Feel like a dairy cow

[NK29a5b2c9X1179beccccd]

I have a (nearly) 6 week old son and I'm breastfeeding him at the moment. Very proud of myself for having made it through this far - still taking it very much a day at a time though.

I'd love to be able to breastfeed in public so that I'm less tied to the house, but have a big problem. Whenever I feed him, the other breast leaks strongly - soaks through breast pads and overfills those plastic breast milk cup things, so what I've been doing so far ([please don't laugh) is sitting topless with baby at one breast and a jug at the other to catch the leaks. What am I doing wrong? I didn't think breastfeeding was meant to be like this - how on earth do people manage to do it in public? Am I missing something? Or does it take time to settle down and will be something that spontaneously happens? Do I need any special equipment?

Thanks in advance - would be lovely not to feel like I should be plugged into a milking parlour every feed time.

hello NK29 and yes WELL DONE
it does sound like you are producing a lot of milk and have a very strong let down, this is of course a very good thing but also a PITA
In most cases, the milk production settles down, and hopefully that should work for you too.
have you thought about using a sanitary pad or a tena pad or something, to see it that absorbs enough?
tbh I haven't heard of anyone producing this much milk before have you thought about donating?

It should settle down soon. At first my boobs leaked massively, I had so much milk, could have fed twenty babies. It's settled so much now (6.5 months in) that sometimes I think my supply is dwindling, but it never has. I have just enough for our needs. I'm sure yours will be the same. BTW it took me ages to be comfortable with what I was doing to feed in public so well done. It's not that I was shy really, but just so hamfisted, I used to grapple ds if I didn't have my v cushion and four hundred other cushions to prop myself up with!

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If you press the nipple in firmly, it stops the flow pretty well - its how those Lilypadz things work.

you can do it fairly discreetly in public too, by holding the baby and jabbing yourself at the same time.

It does reduce in time, but fantastic that you produce so much.

Dh used to moo at me when I was expressing..

Thank you all - will just have to bide my time I suppose in that case. Wish I'd known about this beforehand - is a real pain.

Will have to persevere in the meantime. Thank you harpsichordcarrier for the pad idea - I might give that one a try! Is a good job I pretty much lost all my dignity anyway when I gave birth really, isn't it?

Lilypadz? Haven't heard of them - would they block the flow and would that lead to infection, blocked ducts, mastisis etc.?

Can hear the little man starting to grizzle - time to go and feed again! Will see how it goes this time.

Lilypadz are ace and haven't caused me any blocked ducts etc at all. I wouldn't wear them all the time though - maybe just stick hem on when you go out?

Agree it will settle down soon anyway (and I hope you're freezing all that excess!)

I can say at 10wks it is better than 6 wks,have the occassional leak massively.. even when feeding him before he cries/is ready for another feed and I need to 'download' doesn't always help either

I was under the impression that the shells shouldn't be worn more than 30mins, so if out not sure how that works?

lilypadz aren't shells - theoretically you can wear them all day (whipping off for feeds, obv)

NK,it will settle down.
Well done for getting so far.
Am rather jealous actually. It took me yonks to express a mingy 125 ml.

Are you freezing all the excess and/or donating??

I remember the spraying and leaking in a M&S cafe in kew trying to BF my DD of 8 weeks old in front of a woman FF her tiny baby. I felt embarassed but proud at the same time. It will settle down. I found the Johnson&Johnson breastpads the best at this stage. Im still BFing my 16 month old. keep going it gets much easier.