Breastfeeding - Newborn Coughing / Choking - advice please!

[scaredsection]

Hi,

My DS is 2 and a half weeks and is EBF. I find that whichever position I hold him in that if I have a lot of milk that he starts gulping it really fast and then starts coughing and choking. This is mainly at night, when I put him back in his side sleeper he is then really congested when on his back and sometimes wheezes and struggles to sleep. These aspects really scare me and I'm so worried every time I have to do a night feed. I've seen stories about babies choking to death and obviously worried that he may get ill from aspiration as well.

Does anyone have any tips on positions or tactics to help? I've tried taking him off as soon as I hear him breathing really fast / gulping but I still miss it sometimes. I'm going to go to a bf clinic but it's not till next Monday and it's really worrying me.

Should I be expressing before a feed or will this just increase my supply? Please help!

Congratulations on ds

Have you mastered feeding lying down? This may help.

Also Kellymom website has some fantastic advice on oversupply / fast let down

I would refrain from expressing as your body may potentially think you want more milk produced.

Are you winding him after each feed? This may also help.

You can hand express until let down before each feed into a muslin. The fastest flow of your milk is at let down so getting past this point will help your baby. Alternatively if you can feel your let down just unlatch your baby and let the fastest flow of milk into a muslin or bottle and then latch back on like you have been doing. Your baby will cope with a fast let down better as he gets older

Thanks both, I thought he was worse when I tried feeding lying down but I can try it again. He just woke up because he was having trouble breathing through his nose again, I tried to feed him and he started choking really bad and I felt awful. He was properly gasping for breath it was really scary. Once he calmed down I hand expressed into a Muslim did a but but how do you feel your let down? To me I see it as when the milk spurts out when you squeeze?

I put him back on and he didn't choke this time but now just dreading the next feed. Am going to read the Kelly's mom site, thanks for the link. I think I made it worse as I'm not very well and expressed some milk before bed for DP to give him which could have increased my supply and caused these problems tonight :/ although this has been happening for the last few nights now. Feel awful just want him to have a good feed and a sleep and he can't have either of those (or me either! Been up all night again :( )

Poor little mite. I had the same with dd. She couldn't keep up with the milk shooting out of my boobs. I'll second PPs suggestion above of soaking your let down in a muslin then letting your baby feed after the supply calms down.

Your supply will calm down soon hopefully and he'll be ok. It's so stressful for you, but won't last. You're doing great!

Expressing once won’t have had an immediate effect on your supply so don’t worry about that. Also supply and speed of let down are two different things so whilst you don’t want an oversupply, expressing for one feed a day isn’t going to make your current problem worse.

Some people can feel their let down and some can’t. If you can’t feel it, you’re right, it’s when the milk starts to flow quickly. When a baby latches they do lots of quick sucks to start the milk flow and then at let down the milk starts to be ejected quickly and the baby starts to swallow - that’s the time to whip him off and let the initial fast flow subside. You may be able to hear him swallowing but if not, watch his jaw near his ear for the signal that he’s starting to swallow

Babies sound awful when they get congested, not helped by the fact they’re nose breathers. It might help to keep him upright for five to ten mins after a feed

Sorry posting while tired and I’m not very clear

Also supply and speed of let down are two different things so whilst you don’t want an oversupply, expressing for one feed a day isn’t going to make your current problem worse.

I meant to say they can be two different things. You can have an oversupply without forceful letdown and you can have a forceful letdown without oversupply or you can have a forceful letdown as a consequence of oversupply. If you’ve just been feeding on demand without much expressing then it’s unlikely you’ve got an oversupply at this stage and your problem is “just” forceful letdown without oversupply. He’s still a little babies and many babies struggle at this age with milk flow. He will get better able to cope with it

Look up ‘biological nursing’ or ‘laid back nursing’ positions as they can be good for a fast letdown. ‘Kangaroo hold’ can be good too but not great for night time.

It is common and does usually settle down but it can be due to a milk transfer issue so just keep and eye and if it doesn’t improve, see a lactation consultant.

Laid back breastfeeding!

midwiferytoday.com/mt-articles/biological-nurturing/

Thanks for the advice everyone! Been practising doing more laid back breastfeeding and also hand expressing just before and he hasn't choked so far today. I actually had him lying on my chest after wind ing him and he purposely rolled in a way so that his mouth perfectly landed on a nipple whilst lying on me, clever boy lol. The big test will be tonight though. Going to try giving him saline drops before bed to hopefully help his nose as well.

We had this- it does get better as they get bigger, and letting the initial letdown into a muslin will help. It may cause wind etc too- so burp baby well!

Congrats on a lovely new human

So good! Such a clever boy!