Fast let down making feeding a nightmare!

[Shmerlock]

Hello! Hoping for some advice/words of encouragement/general experience of Mum's who have/had fast let down.

It's causing feeding in public to be a nightmare!! I can manage it better at home but when I'm out it's horrendous. Baby girl is fussing and crying before I've even got her latched, almost as though she's expecting it to be difficult! She screams, hits and pulls at my breast, chokes and coughs leading to her ultimately pulling off and my milk going everywhere - all over her, me and the shawl I usually use as a cover. She then ends up screaming the place down as she's freaked out, and usually still hungry!!

I'm finding it anxiety inducing now as it's such a stressful time just trying to feed her when I'm out. She kicks and wriggles too meaning I'm finding it hard even getting the positioning of feeding her right - I end up uncomfortable just as much as she is! I don't think I've mastered the art of supporting her during feeding, at home I use a feeding pillow which she finds much better but I don't have that when I'm out and neither of us are used to the feeding without it. My boobs exploded once my milk came in (went from a DD cup to a G cup) so I have to help her out as otherwise her poor little nose is smothered by boob 🙈. So it's another thing I find tricky when out as I need one hand supporting her and the other holding above my nipple down otherwise she can't breathe whilst feeding.

I try and express in to a muslin beforehand, but this doesn't seem to make a difference. As soon as she latches the letdown starts again and it's just as forceful! It really shoots out!!

I'm not sure what the solution is!? Does it get any better!? Baby is 10 weeks now and I've had this since her first week!!

Apologies if this is very rambling and thank you if you've made it this far!! Xxx

@loopyapp this is what happens with me! But usual even once I pop her back on the tingling starts again and it's just as fast 😫 drives me mad!!

I do keep an eye on her cues, she's a very impatient feeder though haha when I take her off to let it out in to a muslin she is NOT amused 😅🙈

@Em4815 it's awful isn't it!? I've recently bought one of these, I forget the name now but its brilliant. Although I still find her bloody difficult to hold on to when she's flailing. Also I chose a grey one which in hindsight wasn't a good colour choice as you can see the spray splatters all over it 🤣 oops!!! Xx

One of my friends used a feeding pillow at home and took it out with her too as it was just too much of a struggle without. Is this an option for you too OP? x

@WingingItEveryDay7 I've been tempted! It's just quite a hefty thing to carry around and use when out and about! It's so reassuring though knowing other people have done that and it's worked for them xx

Can you use your changing bag and / or a rolled up jumper to make a sort of feeding pillow out and about? I had a little one (2.4kg) and I did that for a while until she got a bit bigger and was able to cooperate a bit more.

@AnUnlikelyCombination that is such a good idea! I'll definitely try that next time x

Loads great advice here already. Another vote for side feeding whenever possible. Just wanted to say it's hard but you're doing a great thing for your little one and it really does get easier. Your supply will even out as your DD grows

It’s a long time since I breastfed a baby, but I’m wondering if you are putting off feeding her in public because it’s difficult, and that’s exacerbating the problem? Is it worth you trying her with a feed before she starts telling you she’s hungry, when it’s all a bit less frenzied?

@thiswaythatwayupanddown thank you! Really appreciate that, we had a particularly difficult feed whilst out today and I just find it so upsetting - especially seeing how worked up she gets, it's horrid . Determined not to give up on it though!

@Ozberry that could definitely be an option, I'll certainly give it a go! I wouldn't say I avoid it, I always will feed her when she's showing me her cues - I just find it very stressful and struggle to not get flustered/upset. But I've no doubts she'll be sensing that! I think what you've said about trying to feed her before she starts to show she's hungry is a great idea! I'm willing to try anything! X

She'd often pop off, and then just lie there with her mouth open with it squirting straight in 😂

Not something really for feeding in public though.

