Any top tips to stop 5 week old gulping air while BF

[confusedfirsttimemum]

Sorry, yet another post from me. Everyone was so helpful last time...

I have a 5 week old DD (my first), who is generally a good feeder and is breast fed. However, as I have previously posted, she feeds fast. In the last few days, particularly in the warm weather, she is gulping back the milk even faster. She sounds like a man downing a pint in a pub! This would be fine with me, but she is making herself choke (four coughing fits in one feed this morning) and gulping down lots of air, which you can tell is giving her really bad wind after a feed. Although I wind her afterwards, she doesn't seem to be getting it back up and she is doing some explosive farts after lots of crying, thrashing and straining.

Does anyone have any top tips to encourage her to slow down? I really want to ease her pain and feel bad that it's my feeding that's doing this to her.

Can you get in contact with a bf councellor to have a look at the baby's latch? That might be the key, she needs to get (as I am sure you already know) a really good open mouth and a good mouth full of almost all the nipple I think...someone who knows will be along in a minute I am sure. I can help a bit with the wind thing. My DS was really windy always full of air. I could managed to get him over my shoulder hooked by his armpits and get a load of wind up that way, but my DH is too broad and couldn't manage it. So he used to lay DS across his knees with legs and arms at full stretch, bit like superman flying, and rub his back quite firmly and loads of it would come up!! HTH

I have a powerful let-down and even now (6mo)DS coughs, splutters and takes in air at first. When he was tiny he belched like a beast but it never seemed to cause him any bother, unlike your DD.

Definately get your latch looked at and if you feel a fast let-down is the issue maybe try some 'uphill' positions so that your DD can cope with the fast flow better. Have a look here. HTH

Fast let down is a good one actually, particularly if she is good at feeding iykwim. I think I had this, just had to look at her and I was leaking like a good un. The wind thing does get easier the bigger they are. Once they get a bit stronger and able to give a good belch on their own (not long now for you) the wind thing is not such an issue. That doesn't help now but keep bumping until someone who does know come onto your thread.

Thanks guys!

Bump!

bump!

Maybe try Infacol to help bring the wind up?? It works to produce just one large gas bubble in their tummies rather than lots of little ones so its easier to get the gas up. Works a treat with my DD, maybe worth a try?

I'm having the exact same problem with my 3 week old dd. Last night she wouldn't settle for so long after each feed. She was obviously in pain with wind, although she seemed to burp so many times!

It would seem i have a fast/powerful let down as often she sounds like she's drowning when she first latches on!

I thought maybe it was a powerful let down, but I certainly don't 'spray' the way other posters have described if I take DD off the breast when she is gulping/choking. Should also say that she has taken to dribbling a good quantity of milk out the bottom side of her mouth when she feeds, which does also suggest to me that she is getting too much at once.

Until yesterday, my breasts were pretty comfortable, but something happened last night and it's like when my milk first came in again - they are both rock solid and lumpy. I didn't know that this could happen at 5 weeks?

Just because you aren't spraying doesn't mean your DD might not be finding your let down too powerful for her at the moment, the dribbling is her way of coping, as is the coughing and spluttering! She should get better at dealing with the volume as time goes on.

Your breasts can become full and engorged any old time if you go for longer than usual without feeding. If it is very uncomfortable you can express a bit off by hand to relieve the pressure. But the best way to relieve that pressure is to feed the baby- mind you she will be faced with a really big tidal wave now so be prepared! It might help to get things going then take her off and 'let down' into a muslin, then put her back on again. I did this sometimes. Sounds like you have a great supply of milk and that your DD is doing well- there are a few bumps along the road of bf aren't there? But sounds like you're getting there.

I don't think I ever realised how tough it was being a mum. Breast feeding is something I had just assumed I would find easy - because my mum fed both me and my brother and never mentioned it being tricky or a skill. It's not until you're doing it that you realise how many other people encounter problems.

I haven't had much luck with hand expressing - can only seem to get one or two drops out. I am thinking of buying a pump just to take the edge off. Last night I fed DD from one breast and the other was so solid I lay in bed in quite a lot of pain. Also had to lie flat on my back because if I lay on the side of the stiff boob it hurt, and if I lay on the other side the stiff boob sagging down hurt!

Confused - I have a fast let down too and DS2 (and DS1) were the same as your daughter and suffered from wind/being drowned in milk. The things that helped for me were

• feeding often (before they're screaming for food) - watch out for the first hunger signs and feed then.

• block feeding from one side for a few hours (so let down is less fierce).

• having the baby slightly more upright in cradle hold and leaning back slightly. You could also try biological nurturing position (google it) which was recommended to me but didnt work as DS2 kept falling asleep on me - maybe your DD will be better.

• burping baby mid feed.

• hand express as much as you can or if you're feeding rom one side and the other side hurts at night, get up and express that side a bit (you can freeze the expressed milk for emergencies).

• drink camomile tea - the camomile seems to help settle their tummies abit.

Good luck - it will get easier. DS2 is now nearly 4 months and is miles better at dealing with the fast let down.

Oh confused it's bloody hard! I couldn't wait to bf and was so dismayed at my hatred for it- it's so different now.

Ibuprofen for pain of engorgement is good as it is also an anti-inflammatory and is safe to take when bf. Try massaging in the bath or shower, I always found that useful.

x

Thanks guys. I'm off to a breast feeding support group today, so hoping it might help to have someone actually look at DD feed. All of your advice has been really useful - and I've tried Ibuprofen, which really helped for the night. Thanks again.