difficulty breastfeeding sitting up

[peacemama]

My 3 1/2 month old gets stressed on the breast if I try to feed him sitting up. I know i have a fast letdown so have adapted by feeding lying down, so he can escape the excess milk when it comes! But I think he feels trapped when I'm holding him sitting up. This makes feeding him out and about really difficult, and he usually ends up screaming as I keep trying. I can take him off when the letdown comes but he screams and wriggles as soon as I try to get him to lie back against my arm again to feed. I don't know what to do. I feel like I need someone to help me hold him right, or tips for how to do it? Thanks...

Have you tried a sort of rugby ball hold?
Cranial osteopathy is also worth a try.Ther may be some residual pressure in his head post birth.

Hi Peacemama - have you got a good breastfeeding cushion? My Heather has never been comfortable feeding in my arms without lying on a cushion. With my cushion I can get her into a position where she is lying down just as when I'm feeding her in bed, I think she also feels less trapped as I don't have to hold her really. I also used to have a fast let-down as eventually worked out I needed to feed her 'uphill' - I sat in an arm chair and had a stool to get comfy and kind of leaned back so she was on top of my breast and fast milk had to work against gravity! I did finding feeding out of the house hard for months- I had a favourite side and ended up always feeding on that side when I was out. Actually it took me months to crack being comfy feeding her all the time - I think the turning point was when I started going to the local breastfeeding group and saw loads of other women feeding - I kind of looked at the way they were holding their babies and then tried to find a style that suited me. sorry rambling a bit as I have an eye on desperate housewives! hope this helps a bit.

thanks moondog, what do you mean about pressure in his head? what is it that makes you think that? He did have a couple of cranial sessions when he was 6 weeks old.
I will have a look at what rugby ball hold look s like in the books.

Thanks Jenkeywoo. Have been thinking of going to a breastfeeding group to work out the positioning and get help. Sounds good. Definitely relate to the difficulty about going out. And yes I think I need to work it so that he's feeding uphill. Enjoy housewives!