Author Topic: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule  (Read 4033 times)

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Offline Erineo

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Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« on: January 22, 2015, 15:59:00 pm »
Hello! I've recently read the BW book and am 4 days into working on the EASY schedule. My baby is 4 1/2 weeks old, and one thing the book never addresses is babies that are growing really well and eat well. He was 11.5 pounds at 4 weeks. I have a major oversupply of milk, and he takes it all. I have to express with fast let-down and he still gulps (and burps), but anyone who has seen me feed says he is a very efficient eater - totally takes the milk. As a result, he feeds almost like clock-work at 20mins a feed, sometimes a shorter 10 mins. He takes a 4oz bottle of my milk for dreamfeed from my husband. I seem to have him on EASY during the day but he barely makes the 2 1/2 hour stretch of the 3hr 'routine', because of the quick feed, brief activity due to age and then his naps. Do I try to stretch the naps to lengthen his routine?

Second question, he feeds around 2 or 2:30am after the 10:30 or so dreamfeed. This is long for him, and then he only makes it to 4:30, and then again wakes at 6:30 - I want him to be doing one feed in those gaps but how to adjust, considering his daytime routines are short? Basically I have tried to get him off of short snacks in the early morning but it's tricky.

Many thanks for any suggestions!

Offline *Ali*

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #1 on: January 22, 2015, 19:41:23 pm »
Sounds like he is doing great for his age. Few BF babies do 3hrly feeds every time at 4wo.  I'd just go with the flow and he should gradually increase the time between feeds himself.

At NFs do you offer both sides?  I find with my DD who is a similar age that she will do better if I give her a really good burp (even up to 10 mins) after the first side followed by the other side and then another burp.  I also have OS and OALD which gives her lots of wind.


Did you see our FAQ? Oversupply and Overactive (Forceful) Let-Down
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline becj86

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #2 on: January 22, 2015, 22:00:14 pm »
Hi :)

Just to add, often that first NF has higher flow and the OS, OALD symptoms in baby are worse because your body has been resting and making milk. It can help to express a bit first or to lie back to feed at 2:30 and you may find she's not waking at 4:30, as that sounds like what happened with DS when he was waking with pain and wanting to feed to be able to release gas.


Offline Erineo

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #3 on: January 23, 2015, 00:07:16 am »
Thank you so much for your replies!

Ali I offer both sides, if he makes it that far. I hand express or use hand pump to get the firehose effect down, then he eats eagerly and I pause him twice for burps during a breast. He is either burping like a grown man, or spitting up a bit each time (but still wants to feed more). I try the second breast but he nuzzles underneath the nipple to sleep, like he's worn out.

becj86 I also use the laid back position generally, having him upwards so that he can let some of the flow go down me and not have to clamp down to stop it all himself. He still has gas because he gulps so much!

I did see the points on overactive letdown, which are great - main thing is whether I can stretch out his early morning 'snacks' (sometimes 10 mins every hr or hr and a half), or if perhaps it is just this way while he is so young. I know BW says the routine is not a schedule but I can't figure out how to get the night feeds to last him longer when he eats so much already!

Thanks again!

Offline becj86

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #4 on: January 23, 2015, 03:21:43 am »
That's all very normal at this age. The 3hr EASY doesn't really happen for most babies until at least 10 weeks or so. Just try to follow the order so you and LO get the benefits of the predictability of the routine and the timing will come xx

Offline Ma.of.Bo

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #5 on: January 23, 2015, 04:10:24 am »
Hi Erineo,

My LO is my first child so actually I dunt have much experience like other ladies.
But my situation was similar like yours.LO drank alots from birth & got around 12pound at 4week old. By himself,He had 3hour feeding also had a long 5hour sleep at night even I didnt do any DF.  Dr said I overfeed him. & because my 1st so I ...cut the milk down. He was starving for a whole week later to drop his demand from 4oz to 3oz. How silly I was rite? :)

Then up to now - 19week - he just drink a bit a bit abit.. :))

So I think if I can back the time, I would let him go whatever he like cause I were really lucky to have a good routine baby but I didnt know. The more I change him the worse I get back. Hehe ;D

Má yêu con - Bơ ngoan ♡♥♡♥♡♥

Offline *Ali*

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #6 on: January 23, 2015, 04:19:18 am »
I wouldn't worry about overfeeding an EBF baby.

Does he really want feeding at all those NW or could he perhaps resettle with just a cuddle?  Have you considered a dummy?/paci?
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline Erineo

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #7 on: January 23, 2015, 06:56:42 am »
Ali, trying the paci - he takes it sometimes in naps and sometimes at night but other times rejects. Thanks again, will see how he does!

Offline *Ali*

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #8 on: January 23, 2015, 12:13:19 pm »
Good luck
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline Erineo

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #9 on: January 23, 2015, 15:23:14 pm »
Ali you seem to be a pro with OS and OALD. As your babies fed less, how did you avoid major engorgement during the longer stretches? I've pumped one feed worth for the past few weeks because DS was feeding every 2 hours (or I was overfeeding...mistaking cries for comfort for hunger!), but since starting EASY, I have been getting him to do a 4hr stretch, roughly from 11 - 3 or 10 - 2am. That means DH does the 10/11pm dreamfeed with a bottle. So now that it's longer from me doing an 8pm feed, I wake up with major engorgement and am not feeding until 2 or 3 am, and stay engorged again through to a 6am feed, without relief until daytime hits again (I am not uncomfortable now).

Last few nights I was using a hand pump to express at night, in addition to pumping once in the day. I'm thinking this is too much for my 4-week old breasts because last night I was so engorged I soaked 3 hand-towels and my sheets.

Question, Is hand-pumping the same effect to breasts as feeding, or expressing into a towel? Like, does it signal 'more milk'? Basically, I have searched online and so much conflicting advice about reducing feeds, from pumping a little to no pumping at all / just deal with the pain... but curious what has worked for others.

Offline becj86

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #10 on: January 23, 2015, 19:45:50 pm »
Yeah, if your breasts are full, they send out a feedback that says 'stop, we have enough' basically. If you remove milk from them, they will keep making more. Have a read: http://kellymom.com/pregnancy/bf-prep/milkproduction/

Stick a platic sheet under you while you sleep, I have milk leakage stains in my mattress despite having a mattress protector.

The less you pump off, the quicker you will regulate to what LO needs though it can be handy to have a small stash of EBM for growth spurts ;)
That can be article balance to strike when worried about plugged ducts and mastitis though.

Offline *Ali*

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2015, 19:51:57 pm »
Yes expressing definitely sends a signal to your breasts to make more milk. If you want supply to decrease you either need to avoid pumping and put up with the engorgement for a few days until it settles down or you can just express off the minimum amount needed to relieve your discomfort rather than empty the breast. You'll probably need to gradually reduce that over a few days.

Because my kids gradually stretched the time between feeds my body just adjusted so although they were full by the next feed they weren't painful or leaking profusely. I just wore breastfeeding pads when I needed.

If you're giving a bottle of ebm at DF I would pump at that time so you aren't going so long between feeds.
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline Erineo

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #12 on: January 24, 2015, 15:21:03 pm »
Thank you both!

Offline Anika920

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #13 on: February 17, 2015, 05:08:14 am »
How do you handle the gas? My LO gets a lot of gas due to fast let down. I try and notice letdown and listen for cues of him gulping and hand express to reduce flow. It seems at night I can't burp him enough and after laying him down he wakes up with gas. We swaddle using the Velcro swaddlers. I also seem to have a harder time burping him in them. Do you think I should unswaddle to feed and/or burp then re swaddle afterwards? Seems at night this would keep my LO up in particular. We just started with BW routine, was trying another schedule w/o 4S and ended up keeping him up too long. Now we are paying the price. He does awesome with early naps, but starting around 3/4 pm he will not soothe long. And this has carried over into night/bed time. He's only 4.5 weeks also.

Offline becj86

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #14 on: February 17, 2015, 07:59:42 am »
It's worth keeping LO upright for a while after a feed to help the gas go upwards instead of down to cause more pain in a couple of hours. I found L needed his legs tucked up under him or the heel of your hand putting gentle pressure on the gut to get those obstinate burps up. We did unswaddle to feed at that age, mainly to change nappy and wake him enough to take a good feed. You've heaps of sleepy magic in your milk at this point so shouldn't have any issues with LO not going back to sleep.

Offline Anika920

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #15 on: February 19, 2015, 23:23:36 pm »
The late night diaper. Ugh. I have reluctantly stopped changing him at night unless I hear he has farted and likely has a poopy diaper. My LO does not do well with diaper changes first thing when he wakes up. And doing it afterwards keeps him up. Any suggestions on this? I will admit that it doesn't make me feel good to leave a possible soiled diaper on him.

Offline becj86

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #16 on: February 20, 2015, 01:22:17 am »
For us, he screamed the whole time but we just had to change his nappy when he woke or his skin would burn. Definitely better to do it before a feed as that calms him down again ready for sleep though sometimes you're lucky and the feed triggers a poo :)

Offline *Ali*

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #17 on: February 20, 2015, 10:32:28 am »
My dd also hates being changed but it had to be done. I just shush her and speak quietly to her while im doing it.
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011


Offline Anika920

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #18 on: February 20, 2015, 13:30:58 pm »
What is DD? I keep seeing it and know it's a baby but can't figure it out. My LO was super gassy last night, pretty much stirred the whole night. When I changed him after hearing gas he did pretty well. But it was also after only a short sleep and feeding was less than 2 hours prior. I am currently not waking him for night feedings. Seems like if I did he may be more agreeable because he doesn't think he is starving. But that seems to defeat the purpose of BW.

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Re: Oversupply, efficient feeding and the EASY schedule
« Reply #19 on: February 20, 2015, 13:34:17 pm »
DD is dear daughter and DS is dear son. :) Site Acronyms/Abbreviations - What they are, and what they mean.

I don't wake for NFs either.
Cadan Dec 2009 and Colby Aug 2011