Milk flow

[CathW99]

I'm 3 weeks in to breasetfeeding 2nd baby. He feeds well mostly but sometimes struggles to cope with the speed of the milk flow and then gets horrendous gripe/indigestion and reflux. Often when he comes off my breast I spray everywhere as the milk is flowing so fast. Is there anything I can do to slow it down and make it easier for him?

sorry i dont knwo teh answer but hopefully an expert will come along soon

congratualtions on your baby and sticking with the Bf - its hard work isnt it

Lean back when feeding may help, but sit back upright after the initial fast flow has gone otherwise you will hurt your back. Or, express of a bit of milk before you put your lo on.

Once your lo gets bigger and becomes a proficient feeder it shouldn't be a problem.

Find a local breastfeeding expert to observe a feed and see if they can suggest any tweaks to your positioning that could help your baby to control the flow better. Often a very minor change can make a big difference. Babies who have their tongue in the right place are able to control even the fastest of flows. If you don't know of any local groups etc, then try calling the national bf helpline (0844 20 909 20) and they may be able to help you track someone down.

You may find it helpful to feed from one side from a set period of time before swapping to the other. For example, if your baby wants a feed in the next 2 hrs stick to offering the right side only, then the left side for the 2hrs after etc. The amount of time people find they need to stick to one side varies a bit. You'd also need to keep an eye on the other breast to ensure that it doesn't get over-full and express a bit of milk off if needed. I would strongly encourage you to get your baby's latch checked before trying this technique, as it can reduce milk supply.

Some mums find it helpful to take their baby off as they start to splutter when the let-down of milk happens. then they let is squirt into a muslin pressed firmly against their breast with the heel of their hand, and re-attach their baby once the flow has slowed a bit.

I used to just have a cup nearby and hand express some off until it slowed a bit. didn't take long as it was spurting all over the place.

it calmed down fairly soon though, so don't despair!

Thanks for all the advice - I'll give it a try. The flow does seem to have clamed a bit now so fingers crossed we're both getting more proficient!