Breasts too full to latch on to

[*Ali*]

My breasts are so full with milk that poor little Isla is finding it impossible to latch on. 

I spent literally hours last night offering her the breast while she cried and dozed trying to latch on. In the end I had to pump off an ounce or two to empty the breast out a little so it was a more pointy shape for her to get hold of. I had to do the same for her feeds today as well. Apart from being annoying this is not helping calm my supply down at all. I realised my steriliser is no good either so am waiting to get a new one tomorrow so I'm not even able to give her the milk I have pumped off. I can't be doing with boiling the pump and bottle parts in the middle of the night. I'm not keen to introduce a bottle this early anyway and wanted to wait until 3wks or so.

I'm having to wake her to feed every 3hrs in the day and at night she is going 4-5hr sometimes. I guess I should wake her more often so I don't get so full but if she is hard to resettle after the feed (she often wakes going back into the cot) then I'm only getting a couple hours before she wakes again anyway.

I had oversupply and overactive letdown with the boys as well but they coped well with it and I don't remember getting on being a problem.

I'm not sure what I'm looking for exactly with this post. Just wanted to share and I'd be grateful if anyone else had this issue and wants to share how long it took to get over it and what you did.

Thanks. 

[koe2moe]

If you hand express a little, is that not enough to soften it?  Do you happen to have a nipple shield to try also?  Lots of vibes that you find a more convenient way.  Xx

[michaeljacknnugg]

We had similar with DS and he was taking up to an hour to latch on (one of the reasons we have only one child is the memories of those newborn days!). It took about two weeks before it resolved itself, but we got past it and never looked back.

[anna*]

Lots of hugs. I remember a couple of days of Audrey like this. I had mad oversupply. I think I started block feeding really early on, so at the first feed on a 'new' boob I would hand express off a little, and then for the next feed on that side it would be a little less crazily engorged. I think it helped a little.

[*Ali*]

It takes me so long to hand express, I find it really uncomfortable and I only get drops with no sign of any change in shape. I only pump enough to make them a bit softer and less flat anyway. It takes just a few mins to get the 1-2oz required to do this with the pump. They are still really full.

I don't have nipple shields and would need to sterilise them somehow anyway.

Anna, what happened to the milk in the breast you weren't feeding from though? I feel like they would burst if I left them any longer than the 6hrs they are going at the moment.

I just managed to latch her on without pumping after waking her 3hrs since the last feed. It took 35 mins of crying though. My pump is in the dishwasher.

Thanks for your support ladies.

[Martini~]

For me football position (do you call it like that) helped. It was easier for him to latch...

[*Liz*]

Supply can get more with subsequent births, so I guess that is what is happening.

Could you use the pump for literally a few sucks just to shape the nipple for her??

One sided feeding to calm supply a bit???

[*Ali*]

I am doing one sided feeding, thanks.  She is always asleep by the end of the first side so I didn't get around to offering the second.

I did try the football hold tonight but no joy. She got very upset

I just pump for 30 seconds and then check the shape and softness but it is usually about 2 mins before it looks any different by which time I have pumped over an ounce.

I think I'll have the pump ready for the next feeds but try not to use it.

Today she has only fed at 5am, 10am, 2pm and 5.30pm. I was aiming for 3hrly but when she takes an hour to latch on it ends up being 4hrs. I will try the next feed at 8pm unless she wakes before that.

Cheers girls.

[*Liz*]

Jacob was like that. I did find giving a teeny bit in a bottle calmed him to try harder at latching.

We also BF in the bath a bit, it's called rebirthing and helps latching. But I think it would stimulate supply wouldn't it??

Have you got a plastic tub and some Milton to sterilise with?? Cheapest and easiest way.

[becj86]

I fed L in the bath, lying back to feed helped with the overactive letdown and the sheer volume of oversupply and the water in the bath calmed him down enough to latch himself. I found the less effort I put into latching, the better his latch was. All the mechanics of getting him to open wide shoving the nipple in just right, etc was such a problem for us and when I did the laid back feeding and let him latch himself, he did it marvellously. I never found it increased supply but I was block feeding then too.

Have you considered feeding or cold cabbage in the bra, Ali? The cabbage reduces supply just a little. Have you looked at galactogogues in your diet, like oats? I ate oats in the mornings for breakfast and when I stopped that, my supply dropped in a couple of days.

Hugs xx this feeding thing is not so simple. I hope you find something that works for you and Isla soon.

[*Ali*]

I loved feeding in the bath with the boys. I can't have a bath yet because of the c-section wound. The mw said better to stick with showers for 7-10 days until the wound has healed. Not that I could take a bath for all her feeds of course anyway.

Warm water does get the milk flowing yes but not sure it would actually affect supply greatly.

I don't have sterilising tablets no but wil have a steriliser tomorrow anyway.

I do laid back nursing and find it helps with the fast flow. She latches herself normally but when struggling does a lot of bobbing her head and crying.

She woke up and fed again at 7.30pm and was able latch on no worries as I wasn't that full. It just took me a good 20 mins to get her on at 10.30 though.

I have been giving her Infacol for wind on the mw's advice but I wonder if that is making her little mouth too greasy. I didnt give it at the 7.30 feed when she latched on straight away.  Cound be coincidence but I think I'll skip it next time and see if it helps.

Thanks for your help and support 

[nona]

i was also going to suggest cabbage leaves in your bra too. had to use them with my ds bc of oversupply issues.

((hugs)) it will work out!

[shivi]

You're still in early days, esp after c section.
Best advice I ever got and have given in early days esp with 2nd or subsequent babies as milk does tend to come in fast and definitely furious is use hit compress before feeds and cold, even ice cold if you can bear it, immediately after. You should try and definitely not pump off anything if possible but work on feedback to your breasts they are overproducing, which is normal on day 6. Pumping off an ounce or two after each feed is a lot of milk in 24 hrs that you are telling your breasts to produce without needing it.

Cold compresses are really great. Hth x

[*Ali*]

Thanks. I shall add cabbage leaves to the grocery shop

It was before the feed I was pumping to lessen the engorgement so she could even get on. I know it is counter productive in the long term but I was desperate after an hour of not being able to latch her on at 4am. 

The good news is I've managed to get her latched on for the last 3 feeds without pumping at all.  I'm just feeding her again now at midnight and she latched on immediately without the infacol. The boobs are less full because she is feeling more often tonjght though.  I think she is making up for only having 5 feeds in the last 24hrs.

[weaver]

Hope all's on the right track now but this thought occurred to me and woke me up! So hope it's some help.

LO1 had difficulty feeding in the first days, crying not feeding etc,  and we were advised to get him seen by a cranio-sacral osteopath (a baby specialist obviously!). The effect was immediate, instantly feeding improved and every else of course. We reckon he had pain in his head, lots of tension in his jaw, basically because of his birth position, with his chin up so he took lots of pressure on his head.

Sounds like you and Isla are getting into your groove though. hugs!
Night.