Please help- need to regulate oversupply

[Feedingnightmare]

Hi all

DD is 6 weeks old and showing classic symptoms of lactose overload/fast letdown/oversupply etc. Green watery poos and enough gas to fly a hot air balloon.

Last time I tried to BF I was not producing enough, and this time DD was poorly for the first week after being born so I was being told to pump between feeds as she was not feeding very well. I've continued pumping between feeds because of my low supply last time- paranoia that it might happen again etc. However since her symptoms have gotten worse I realise it's probably time to reduce pumping and try to regulate my supply.

Here is where I'm confused and could really use some help. DD seems to feed more/better from my right side, and as a result I am VERY lopsided and my right side is where the over supply is. Is there a way I can even my supply out over both breasts? I know it sounds trivial but the lopsidedness is so obvious I'm having to use an M&S breast form to appear normal lol.

Today I've started block feeding - so putting her to the right breast every feed until she pretty much drains it, but I am concerned about the left? So I've been sticking a milk collector on the left.

I've no idea if what I'm doing is correct and could use some guidance. I've got an appointment with an IBCLC coming up in the new year but would love if I could alleviate DD's discomfort before then.

Just to add, DD is gaining weight well and following her centile curve. She's just extremely uncomfortable even while feeding. I've been dairy free for weeks now as DC1 had a dairy intolerance so I thought it was that, but as I've observed her I think the issue is the oversupply. I can here her gulping away and she often breaks her latch (clicky sound) to keep up I think. She's already been checked for TT by a few people and there's nothing obvious. I'm in no pain apart from when she yanks her head back whilst feeding. The clicky sound is a recent thing (last couple of days).

I’m no expert OP but I’m sure you should be popping her on the boob she’s feeding less from first and maybe putting a Hakka on the oversupplier. This should reduce demand in one and up demand in the other? If you get it auctioned on well you should still get a few ounces you can freeze for later.

Alternatively, you could try a manual pump first to catch the letdown and fast stream at the start in the hope that helps?

I'm also not an expert, but if you're feeding her from your right breast and only collecting let down from the left, then I think that will exasperate the issue you're having. It needs to be the other way.

Thank you ladies. That makes so much more sense... clearly sleep deprivation is getting to me!

Would I be better off just hand expressing a bit off the right instead of using the milk collector/suction cup?

If block feeding isn’t working, you can try only feeding from one side per feed (rather than blocks of hours) as an alternative. Make sure she gets right down to the creamy stuff at the end if you can. If you have spraying at the start, try to catch it in a cloth and put her back on when things have calmed.

Leave the other breast alone, other than very light and expression to relieve pain and discomfort if needed. Keep an eye out for painful, hot patches (blocks/mastitis) and seek GP help of you feel fluey. If you do get a block, hand express with the force focused opposite the block E.g block at 5 o’clock, main force of your hand at 11 o’clock.

She’s growing well, and you’re 6 weeks in so I don’t think you need to worry about damaging your supply? I pumped between feeds and by breasts went a bit mad - midwife said my body thought it was feeding twins. Good luck!

Don't overthink it. Literally no such thing as "over supply", it's only week 6 so things will gradually settle and even out. Block feed until you feel soft on both sides. Swop and repeat. Baby seems happy and healthy. You're doing well!

Green poos and making gas are not signs of anything much, certainly not oversupply of milk (which isn't really a thing as other posters have said).

Lots of women have a breast that babies prefer when feeding, to try and even this out I would always start the feed with 'bad boob' and then switch over. Not feeding from it like you are doing will definitely make it worse. That said you can successfully feed from just one side if that's what you want.

Also just quit pumping if you haven't already, your supply will start to even out in the next few weeks and your body will just produce the milk your baby needs.

Thank you all, your advice has been extremely helpful and makes perfect sense. I've ditched the pumping apart from my manual pump when absolutely necessary. Still feeling a little anxious incase my supply dips below DD's demand- last time around I was on Domperidone and could only maintain an adequate supply if I was pumping 3x daily.

I have had an excess supply with both of mine enough to feed a baby and donate litres of milk to a milk bank!
Block nursing didn't work for me (almost ended in mastitis) and it isnt recommended first few months I had the same issue with both of mine.

I tried feeding off of one and just hand expressing the other but it didn't work for me. Instead I used to use a hakaa to reduce the discomfort and flow especially in the faster boob whilst feeding first of all on the less crazy boob. If you can just hand express enough off or if flowing freely use a catcher which doesn't have suction then it's better.

But I would not have it sectioned on hard just enough to relieve the discomfort and take the superjets off as I called them. I also reduced the amount of time I used by a few mins each time. I just did it til comfy.

With my first it took til he was 10 months to settle (hence being a milk donor) with my second it was at the 5 month mark.

I still have lopsided boobs (still feeding) but I just shift the pad out of the nursing bra from the super side and stick it in the less crazy side.

If the baby has a preference on side, you can help them latch on the other. For example, lay the baby on a pillow and when they finish on the preferred side, slide the pillow along and latch them onto the other side (if they are sleepy they may not even realise it's changed). Also, experiment with different positions. Rugby hold can be good as it's quite secure. Also side lying can be quite a relaxed way to feed for both of you once you've mastered it. If you have a fast flow, you can also try biological nurturing and feed in a more upright position. If you Google it, there are videos and explanations on how to do it. Finally, it's a bit of a myth that bf babies don't get gassy - they absolutely do. Give the baby a good winding and that may help. Usually this settles after the 12 week mark. I have bf 3 DC and all of them needed winding initially or they were very uncomfortable.

