Overfeeding a breastfed baby....?

[growingabean]

So my HV tells me that it's impossible to overfeed a breastfed baby......

So if that's the case, then why when 7 week dd2 suggests she wants a feed before 3 hours have passed since the last one, and as because she's only fed for a few mins last time, or because the 'suggestion' is very convincing, I feed her again - which she ravonously takes, I get covered in what seems to be the entire feed (projectile rather than spit up).

Having odd experience following no 1 son who would feed for a good 40 mins and had me always worried I didn't have enough milk. Feel like I have too much and am flooding the poor lass. She's only feeding for about 5-10 mins before coming off - sometimes she seems to have emptied the breast, other not. She very very rarely gets onto the second.

The vomiting has come and gone a bit - but 2 incidents yesterday and one at the night feed. So far today, so good and all but a bit of spit up after a massive bump has stayed down.

My husband is convinced it's overfeeding and completely unworrried.

If anyone has any experience of this and can reassure me that it is just this and not something else I should be worried about it would be really appreciated.

I am a little worried - but then I suppose I'm the one who's being sicked up on!

any thoughts?

hol

I think part of the reason it's said to be impossible to overfeed a bf baby is that they just sick up any excess. My sister's baby was very greedy and VERY sicky, and put on weight at an amazing weight, going from 50th centile to 95th by 6 months!! As long as she seems contented and has plenty of wet nappies I wouldn't worry.

I freefed bth of mine - DS1 snacked and was always thin. DS2 was a porker - we laugh at the photos.

Both are healthy weights now. I just feel let the baby lead the way or you'll paythe price!

Have a look at Kellymom about oversupply

Does any of the stuff on there fit what is happening with your dd?

You can't overfeed but look at mawbroon's link for oversupply info. What's your letdown like?

My dd went from 50th centile to off the top of the chart within 2 months on bmilk. It was astounding! She also didn't manage a 2hr gap between feeds until 7 months....

Yup, sounds like over supply/ fast flow problems to me.... have had similar with both my DDs. In fact, this summer, had one day where DD2 was sick - an entire feed - down my back, top and into my pants, and then later on in the day, down my front and into my bra. Nice.

Lots of winding helped - that and lots of rugs covering the carpets - but basically it just got better as they got bigger.

On the plus side - I never had to worry about them not putting on enough weight!

I don't think its 'overfeeding' as such - as they regulate what they take by either refusing, or by sicking it back up.

PS if you do have a good supply, don't worry about the short feeds and only one side per feed - 'tis normal. 5 minutes would be a super long feed for me now (DD2 6 months)

Thanks everyone. The forceful let down thing does sound familiar. She's just vomited again - only about 3 mins after going on so called the doctor and we're seeing him in an hour just to check everything is okay.
bless her. honestly - you think the worry is too little milk!
will let you know how we get on
hol

Growingabean - my DD (8 weeks) is exactly the same. I get absolutely drenched, either in one big projectile or and ongoing half hour worth of little, but quite high speed and targeted sicks (I swear she's got expert aim going for whatever bit of me, her or the sofa I haven't managed to cover). Her crowning glory was when she managed to projectile vomit the whole feed from where she was lying on her back in the moses basket by the bed, out of the basket and hit me in the face when I'd just lain back down on the bed. Especially the morning feeds, she splutters on the breast and on several occasions has come off the breast to spit a mouthful of milk over me and then gone straight back on.

Health visitor diagnosed reflux and the GP agreed, so have been giving her infant Gaviscon after every feed, which is a mammoth production of switching from breast to bottle of 20ml expressed milk/gaviscon at the last minute of the feed - any longer than 10 minutes and she is too full for the bottle and refuses to take it. I could cope with the constant sick (the sofa might not be able to though!) but after a week of these projectiles she was screaming after being sick and was in pain from it, the acid was burning her throat. This artificially limits her feed to 10 minutes (I don't reoffer the breast if she comes off naturally so could be less) and seems to have had a good effect. She is still sick, but a lot less and is still putting on weight well, she was a few weeks early so only on the 5th centile to start with, but is following it perfectly. She's going three hours between feeds in the day with a big gap of six/six and a half hours in the evening, so is obviously getting enough. Both the GP and health visitors have been really pleased with her progress and weight gain, so I'm trying not to worry! It's reassuring to hear that other people have the same thing.

Lucky! sorry that you're going through this but it's good to hear! Luckily we got a leather sofa after Ds1 which is fab for wiping clean - but the washing machine is on a lot at the moment with full changes for me, izzy, the bed and her cot - joy!

Been to see the doctor and he thinks it's a lot down to a cold/croupy cough she has and told me just to keep her hydrated and not worry to much about getting to the hindmilk over the next day or so. I'm to ensure she's fed - however little - in the day every 4 hours and keep an eye on her with the hope that the sick calms down a bit over the next couple of days.

She has luckily been putting on weight well so hopefully she's got a bit to go at.

we'll see. if it does end up to be reflux I'll let you know.

hol