Really need support/encouragement - strong let down.

[EmyB]

Hi guys,

My little boy is turning 3 weeks tomorrow and for the last week we are having troubles breastfeeding on one side. I suspected it was a strong let down and it was confirmed today when he came off the breast but it kept spurting milk for like 6-8 seconds!! It was crazy! Basically he thrashes around and cries blue murder and coughs and comes off and on the breast and cries while he's ON the breast. It's very distressing - I feel as though I'm murdering him by making him take the breast. He seems to hate it. :( Luckily the other side is still okay (fingers crossed) and when everything is working well I LOVE breastfeeding. Just the last few days especially have been really difficult and I feel like all my time with him awake is fighting with him! It also seems to have coincided with a lot more milk vomits (although he's a "happy chucker"). I just want more of that serene, peaceful, lovely breastfeeding!! :(

I have tried various techniques suggested like expressing a bit beforehand, feeding "uphill" etc. They seem to help a little bit but there is still thrashing and crying and coughing. :(

I guess I was hoping for some reassuring words from ladies who've had the same problem.

Does it get better? When and how does it get better?

Am I traumatising my poor baby for making him take the breast when it seems like he HATES it? Will he hate me?????? HELP!?!

[Herchy]

It does get better!!! My DS has the exact same problem. I could fill a bottle with milk squirting from my right breast in about 2 minutes flat... it was insane!
I tried most things and they worked to a degree. My supply did slow down after a while though. One thing I did try ( that makes alot of people gasp in horror! LOL) is I grabbed a nipple sheild, and punched a few extra holes in it. It let out more milk than a normal sheild, but it wasn't slicing into the back of DS' throat. I only did this for a few days and then stopped. It helped slightly, but honestly, I think my supply just regulated itself.
I would let DS suck on my breast until he came off, put his dummy in and let the squirting milk go straight into a cloth until it stopped, and then reattach DS.
I ended up BFing him for 10.5 months ;)

Good luck.

[ElizaDoLittle]

Aw hun, sounds like you are doing all the things I would have recommended trying, I am guessing that perhaps he has has a bit of a growth spurt and your supply has increased, making the let down strong. I promise it gets better! It really really does! Your supply will sort itself out very soon. The first six weeks was the hardest for us and 15 months later we are still going strong. He will NOT hate you, you are giving him the VERY best start in life, you are his all, his everything at the moment, he will not hate you :hugs: :hugs:

[RedPanda]

I had a very fast and forceful letdown, which I think was due a bit to oversupply. I tried not to express unnecessarily. You can take a bit off before a feed so that it's not quite as full or fast when your DS feeds, but don't express heaps because you'll just stimulate more production.

To be honest, it took about three months to settle for me. I just tried to look at the upside, which was that I had plenty of milk and my baby fattened up nicely! It will settle, it really will. As your baby gets bigger, he'll be more capable of handling the fast flow. I remember my son used to cry and pull off, creating so much squirting! Eventually he went from that to just gulping really fast. His eyes would open really wide and he'd focus so intently on drinking. It was quite cute. Your son, like mine, knows no different. He has no idea that it *should be* slower or more gentle, so he will get used to it.

[trin_007]

If its only one side in particular, can you start his feed on the other side first and express the other breast past the first letdown, either into a bottle or a cloth if you don't want/need to keep it. Then there should be less pressure when you put him on that side?

My little one (6mths) still coughs & splutters a bit if the letdown is a bit overwhelming, but its not every feed.

Hope things improve for you soon.

[Seekrit]

Hey EmyN :)
I've had this issue twice. Ergh. I know it's a pain, I spent a few days crying over it (it's so hard, I know) and had the guilts about 'drowning' her etc... and I stuck with it. It DID get better... it's now heaps better (to the point that I'm NOT squirting everywhere and panicking about my supply :laughing:) It probably took until 12 weeks - which I know seems so far away.. but each day it got a bit better, you know? I used to hold a dummy close to my breast, she'd suck on the breast get some milk, get FURIOUS at the breast, then I'd thwack the dummy in her mouth so she could chill out a little, then after a few sucks I'd put her back on the boob and repeat the process.. I don't have to do that now though. She's learned to deal with it and my boobs have settled right down.

And as for hating breasts and YOU for it? My son was a boob-a-holic until 22 months, and every day tells me how much he loves me :) You'll get there!

[EmyB]

Thanks so much guys. :) It's so reassuring to hear from other people who've had the same issues. I'm so glad I'm not the only one who feels bad for wrestling with my baby! I was a little bummed that you guys reckon it takes 6-12 weeks to settle down but oh well. We'll keep at it!

WitchHazel - this past week I began trying to express a little each day to stockpile so that probably stimulated my supply too much. I might hold off on doing any more of that for a little while.

Good ideas about starting on the good side at each feed and also about using the dummy to calm him down a little. :idea: I'll be trying those!

Today has actually been a lot better and we have had a few feeds that have gone really calmly and lovely so HOORAY! :smiliedance: :D I don't know what we've been doing differently but I'll enjoy it while I can.

Thanks again guys for the support. It's really meant a lot to me. :) x

[3'llhavetodo]

Check with someone official but I heard somewhere that sage can help if you have too much milk.

[pkbub]

I have a similar let-down...I've found that DD will pull away and milk will spray everywhere, so I always have a huge cloth on hand.

At about 8 wks she seemed to "get it" and stops sucking for a bit, and takes time to breathe then reattaches well after about 30 seconds. She may do this 4 or 5 times at the start of each feed.

I agree with the others about trying to not express too much if not necessary and let your body sort itself out.

Good Luck - sounds like you are doing all you can:yes: