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Infant feeding

Get advice and support with infant feeding from other users here.

help-i'm drowning my daughter......

8 replies

BalletMum · 12/05/2007 09:57

dd is two weeks tomorrow, she is no 3 and I am really struggling with breastfeeding....again. The problem is I have too much milk. She is gulping milk down and therefore getting wind. At night it is worse and therefore taking me over two hours to get her back to sleep. She is fine when held but immediately put in moses basket (and yes head is raised) she screams. I pick her up and she burps or dirty nappy. By which time she is awake again and we are back to square one. Tried dummy which she won't take. I feel she is getting too much foremilk and not enough hind milk. Any suggestions, please..!

OP posts:
belgo · 12/05/2007 10:17

It's hard isn't it? Well done for persevering and seeking advice

I remember my dd1 used to scream solidly 9pm -midnight every night. It's very tiring.

Your milk supply will sort itself out. Why do you think she is getting too much fore milk?

mrsmalumbas · 12/05/2007 10:26

Hi Balletmum - to be honest sounds pretty much like normal 2 week old baby behaviour - it is hard but remember "this too shall pass"!

In terms of the breastfeeding can you say more about what happens when she feeds? Do you have a very strong let down? If you do this is when baby starts feeding and you get a sudden gush of milk, sometimes it can feel a bit ouchy like pins and needles in the breasts, and if you pull the baby off the milk spurts out forcefully? Or does she gag and choke on the milk? The letdown issue usually sorts itself out over time as belgo says. In the meantime you can help calm things down a bit by not swopping sides each time you nurse - try feeding from one side for a couple of feeds in a row instead of offering the other side. You might find the "unused" side gets a bit engorged, that's fine, just express a tiny bit for comfort, things will settle down. Doing this will tend to reduce your milk supply a bit which also tends to reduce the forcefulness of the letdown, but at only 2 weeks it's pretty common to feel you are over abundant in the milk department - things do tend to sort themselves out with time.

Also if she is gagging on the milk you can try expressing a tiny bit of milk before latching her on, or try different holds - the underarm/football hold can help, or having her in a sort of sitting position if you can manage that!

Maybe the waking up and crying etc is not to do with feeding as much as her just getting used to being in the world and getting settled - have you tried warm baths, soothing music, maybe putting her in a soft sling and carrying her?

Or even better get someone else to carry her for a bit so you can have a break!

Good luck, hope things get better for you both soon.

hermykne · 12/05/2007 10:33

balletmum
its still v early days. are you yourself relaxed when you are feeding or are their other factors hindering the feed time?
can you express? a little,
and get her into a comfortable position,

its still early days and your boobs are not settled yet into their feeding pattern.

feeling like you are permantly feeding is normal too for this intial period. that too will settle into a pattern for you and her.

have you lots of support ? to give you 1/2 by yourself or someone to look after your other 2 children.
good luck, take it slowly.

BalletMum · 12/05/2007 10:41

Thanks for all the advice. I am so determined to get this sorted. I will try feeding from same side twice in a row and see how that goes. I have a really strong letdown and yes she is gagging and spluttering. You can hear her gulping it down. Then she gets tired and falls asleep.

I had the same problem with both sons. Gave up after 12 weeks as milk flooded everywhere all the time as well as above problem. I really want to get it cracked this time!!!

OP posts:
LIZS · 12/05/2007 10:44

Sorry it is such hard going for you atm. if you have a fast let down and/or plentiful supply then it might be worth getting some advice from a Breastfeeding Counsellor on positions (may be lying down) and techniques which may minimise any negative effect on your dd such as wind. I've a feeling the foremilk/hindmilk thing is a bit of a red herring and newborns simply need to feed very frequently to keep their walnut-sized tums full but this should relent as she grows. Good luck

BalletMum · 12/05/2007 12:02

Thank you all, I will contact NCT on Monday but meanwhile you have all made me feel much better and "normal" if you know what I mean!!! Have tried different positions and rugby ball one is def best. Lying down is not so successful as we all get a shower - hubby included!!! Just to make you laugh when in the bath the milk spurts so far it can reach my toes!!!!!!! No wonder she splutters!!!

OP posts:
mrsmalumbas · 12/05/2007 13:11

Balletmum, I had the exact same problem as you including dramatic spurting but it did sort itself out. I used to latch her on to get the letdown, then pull her off and let the milk spray into a muslin for a bit, and latch her back on. She didn't like it much but it sorted out the choking. But there was a time when our sofa, the pillows I used to prop her and me up, and all our clothes and everything were pretty much soaked in milk the whole time - you know that awful cheesy sour smell you get? Yuck!

dueat44 · 14/05/2007 11:14

How about a nipple shield - it might baffle the jets a bit. Any excess could then run out of the sides into a towel in your lap. Or baby could suck through a muslin?

Probably total 00 but all I can think of.

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