@Moonbabysmum like a little water fountain 🤣

@Shmerlock you're not alone!
I fed my first two out and about fine but DC3 has been a nightmare. Along with the fast letdown I've had with her, she's too nosey and won't settle to feed if we're out. And she had awful latch problems in the early months too 🙄
I've had the stress and worry and tears trying to feed when out. Tbh I just stayed home a lot with her, (lockdown made that easy) and I'd always offer her a side feed before going anywhere even if she wasn't looking for it. So she'd often not look for a feed while out, or she would be calmer feeding when out and my let down not so intense since she'd not long fed previously.
The weeks do fly by, your little one will grow and adapt to the let down, and go longer between feeds too. Mine gets impatient waiting for the letdown these days!
I'd suggest feed her at home rather than out as much as you can for now. Have her tummy full leaving the house. Accept some feeds won't be great when you're out, but it'll sort itself out in time. And try not to stress. It's hard if she's your first? Mine's nearly 1 now but god I had some awful weeks with feeding at the start. And I'd done it twice before!

@Moonbabysmum

She'd often pop off, and then just lie there with her mouth open with it squirting straight in 😂

Not something really for feeding in public though.

Love this. See, you don't have that kind of fun with a bottle

If your baby is gaining weight well I would also recommend block feeding, it was a revelation for me and DD3

@thiswaythatwayupanddown yes she's my first, still finding my feet with it all! She seems to be hungry after a couple of hours, so even when I've fed her before leaving its not long before she's after another feed 🙈. So frustrating! She's gaining weight well so at least I know she's getting enough. We're going through the usual witching hour boon refusal at the moment too, so that's fun!!! 😅 She cries for boob and then cries when she has it!!

It's so reassuring to know it'll get easier as she gets older, or at least she'll be able to manage it better!! I wonder what causes the fast let down!? Strange how you didn't have it for your first two! Thank you for the advice and support! Xx

@SwayingInTime definitely looking in to trying this!

FeedEatSpeak on Instagram has lots of advice re fast let down and this type of thing. I was in a similar situation with my baby and it made it really tough to feed in public - well done for persisting!

Highly recommend pumping the first couple of mins before a feed. Gets rid of the watery stuff that caused green poos for us, plus a bonus back-up feed you can freeze for later use. If it's spraying across the room, it may as well spray into a bottle!

With my second child, he got so cross at the let down or speed of flow on one side that he did complete refusal on one side. It was very painful to have one engorged side. If baby refuses one side over the other, (for at home), I would have baby asleep in my lap and whilst alseep shuffle them over to other (rejected side). They would suckle then as asleep which meant I was feeding just enough to reduce the engorgement, but also little enough that the supply and flow on that side reduced. I don't think it took more than a week for baby to stop being fussy on that side after that. Baby did huge burbpa when he woke though (in early attempts at this, flow was so fast baby woke up, but still worth doing as I didn't want mastitis).

I had oversupply and a fast let down and I think baby got used to it at maybe around 3 months. gradually improving but I think he started using it to his advantage then when out I used to tuck a muslin under my bra so it would catch some of the extra milk or i just fed sitting in the back of the car so it didn't matter so much. also maybe it would help to find a breastfeeding support group and practice there?

I used to sleep with towels and waterproof sheets on the bed, as even with feeds overnight, a letdown on one side would collect 6-8oz at the first morning feed. I started collecting it simply to stop it soaking me and the bed, then started donating it to our local NICU, approx 5L a month.

Good luck!

meant to add, he used to click, gulp, choke and his latch would slip for the first 6-8 weeks, I mostly would unlatch and letdown into a towel but sometimes it was still too fast. I saw a feeding specialist about it and I think she said that if he's gaining weight and has wet dirty nappies then it's OK but try laid back feeding, lying down feeding, letting down into a towel. he just figured it out himself eventually though.

@Howsyourfather thank you, started following now!!

@OneMorePieceofCheese definitely, don't know what I'd do without my pump!! A god send!

@espresso14 my little girl is the same! Although strangely she changes which boob she prefers every few days, currently she screams bloody murder if I try to feed her on the left breast but usually it's the right!! Very odd!