probably easier than trying to mess with what's happening.

You are doing fine - relax

I still don't know how you know your breasts are empty, kayzed....being on the breast every hour off and on for several hours is not a sign of anything, really. Of course the breasts will feel 'empty' but they aren't. Just chill, relax and respond to your baby and your body will do the rest

Very frequent breastfeeding - the sort that happens on and off for several hours at a time - does mean the breasts feel rather like pancakes

It does not mean there is no milk.

possibly, yes, kayzed

Hi
IME the reason the fire hydrant effect often causes fussing is because babe has to gulp and glug to keep up which in turn causes painful wind, this was certainly the case for us and I found a good winding after initial big letdown usually got a good burp up before settling for the rest of the feed.

I am sure there is research supporting that a womans supply is less abundant in the evenings. As has been said this does not mean any less calorific because the emptier the breast the creamier the milk but could explain why DD settles down for a really good feed at this time.

As I understand it the reason fast letdown is often associated with over supply is because it is the excessive fullness of the breast that creates the force to eject milk rapdily. I do believe some mums experience fast letdown without oversupply but this is purely anecdotal from speaking to mums and not evidence based.