New mum - no let down in breast feeding. Baby sucking too quickly.

[Oliviatko]

Noticed a few things while researching after an awful 3rd night.

Firstly I’m not sure I’m actually experiencing a let down within my feed.

My baby is doing lots and lots of quick sucks which makes me think that either - there isn’t a good enough supply of milk due to no let down or maybe she’s just doing for comfort. She isn’t doing the slower sucks and swallow I’m worried that although she’s sucking she isn’t able to swallow the milk. ( there must be some amount of milk as we have good nappies & she sleeps in the day!)

Could this all be to do with the let down?!

How can I encourage a let down?
How can I encourage slower sucks not just sucking for comfort and then how do I know that she can swallow well?

Any help would be so appreciated. I’m on day 4 of hardly any sleep after a very long and pretty traumatic labour !

If she's not on formula & there are lots of wet nappies then you're producing lots of milk. It didn't get into her by any other means.
She's stimulating your milk supply.
The milk making hormones are more responsive at night.
It's exhausting looking after newborns.

Rest as much as you can.

I didn't feel my let down until a few months (though I think this is unusual). Sounds like she might just be working in stimulating your supply, this period is pretty relentless and tough. It does get easier though so hang on there. I found having a snack box of little cut up sandwiches, fruit, biscuits and chocolate in the bed helped the first few weeks ago I could eat while feeding through the night.

Have you got a local breastfeeding support group or look up la leche league. I found that more helpful than the midwives. They always recommended looking at nappies for output to check if things are going well.

Not everyone feels a letdown - I certainly didn't in the early weeks. It sounds like you're doing great. Congratulations on your new baby

It might be that you actually have a very fast let down and baby is sucking quickly to cope with it.

Not everyone feels the let down.

My baby is almost 5 months and still feeds very quickly and tends to only occasionally do slow sucks during night feeds when sleepy. My first baby was the same.

Also the first 10 days or so can feel challenging and then somehow in that time you get in the groove a bit and baby settles down and it does get a bit easier so hang in there!

I'm 10 days into breastfeeding OP and I don't feel any let down. At day 3 your milk probably isn't it so it's just colostrum. If you've hand expressed any you'll know it's just drops and very thick so they do have to do more quick sucks before a swallow. As others have said, if she's having wet and dirty nappies she MUST be getting enough. Her tummy is so tiny at 3 days old.

I didn’t feel a let down at that stage either. I have to say I couldn’t hear DD swallow either but once my husband pointed it out I could.

You’re always going to question whether they are getting enough, I did constantly, just trust the nappies! It does get better after about 10 days so keep going, you are doing brilliantly, it’s not easy!

Has your milk definitely come in? Mine came in around day4/5 and before that I didn’t feel any let down. Then when it came in I just had rock hard boobs constantly so couldn’t feel let down. When I did start to feel let down I realised that baby was getting fussy on one side because of a slow let down so I used to make a point of letting out a long breath, consciously relaxing and focusing on the feeling of letting down (not sure if that makes sense but I googled some tactics and that seemed to work for me).

thats just my experience but everyone is different and honestly it sounds like you’re doing really well. If baby is gaining weight, producing wet nappies and you’re comfortable then just keep doing what you’re doing

Quick sucks are to stimulate your let down,
I hardly ever feel a let down to be honest with you, I just heard my little one drink to know I’m making anything haha

my little one was tongue tied for four months it doesn’t sound like your little one is but always good to get a specialist to look anyway just in case, it’s missed a lot and midwives and doctors aren’t trained to catch it

Also can I say, sucking for comfort is very very normal and great for calming down little one if need be
my little one still comfort sucks x