Expressing and engorging, and spraying breasts [blush] - help!!

[Essie3]

Last night my DH gave DS a bottle of ebm for the 4am feed.
By the morning, my boobs were huge and spurting and I woke in a puddle (of bm I hasten to add). I do have a massive supply but is this a common problem? I was desperate to feed by 7am and could have even done with an extra baby!!

Is there a solution to this? DS is 1 month old today, a good feeder, and I've been expressing to take the edge off things a bit (on the advice of a bf counsellor!). I thought my milk supply had settled, but I clearly need to feed him - but does this mean I can't express?

Also, left breast sprays. At every feed. DS always, always removes his mouth at an unfortunate moment which means soft furnishings are suffering here. Anybody got any suggestion for that? I can't breastfeed in public really because of it!

the spraying will settle down with time.
if you express to replace a feed then you will get engorged when you miss that feed.
again, that will settle down with time, but for the time being you might just want to carry on doing that feed straight from source so to speak

If you express you will increase your supply! Which you might be thankful for at the next growth spurt, but does leave you huge in between! When you say left breast sprays is that when you are not feeding from it? I always slipped a breast pad in in the early days- it does settle down eventually!

Yes, I was thinking that I'll only skip a feed in an emergency (long story but last night was necessary).

The spraying is during feeding. It travels so far... I do leak as well, but swear by tommee tippee breast pads - they're the best (and believe me, I could have shares in breast pad companies...)

Ok - I always had an abundance of milk and it is a bit trying sometimes. Do you have a nighttime nursing bra? If not get one but make sure it fits well and is comfortable. Mine was a godsend with dd3 - meant I wasn't waking up soaked - did get through mega amounts of breast pads though! My supply didn't settle till well after 1 month - can't remember exactly but I know when dd was 4 mths old I still kept a muslin handy in bed for mopping up. Re the extra baby - I know my mil had such an abundance of supply that with her second child she was able to express enough to feed two premature babies through a donation scheme at the local hospital It will get better and it sounds like you and your ds are doing great.

Oooh yes the tommee tippee ones are good. I also found the Boots large ones to be quite handy as well.

Does your ds take both breasts at each feed? I used to think it was a waste to lose all that milk from one side, so I expressed on the other side at the same time! One of my friends had your problem, and she used breast shells to collect the milk on the side she wasn't feeding from, then froze and stored the milk. I hate to waste the good stuff! (consequently I have a freezer full of it!!)

1 month is early for supply to settle; I think 6 weeks is mroe usually quoted, or even longer.

Re spraying, you could try collecting from the unused breast using breast shells? I've not used them myself (enviably unleaky) but friends swear by them

i used to have this from both it does settle down.

I used to find it highly amusing but that might be just my sense of humour.

Mine continued for a few months probably because I was expressing as well. It was still happening when dd started turning away to have a look at what was going on around her and anybody in the firing line got sprayed!

Exactly, mum2oneloudbaby - it's when he turns his head, or sighs, or yawns...

Will investigate breast shells. Last night, we had a defrosted bottle of ebm, so DH gave it to DS at the 11pm feed, but I went through two nursing bras last night. It's only really my left breast though!

Ooh, yes, breast shells could be the answer, because it's a total waste to soak my bra. I considered wringing out my breast pad the other day! (The TT ones get heavy, which is funny!)