Block Feeding Questions

[~Lori~]

I have OAL (overactive letdown) and have never done block feeding.  However, I am DESPERATE to try anything to help with my DS2's fussiness (11 weeks old) and gassiness that I believe a lot it due to OAL. 

If someone can answer a few questions for me...

Pretty much, is it feeding from the same side for 2 feeds in a row?
What if baby is still hungry after feeding a full feed from one side (ie,during a growth spurt) and you are "empty", do you go to the other side then, even though that is not "block feeding"?

I have one side that produces a little less.  If he's not getting a full feed from just one side, do I go to the second side during block feeding?

We have his 3 month growth spurt approaching and I am gearing up for that.

Thanks!

[Erin M]

Basically, yes you would feed from the same side for 2 feeds in a row.  The suggestion on kellymom, if he's still hungry, is to burp him or take him off for a minute and put him back on the same breast and see if that will satisfy him. The fuller your breast is, the less milk it will make, so you're trying to keep one breast as full as possible.  During a growth spurt, I'd say that all bets are off and to feed from both sides (though you may have to go to block feeding afterwards to decrease your supply again).  More here, from kellymom:

Adjust your supply to better match baby’s needs
If baby is gaining weight well, then having baby nurse from only one breast per feeding can be helpful.
If baby finishes nursing on the first side and wants to continue nursing, just put baby back onto the first side.
If the second side becomes uncomfortable, express a little milk until you’re more comfortable and then use cool compresses – aim for expressing less milk each time until you are comfortable without expressing milk.
Avoid extra breast stimulation, for example, unnecessary pumping, running the shower on your breasts for a long time or wearing breast shells.
Between feedings, try applying cool compresses to the breast (on for 30 minutes, off for at least an hour). This can discourage blood flow and milk production.
If nursing one side per feeding is not working after a week or so, try keeping baby to one side for a certain period of time before switching sides. This is called block nursing.
Start with 2-3 hours and increase in half-hour increments if needed.
Do not restrict nursing at all, but any time that baby needs to nurse simply keep putting baby back to the same side during that time period.
If the second side becomes uncomfortable, express a little milk until you’re more comfortable and then use cool compresses – aim for expressing less milk each time until you are comfortable without expressing milk.
In more extreme cases, mom may need to experiment a bit with time periods over 4 hours to find the amount of time per breast that works best.

[~Lori~]

Thank you!  Am going to attempt it today.  My forceful overactive letdown has made for all my babies being SUPER SUPER fussy for the first 4 mths of life.  My new little guy is 11 weeks and I'm trying to find anything that will help with this.

[Fiver]

I always thought block feeding was for reducing an over-supply rather than for a fast/overactive letdown :-/

What if you just hand expressed until you letdown and caught the spray in a towel/muslin and then put LO to the breast after that initial letdown?  Do you think that could make a difference?  If you're saying LO isn't getting full after a full feed on one side, I'd question whether you really wanted to reduce supply.

[~Lori~]

Oh I didn't realize block feeding was to just reduce supply.  A few people had suggested it to me to do b/c of my Overactive letdown.  I don't want to reduce supply.  He is getting full, for the most part,ater a full feed on one side.  Just ocasional times he's not. 

I have not tried to hand express first.  I know when DS wakes and is hungry, he wants to eat NOW!  I have tried to take him off when I feel my letdown and that results in a very mad baby lol.

[~Carly~]

Lori- I thought the same, that block feeding will only decrease supply, but will not change a fast let down.  I have a quick let down, too.  I have to take DS2 off the breast every couple minutes at first to let him catch his breath and burp.  Once he gets past the initial let down, he is able to control the flow better. 

[~Lori~]

What I heard about block feeding and overactive letdown (from what others tell me and from what I've read online) is that the reason you do block feeding is because there is a foremilk/hindmilk imbalance with overactive letdown and by block feeding, they are able to get more of the hindmilk that they didn't get the first feed on that side.

[Erin M]

Hmmm, maybe just try to feed from one breast for each feeding?  That should help the fore/hind milk issue.  Have you tried feeding while reclining so as to make gravity work against the milk flow?  That's worked well for some ladies on here.

[Fiver]

I'm wondering if there's some confusion again on the definition of block feeding.  Some people seem to define it as feeding from both sides, but starting again on the side that you finished the previous feed on, which would certainly help out with the foremilk/hindmilk thing.

The definition I'm mostly aware of it only using one breast to feed for a certain period of time/number of feeds, which sends the body a signal that it should produce less milk.