Thank you all so much for your advice! I have found your tips and tricks invaluable :)

Probably asking how long is a piece of string but any idea how long it would take to regulate my right boob? The discomfort is ... uncomfortable 😅I have been hand expressing just enough to feel ok in my bra but cannot wait for it to feel comfy again. It's only the last few days that it's been getting to engorged - I think because being half asleep I'd let DD feed from that side out of convenience as we cosleep.

It varies woman to woman usually about a week or so for me.
Avoid getting too engorged if you need to use a hakaa then do so just do it til your more comfy and avoid every feed. It's still less stimulating then a pump

Hi all.
Just thought I'd update particularly so I don't end up doing the opposite of what I'm meant to do (again)!

I found my right boob was refilling so quickly despite hand expression, so instead of pumping I'm now putting baby to the left boob first at every feed, making sure she has drained it, and then putting her to the right side to finish off the feed with a milk collector on the left. I'm thinking of pumping between feeds only on the left just to speed up the "evening out" lol. I think my right boob is getting the message gradually as I feel it's getting engorged slower than the last couple of days. I like the hack about taking the padding out of one bra cup and putting it in the other!

Hi all
Thankfully the engorgement didn't progress to mastitis and I've managed to really reduce the pumping right down over the course of the week. However I fear my supply has dipped so much that I can't satisfy my little one. She won't settle after feeds (in fact she's been on me almost constantly for the last 24 hours). She's still peeing etc but she just isn't satisfied and I'm worried her weight will dip. With my eldest I accidentally starved her for a week or so because I kept being reassured that if she was having wet nappies and not showing the classic signs of dehydration, she was fine. Unfortunately she gained barely any weight in that time and I ended up combination feeding. I really want to avoid this scenario again but also know that if this is normal behaviour and I supplement, I will damage my supply. I'm so confused. Would appreciate any advice.

It sounds more like classic growth spurt behaviour which is typical for 8 weeks so she is cluster feeding and will do for a few days just keep feeding on demand.

If worried you can use a hakaa in the mornings to collect some milk which is more gentle than pumping and can freeze incase you need it.

I always go by their fontanelle for if they are getting a bit dehydrated if it's dipped quite a bit then they need some milk. Just run your hand gently over the top of her head towards the front.

Your doing brilliantly I know it's tricky when you can't see how much they are getting but it honestly sounds like typical behaviour to me

Just wanted to say how brilliantly you're doing with this. It's normal to get a few issues with supply during month two as they go through a growth spurt, suckle like crazy, then leave you with pressure. Your determination to keep your supply up will see you through.
With my middle child, the only way I could get her to latch comfortably was to take some of the pressure off by pumping a bit first. She had much less colic than my first, because she wasn't overloaded with foremilk in the normal frequent feeds at that time. We went on to happy, satisfying breastfeeding well over a year with each.
Some mums are a bit complacent about supply at this time and let the pressure do its thing reducing supply after the first growth spurt. Then when the growing baby needs more again, they start giving 'top up' formula, thus messing with the supply even more.
A few times I remember waking baby to have a feed because I
needed her to help me be comfortable 😁 You can pump and freeze or dump instead, but a competently feeding baby is instant relief!
Good on you for your commitment to feeding. The biggest factor in someone feeding successfully is determination.
Wishing you many happy feedings and a great supply through the New Year! 🎆

Hi all. Unfortunately my supply genuinely has taken a hit and DD just has not been satisfied the last couple of days. She is constantly on me and refusing to take a bottle apart from one miraculous time where she took some EBM and knocked out for 4 hours! Since she is constantly on me, I am not getting a chance to pump to up my supply again. I think I have IGT as this happened with DD1 although at the time I was clueless and kept being told it was just a growth spurt. I know this is not normal cluster feeding so am desperately trying to get her to accept the bottle or SNS. Strangely she found the flow of both too overwhelming. We have an appointment this week to see an IBCLC/TT specialist. Please send positive vibes as the bottle refusal is very stressful! Not sure how else we will get a top up into her :(

Successful transfer of milk from you to baby via breastfeeding will be much better at increasing your supply than any pumping you could ever do.

Is it just the fussy behaviour that leads you to think you don't have enough milk? If you don't feel reassured by wet nappies then I would go with tracking weight once a week rather than any other signs.

It's great you are planing to see an IBCLC this week, I'm sure they will be really helpful at checking the latch (the most important thing to ensure milk transfer) and helping in other ways.

@toomanytomention I'm pretty confident it's a supply issue as DD1 behaved like this at a similar stage and that's when her weight plateaued and I had to start supplementing. She had already had her TT divided at this stage and was latching fine. The more I've read about IGT over the last few days, the more I'm convinced that's what the issue is.

Yes I'm counting down to the appointment! Just need someone to tell me what on earth to do from here!

Hello all. Thought I would update here. DD did indeed have a subtle posterior tongue tie which was released today. Not sure how much the snip will help but in the meantime I've been advised that Domperidone might be a good idea temporarily - to create an artificial oversupply so that she doesn't have to work quite so hard for the milk. Her weight gain has been steady so technically she is getting enough, it's just taking her AGES to get it.

Unfortunately DD has become extremely fussy during feeds ... almost to the point where I wonder if she has a breast aversion :( Will see how the next few days go with Domperidone.

Please send positive vibes!