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BF questions...help

MrsS2203MrsS2203 member
in Breastfeeding

I placed a call into my LC but I'm awaiting an answer.

A little background,not sure if it'll help or not.  DS had jaundice and was I was told to feed him every 2 hours to help with his billi levels.  Then we started to drop weight so they(doctors/nurses) wanted me to continue nursing every 2 hrs to help my supply come in.  I did this until DS was about 5 days old.  We'd nurse every 2 hours and he'd eat 10 minutes and on occasion a little more. I tried letting him go 3 hours but it ended up me in being empty and him screaming.  Fast forward to yesterday he's been sleeping longer and eating about 8 minutes per side.  My breasts are sooo engorged its scary.  No matter what I do to wake him nothing works.  So here are my questions

1) Should I be concerned he's only eating about 8 minutes per side(sometimes less)?  I know he's getting enough because he acts full and you can tell a difference in his weight.

2) When he does feed my letdown is drowning the poor guy and me.  How do I avoid this?

3)My breasts are engorged and warm to the touch(scares me) is this because there's too much milk?  Should I pump to relieve some of the pressure/milk but not completely empty myself?

4)Any suggestions on how to wake him up?

Any advice?

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Re: BF questions...help

  • autumnmicheleautumnmichele member

    Just my opinion...you should definately talk to your LC or pedi

    1) Should I be concerned he's only eating about 8 minutes per side(sometimes less)?  I know he's getting enough because he acts full and you can tell a difference in his weight.   Some babies eat quicker than others. if he seems full, he probably is.

    2) When he does feed my letdown is drowning the poor guy and me.  How do I avoid this?  I don't think you can avoid letdown...just make sure to give him breaks.

    3)My breasts are engorged and warm to the touch(scares me) is this because there's too much milk?  Should I pump to relieve some of the pressure/milk but not completely empty myself?  Yes, pump.  Have you given LO a bottle yet?  I know sometimes its best to wait until you both are comfortable with bfing but maybe a bottle would help you see how much he is eating and also help with the letdown issue.

    4)Any suggestions on how to wake him up?  It's tough.  Try taking his clothes off or flicking his feet.  LO did the same thing.  She was supposed to eat every 2 hours because of low weight and it was so tough to wake her up.  I would definitely try to take LO's clothes off to wake him up.

     

    Good luck...it will get better!

     

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  • tokenhosertokenhoser member

    1) Just feed as often as he wants and it should be fine.

    2) There are ways to try to help a forceful letdown. This is the advice I got:

    A couple things can help with a fast let-down - leaning back while nursing can help - you can either try the "laid back breastfeeding" position, or google "biological nurturing."  Another thing is it gently break the suction with your little finger when the first powerful let-down happens, then let that spray into a cloth/towel - but be fore-warned, some babies get mad when you take them off!  But maybe he will learn that this is a good thing, or maybe he pops off anyways. 
     
    Hopefully this is just a temporary challenge for him - as he gets bigger, he will handle the flow better; plus as time goes by, your breasts will produce according to what he takes and the let-down should settle down a bit too.
     
    It could be in the mornings he wants to comfort nurse more (e.g. if he is still sleepy) and yells when he gets a shot full of milk!  Soon he will be entering a growth spurt and will like all the extra milk!
     
    Here are a couple links you may find helpful:
    https://www.llli.org/faq/oversupply.html - especially if you scroll down to Strategies to Reduce Milk Ejection Force
     
    3) It's normal to be engorged in the first few days. If you're in pain, you can pump just a little to let the pressure off. Otherwise, it will adjust on its own in a few days. The warmth is just increased bloodflow - there's a lot going on in there.
     
    4) Is he back up to birthweight? If so, let him sleep. If not, change a diaper. Strip him down so he's a bit cold. Tickle the feet a bit. It's hard, though, and really a sleepy baby just wants to sleep.

     

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