oversupply- help

[Gsmom]

HELP! wondering if this will abate at some stage.

dd is 8 weeks and feedings are very stressful. i have a fast letdown and i think a bit of an oversupply.

she gulps, and cries during feeding, and the feeds are usually over within 5 minutes. ive tried feeding while lying down, pinching my nipple, block feeding, hand expressing a bit before feeding, but its still the same. and by the time it comes to feed my boob is sore because its so full.

Does this problem sort itself out. i really wish that dd could feed peacefully, im also afraid that she'll start refusing the boob after a while.

Also some feeds are so short, ie. 3-5 mins that i think she cant be finished but the refuses to relatch, and cries, and im not sure if its because she cant handle the fast letdown and is still hungry or is really fulland dosent want to feed anymore.

i had an oversupply with DS too, but exclusively expressed for him so it wasnt a problem cos i fed him EBM.

any advice greatfully received!

I've had much the same problem. Dd is now 16 weeks and things are mostly much better though we still have some fussy feeds.

I found feeding when she was sleepy easier so getting her off in a sling then rousing her a little to feed or getting her as she woke from a nap.

The other thing is position, leaning back slightly so the milk is working against gravity or feeding lying down so they can dribble it out of the side of their mouth easily.

Don't worry if the feed is done in 5 mins, some babies get all they need in that time. Ds never fed for longer than that!

I have hated feeding dd until recently as it was a screaming match each time but it has got much better as supply has settled to her needs and she has got bigger and able to cope.

Try not to express as it will only up production. If she feeds better after expressing then once you have her feeding better try to express a little less each day until you are no longer doing it.

sorry you've already tried lying down, dd trying to latch on to my neck I was in a bit of a hurry!

Forgot to say earlier, clock watching was also a lifesaver. I wrote down when she fed and slept etc, the times she fed well, when she was fussy which helped me get a picture of how she naturally spaced her feeds as of course with each feed ersulting in screaming I kep[t losing the plot and not knowing if she was screaming because of the let down or because she wasn't hungry or was tired etc. I ended up with a bit of a routine and after a good feed would set a target in my head of when the next feed should be and it did help a lot as I could be far more sure of what she needed and as things have settled down and the feeding has improved we are back to feeding on demand.

thanks so much. ill start recording the feeds and see if theres a pattern- didnt think of that. the night feeds are always peaceful, must be because she's half asleep-hadnt made the connection.
thanks again

If you feel you have an oversupply you could try offering only one breast for a couple of hours, so she only feeds from say the right breast for 3 hours, then for the next 3 hours she would only feed from the left. This would gradually even out your supply a bit.

For the fast let down, could you try feeding her in a more upright position, so that her head is higher than the breast or when she is sleepy and likely to suck less vigorously.

Hope you find something that works for you and your little one.