My sister <waves hello if you do join Mumsnet> might have had bad BF advice; what do you lot think?

[VulpusinaWilfsuit]

Wilf here. My sis has just had a baby. Those of you who know me will know I'm a longterm poster on these boards...

Problem is, is v hot where little sis is, and she's worrying about dehydration. I've suggested checking for wet nappies and poo etc. Anyone got any other things to suggest to reassure her about dehydration.

expressing can help. you basically just express for a few moments to get rid of the initial big gushing mass, and then the baby gets the slower flow and the fattier milk (milk tends to get fattier as the feed goes on, and the worry with oversupply is that baby could fill up on the less fatty miolk that is produced at the beginning of the feed)

Thanks - I can see how that works at first. But doesn't it worsen the problem over the longer term?

Vul,

I had an over supply problem BIG time, I was addvised to block feed off one side for 2 or 3 hours then change sides. So all feeds off one side for a 3 hour period then change sides. I used to let DD suck until let down then let the milk squirt into a towel until it stopped flowing then latched DD on again and she fed happily. By the last feed on the breast she was happy and feeding well. It settled down at about 16 weeks but once it is recognised it is easy to sort out.

I think the idea is you do just express the very first few gushes,but frankly I had this to a lesser degree with dd2,(as I had only just stopped feeding dd1),and although initially she used to vomit up the excess, after a while it sorted itself out,(and she got bigger obviously).I didn't do anything about it other than tilting back a bit to feed her when she first latched on,and I fed her on demand.

it shouldn't, her milk supply ought to settle down by itself over time anyway.

you're right that block feeding can help too though, but i def found with my 3 that just expressing a little off worked fine

lots of good info on kellymom

I think the focus is on getting things right NOW so baby and mum can cope with the idea that it will settle down and adjust all by itself.

Oversupply is great in the early days and should adjusts down itself. You express off just a very little in order for the baby to cope, but bub will up the feeding pretty quickly so you don't really want to reduce supply yet if everything is still very new iyswim. If the problem persists for a few weeks then fair enough, put in strategies for reducing oversupply, but it is probably too soon.

hth

Yeah me too. That squirting business sounds like a better idea than expressing, not so frantic when you've a crying baby.

So. What do I tell her about how not to worry about dehydration?

Obv I've said: if you're REALLY worried, you must call NHS direct, but a well-hydrated baby is...

me too was to oops btw.

Angrywasp, yes really good point. So perhaps it doesn't matter right now if the supply stays up there. Good advice, thanks.

If she keeps offering LO the breast she and LO takes it then she should be find BM is both food and drink. BF babies don't need water if offered breast regularly.

fine. - not find

if baby is feeding frequently and she has a LOT of milk then i doubt she need to worry about dehydration, i'd only really be worrying if baby wasn't feeding often.
like yoiu say wet nappies is the main sign i think

Thanks. She isn't considering water. She is just worrying, as I think many of us do when we're new to this, if the bub is getting enough fluid. And because bub is pulling off and feeding erratically (sometimes every half hour/hour, sometimes 2-3 hours between feeds) my sister is getting quite stressed.

It had been going well so she's feeling a bit down that is isn't so straightforward. I've been trying to help but not sure whether I am or not...

So. The consensus is, so far, that the expressing thing at this early stage, might actually be OK advice to help if she does have a fast letdown/oversupply?

Does she have a local BF group she could go to? If she can get to one they will reassure her and let her know how well she is doing.

HV or MW should know if there is one locally or try www.babycafe.co.uk

Not actually expressing as such but just achieving let down and letting he flow do the work itself. If she actively pumps she will stimulate supply. I used to put the pump on pump until let down then hold it in suck position until it stopped flowing IYSWIM.

I reckon so. Demand feeding is also very important for supply, but also to prevent dehydration. If she is unsure of the hunger/thirst cues then she should offer every hour (but not worry if not accepted).

Breast milk is a true wonderstuff and will adjust to be more thirst quenching if that is what the baby needs. Babies only die of dehydration in 3rd world world hot countries if they are ff.

sorry that last sentence is a bit irrelevant and not properly qualified. It's true, but the issue is wider and I can't be xxxx to go into it so please disregard.

agree with angrywasp and offering more frequently if she is concerned, but not to worry if baby doesn't want it.

she could also just hand express a little each time into a cup or something so she doesn't have to worry about a pump the whole time

Thanks all. Great help as always. I know she's lurking now so trying to encourage her to post herself

She's off to a local BF group tomorrow anyhow and I've said sometimes you need to look around until you find the BF support that works for you...

I'll have to namechange though and ALL my gory past on MN will be revealed....