BF is getting tough - any help?

[sleepmore]

Hello

I have a 6 week old and a 16 month old and BF was not successful first time but has been going well this time with baby gaining weight excellently.

It is getting tough though - she is feeding little and often - this evening bawling her head off and then falling asleep within minutes of feed starting. I am struggling with a 16 mo as well.

Often the milk is coming through very fast so she is gagging and coughing and then sometimes because I don't wind succesfully the whole lot comes up and we have to start again.

I think I am interpreting any fussing/unsettledness as hunger and I am not always sure it is.

I don't want to give up but it is getting tough - any advice?

many thanks

DD is feeding loads today... I think it's the heat.

Can you express off a bit before you feed so that your let-down isn't so forceful?

Like you, I wasn't successful first time round with DS and only 4 weeks in with DD so probably not the best person to help.

Good luck xx

probably heat, also growth spurt around that stage. as a friend of mine once told me, just keep feeding.

it will get easier. the bigger she gets, the more she will cope with the fast let down.

she has obviously been feeding a lot to increase your milk supply, which she has clearly done!!

a few weeks and it will settle down again before you start to go through another growth spurt!

I had the same prob last summer - 6 week old baby + very hot weather = fussy baby who wants to feed little and often. It really got me down but it was a phase and things did settle down.

I know that's not exactly what you want or need to hear, but I thought perhaps knowing that this sort of thing is normal might help. You have my sympathy, though - it was one of the roughest times for me and I didn't have another baby to worry about. You're an absolute star for continuing - keep up the very, very good work x

difficult - could be heat, my babies often did little and often in hot weather

could be growth spurt/frequency day - ie building up supply. common at 6 weeks and usually only like this for 1-3 days... don't lose heart!

or could be oversupply but wait till cooler/couple of days to see

kellymom website good on these things. if you do decide oversupply you can feed on one side only for a few days... but look it up or ring a BFC first?