Breastfeeding help

Spapeggy

Yes I know there is a board but I love on this one so I'll ask here first. I ebf ds for 13 months no problem. Dd is on 6 1/2 months and I'm having issues. She will suck and pull off over and over so my milk is taking like 5+ min to let down. Should only take 1-3 at most. So she's getting mad and it's just sucking. Also she nurses both sides and acts hungry still. I don't know if it's due to teething, or I started my period maybe my hormones are wierd? I've never had a supply issue but wondering what should I do. I eat enough and could drink more so I've been doing that. Could it be teething? I don't know how to get my milk to drop faster. Just now at 3 I had to pump less than two min and my milk dropped so I could feed her. Ugh

BluepointToasted

I'm not sure if I am understanding correctly, but are you saying you pumped for a few minutes and then put her on? Could you try that for a day or two to see if that helps? Or manually express a bit before she latches?

BluepointToasted

It probably is teething, and if you can over the hump without your supply dropping you'll hopefully be on in a few days

WasNotWas

I'm a little behind you age wise, but my LO does this at every growth spurt/wonder week. I just let him get upset and eventually he eats. Just don't wear nice things for a while and try to zen out when she flips. If I focus I can usually get a let down in the chaos

kmm2150

WasNotWas said:

I'm a little behind you age wise, but my LO does this at every growth spurt/wonder week. I just let him get upset and eventually he eats. Just don't wear nice things for a while and try to zen out when she flips. If I focus I can usually get a let down in the chaos

This for me too. She was hungry but not and very easily distracted and we just sort of struggled through it. I think I pumped some when she was going longer than usual between feedings, tried to wait as long as possible so that she truly was ready to nurse, and then would go nurse in a quiet, dark place so shed settle in. Hopefully it's just a little phase!

LoveActually4

You could try hand expressing for a minute before she latches on and that might bring let down on faster.

I agree with PPs that a distraction free environment might help.

Has she started solids yet? If so, are you feeding her before or after her meals?

Spapeggy

I can't go to a quiet place, I sahm and have my 3 year old. So that is a huge distraction. Yes I pumped and as soon as I let down I latched dd on. I just worry she'll get used to not working for it and need that every time. I give her one meal and it's small. After her dinner feed. So feed, num nums, play, get ready for bed, 2-3 hours after nursed I nurse for bed. She's up twice a night to eat and both times she cannot focus even in the dark quiet. I just want to keep nursing without needing bottles if possible. I pray it's just teeth

studyinpink

I think it is just baby being distracted easily and your supply does dip when on your period. It is a phase and I hope it passes for you quickly.

LoveActually4

I think any phase we have gone through like this has passed quickly.

Like you said, if she gets used to immediate letdown, she may want that all the time. If she's thriving, I'd keep fighting the battle to have her nurse until you achieve let down on your own.

It could be a supply issue because you started your period, if so your supply should regulate within a week.

missyishere

I second the phases mentioned above. Also, maybe try to sit her up while nursing, if that's possible. DD reached a certain age where she wanted to see what was going on around her, so sitting her up allowed for her to do so.

Hammaconda

She might just be getting to that antsy stage where she'd rather be working on motor skills than nursing. For DS we just had to power through and eventually he figured out that if he wants milk he's gotta sit there and eat for 5 minutes, then he can go play. It's exhausting but I agree with trying to block as much as you can out, maybe show the 3yo something on tv to help him calm down, and try to feed her? Good luck!

BluepointToasted

This isn't really advice, but I just want to say that every time I had an issue with nursing, I over thought it and over analyzed it, and then it just fixed itself in a couple of days.  Hopefully this is the case!

citygirl22

When ds got to that distracted stage, I would give him something to hold or look at while still nursing. Sometimes that helped, like a necklace or new toy he could look at while staying on.

Neither if my kids nursed well right before I got my period. A couple days later it was back to normal. I would take fenugreek if I thought there was a significant change in my supply.

If you think teething, try a cold washcloth first or teething gel.

Spapeggy

Thank you guys!!!!!!!!! I appreciate it so much:)