Forceful letdown/ over supply

Any one experienced this?

For the first couple of weeks I fed Bella and expressed alot in order to have a big supply of milk. I did this thinking it would make bf easier because baby would always have plenty (I had an under-supply phobia!). However, it seems that this has given me other problems. I think I have too much milk and maybe this is why Bella often pulls off, gets fussy, coughs and splutters, slides off breast, gets alot of foremilk and therefore dosnt have long sleeps and is always hungry. Sound familiar to anyone? and ideas how to regulate my supply?

Topsy, I have the same issues as you and for me it hasn't gotten any better, although it is great having lots of milk for bubs and being able express heaps for the freezer!

I find in the morning at Laurens 5am feed I am so engorged, she really struggles with this feed and then as the day goes on the feeds get easier and easier and by the time I do the last 8:30-pm feed for the night I feel just about empty! Lauren still manages to get a really decent feed out of what I think are empty boobs though!

Regarding foremilk and hindmilk, I pretty much ignore the difference between these and just let her go for as long as possible on one side then swap to the other just to even the boobs up a little!

I also find sometimes stopping her and giving her a good few minutes burp time over my shoulder every few minutes can helpas kebakat said, then she will go back to being a good drinker again!

Yep I had this prob with both girls - With paris it led to heaps of probs as i didn't catch on and she got to the point she wouldn't feed just scream at the breast cos she knew what was coming, i never understood why she'd pull off just after let down and cry, or she started to pull away just as i started to let down. Until i talked to someone on another forum who asked me this same question and it all made sense. It started after the 6 wk growth spurt when my supply had just icnreased a whole heap.

The thing i found was i had a forceful let down, so paris would choke and splutter, which meant she learnt to pull away before that happened and by hook or by crook she just would go back on - it's like she developed a fear of being fed.

With ayja i just had a towel handy and when she pulled away i would place it over for a minute or so until it slowed a bit then she'd go back on nicely and feed wonderfully.

actually i think i remember talking about this with you ladies above. lol.

Peachy, in regards to the not feeling full by night time, alot of your milk is actually made as you are feeding, and babies tend to feed a bit more at night so you don't have time to fill up whereas if lauren's had a bit of a longer sleep befor eher 5am feed you'd have had time to build up a bit more.

Edited by mum2paris

Hi Topsy - me too. I can feed several babies and can squirt ya from across the room

My babies really struggled until they got older and stronger.

I did the same as mum2paris and once letdown began would pull baby off and let it drip into a cloth until it slowed and I would then put baby back on.

For further advice and tips the la leche league website is really helpful. www.lli.com

O wow, i know how you've felt. I've had exactly the same (see my thread 'anyone BF with sore, sore, boobs?') and have just come out the other side!!!!

The pain was excruitiating and i now feel like i've just birthed after a 3mth labour!!! (I would happily go through labour again rather than still have oversupply and overactive letdown issues.

My letdown is still forceful and a little sore and i think i will always have to take baby off and drain (so i don't drown her in foremilk) but i only letdown when she is ready for food and maybe a couple extra times a day now instead of every bl**dy hour of the day and night!!

I used the instructions to fix both oversupply and overactive letdowns in the LaLeche League website (given above by 3boys and link in my other thread) and swear by it - i consult the LLL website for everything BF related now, it's fantastic. And fixing my oversupply has resulted in my seriously sore blocked ducts nearly disappearing altogether!!!

I changed from feeding both sides per feed to only one (yes, it was hard and sore adjusting but settled down after a couple of days) and refuse my baby the letdown milk and I went from near giving up on BFing to loving it!

Check out the website - their tips are worth trying! I sure wish i'd been told about it 3wks after the birth of our baby!

Best of luck, let us know how you are getting on.

Edited by babyg